Startups seem to be disadvantaged in sales and marketing because of their small budget and smaller teams. But startups have unique strengths they can leverage to beat event the largest players in their markets
5. Team: Gigantic
Budget: Massive
Customer base: Bazillions
Brand Recognition: Everyone
Products: Families of Full-Featured
Products
Ecosystem: SI’s, ISV’s, VAR’s,
Extension Providers
Team: Tiny, Sleep deprived
Budget: Nonexistent
Customer base: Your Mom
Brand Recognition: Not Even Your Mom
Products: An MVP that does pretty
much nothing
Ecosystem: You don’t know what that
means but you’re pretty sure you
don’t have one
Big Company XYZ Your Startup
7. Team: Gigantic
Budget: Massive
Customer base: Bazillions
Brand Recognition: Everyone
Products: Many, Full-Featured
Products
Ecosystem: SI’s, ISV’s, VAR’s,
Extension Providers
Slowed by bureaucracy and politics
Wasted on ineffective generic tactics
Few personal relationships with them
Can’t move outside that brand
Bloated, overly complex products that
even employees don’t understand
Market feedback loop is slow and
ineffective
Big Company Strength But…
15. Choosing a Market
What is it about your Segment that
makes them love your Product?
What is it about your Product that
makes it loved by your Segment?
18. Understand The Buying Process
No Need Need Eval Buy Enjoy Re-new
Knowing
the cost of
not solving
the
problem
Knowing
the Value
of solving
the
problem
Knowing
the value of
your
solution
Why
purchase
now?
Using and
enjoy the
offering
Knowing I
can’t do
without the
offering
Current
solution
good
enough
Value not
compelling
Risks too
high
Not
knowing
how to
evaluate
Great but
not for me
I might
change my
mind
Too much
$
Bad
service,
Bad user
experience
Not using
Decided
there was
no need
Move to
other
solution
Accelerators
Friction points
19. Mapping Marketing The Buying Process
Buying Stage
No Need, Need Eval, Buy Enjoy, Refer, Renew
What Problem-Focused
Content and Programs
Solution-Focused Content
and Programs
Activation &
Engagement-focused
Content, Programs
Examples Articles, blog posts,
Industry data, trend
reports, curated
content
Articles, blog posts,
webinars, events, case
studies, ROI calculators,
advertising
Support content, How
to guides, Best
practices guides
Forums, User
Conferences
Where Where prospects are Partly where they are,
partly your turf
Mainly your turf
Purpose Entertain, Educate,
Engage
Educate, differentiate,
move to eval or sell
Experience value,
create raving fans
Action Permission to “market”:
likes, follows,
newsletter/blog
signups
Permission to “sell”: give
contact info, trial sign-up,
purchase
Renewals, Referrals