A while ago, I was hiking up Grouse Mountain with my friend Bob Garlick. Bob reminded me that great marketing companies sell an incredible vision to their customers. Great sales people then show prospects how they can take the first step to that ultimate vision. It is a strategy that can wipe out your competitors if they do not or can not provide the vision.
Steve Jobs and Apple did a great of this with the release of the iPhone. Jobs painted an incredible vision of an integrated platform, a touch experience, backed up by an app store that would have everything you could need. While Jobs gave us the vision, mobile providers let us “step into” the iPhone for only $199, if we signed up for a three year contract.
When selling to enterprises, it is critical to paint a vision that entire teams, from the executive suite to front line operations, can buy into. Marketing’s job is to both convey a future vision for the prospect that they get excited about and belief in that your company can actually deliver on that vision. Once the vision and the belief are cemented in prospects minds, sales has a chance to sell the first steps in the vision.
The photo above is taken from the top of Grouse Mountain. When I’m talking someone into hiking up the mountain, I first sell them on the view and the experience that they will have when they reach the top. I then sell them on the idea of meeting in the parking lot. Then it’s just the small matter of taking the first steps on the trail up the mountain. One step follows another and before we know it we’ve hiked our way to the top. We could get the views by paying money and taking the lift. That never feels the same. The experience of doing the hike gives extra meaning to the vision of standing on top of Grouse looking down on Vancouver.
What vision can you paint for your prospects?
It is a great hike since we do not take the Grouse Grind trail. We parallel the trail by taking the BCMC trail. Its a tough uphill fight with gravity but the experience and the view from the top is worth it. Plus there is a great food and beer at the restaurant in the chalet at the top.