Closing The Evidence Gap: Here's how to fix the sales and marketing disconnect by capturing proof points that win buyer trust.

EPISODE 2

Why Your GTM Messaging Fails (and How to Fix It)

The TL;DR

Jen Allen-Knuth may have lost a few friends with this one. Jen (DemandJen), Kaylee Edmondson (DemandLoops), and Jason Oakley (Productive PMM) share some of the biggest failings around creating, socializing, and iterating on GTM messaging that resonates.

What’s working for GTM messaging

START WITH THE PROBLEM AND VALUE

If you know your ICP, the problem you’re solving, and the value you’re bringing, your messaging will resonate. Period.

What’s not working for GTM messaging

CRAFTING IN A SILO

Even if you’re your own ICP, don’t fall into the trap of not socializing your early messaging ideas and letting outside influence into your process

The key takeaways

  • Trust and diagnosis in sales: B2B marketers should empower prospects to self-diagnose their problems, thus fostering a trust-centered relationship. As Jen Allen-Knuth highlights, it is crucial to create an environment where customers can recognize and understand their pain points, rather than aggressively pushing products as solutions.
  • Internal alignment on messaging: Mark Huber stresses the importance of internal buy-in when it comes to new GTM messaging. Ensuring that influential figures, like the head of sales, are on board is crucial for consistent messaging adoption across the sales team, leading to a unified and effective market approach.
  • Data-driven marketing strategies: Kaylee Edmondson’s evolution in perspective on the value of product marketers underscores the necessity of good working relationships and the use of data in convincing teams of new strategies. Implementing any change, especially in messaging, should come with demonstrable results that support the strategy and help win over skeptics within the organization.
  • Targeting key sales personnel: Jen’s strategy of focusing on skeptics and top-performers to test new marketing approaches suggests that B2B marketers should identify and leverage internal influencers within the sales organization. These key individuals can provide valuable feedback and serve as advocates for the new messaging, aiding in wider team adoption.
  • The need for continuous feedback and adjustment: The discussion about the importance of ongoing feedback and adaptation, as echoed by all the guests, is a crucial takeaway for B2B marketers. Leveraging feedback from sales calls, involving marketing team members in the feedback loop, and adapting marketing strategies based on real-time sales experiences can significantly improve messaging relevance and impact.

The things to listen for

00:00 LinkedIn show featuring B2B SaaS experts & ideas

05:24 Logic-based journeys, client objections, and referrals

08:47 Avoid starting alone, in the dark, or mimicking competitors

12:57 Chili Piper’s innovative product sold itself effectively

15:56 Balancing future vision with current challenges and sales

18:06 Exceptional marketers understand the value of persuasion

21:01 Inadequate context led to an unpleasant situation

23:28 Importance of aligning sales and marketing strategies

29:16 Jason fostered valuable work relationship, revealed industry insights

33:24 Teaching process for product launch and positioning

34:54 Feedback-driven approach improves sales messaging success

40:00 Enablement team and coaching improves sales effectiveness

41:47 Marketing team should listen to sales calls

The recap

Dive into the latest episode of The Proof Point, where the GTM messaging game gets a makeover.

Host Mark Huber and Jason Oakley, Kaylee Edmondson, and Jen Allen-Knuth rip apart old marketing vs. sales battles to reveal how to craft messages that not only click but stick with sales teams and prospects alike.

Kicking off with Jen’s insight, the convo zeroes in on empowering buyers to spot their own issues, weaving trust into the fabric of the sales dance. Mark throws down on the real talk about message consistency and the top-down leadership it takes to make it spread like wildfire.

The big bombshell? That pesky ‘status quo’ wall standing tall against sales success. Stories flowed on crafting that perfect shake-up message—connecting with buyer woes and painting a dreamy future they can’t resist.

The elephant in the room? The age-old marketing vs. sales saga, with marketing boasting about product bells and whistles while sales digs into solving real problems. The trio navigated through understanding the buyer’s journey, strategically tackling objections to keep the sales needle moving, especially when it counts the most.

Kaylee dropped her truth bomb on doubting the magic of product marketing and her enlightenment on its crucial role in syncing demand gen with product vibes for sales gold.

Wrapping up, the podcast served up the secret sauce for messaging mastery: a tight sales-marketing feedback loop, market-tested strategies, and a united front on message rollout. It’s about making the message resonate so deeply that sales folks turn into rockstars with it.

With real-world examples like Chili Piper, the episode illustrated how crafting sharp problem and solution narratives can magnetize and keep customers.

For anyone in the marketing and sales arena looking to level up their GTM strategy, this episode is your playbook for bridging gaps, sparking buyer interest, and driving those numbers up. It’s all about uniting under a data-driven banner to craft GTM messages that don’t just land but launch sales sky-high.

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