Just Because You Can Isn't Reason Enough
There is, however, a very good reason why Hubspot began it's VAR (Value Added Reseller) partner program and helped to catapult the growth of Inbound Marketing agencies. They needed help in managing the growth of Hubspot software customers. The influx of businesses signing up for the their software without thinking through whether or not it was a good fit was overwhelming. Many moved their entire internet marketing system to the inbound marketing approach and ended up using a very small percentage of its capabilities. Many of these businesses simply have no practical use for this type of marketing strategy. Inbound marketing is not a one size fits all approach.
Inbound Marketing agencies are trained to assess businesses on a number of core levels to ultimately determine if a they can benefit from the Hubspot software or not. This qualifying process can end up saving companies big money that they might otherwise be basically throwing away if they ran blindly into a software purchase that wasn't right for them. One thing that could be added to my early blog about what to look for in an inbound marketing consultant, is honesty. If you're not a strong match for inbound marketing your consultant should be upfront about it and point you in a more appropriate direction. It's not always about the sale.
Lead Generation Begins With...
Well... leads! Can the business clearly define a "lead"? This really needs to be one of the first questions an inbound marketing agency should ask when qualifying a prospective client. If a sales lead can not be clearly defined it most likely will not be a good fit for Inbound Marketing. Opportunity number one for you as an inbound marketing agency to be selective. Stopping the prospect from shelling out dough on the wrong system by telling them that this isn't the right approach for their company and helping them get on the right track for their internet marketing needs will go much further than explaining why they've spent all that money with no tangible results.
Success Comes With Persistence
Let's assume that your prospect can clearly define a sales lead and is capable of capturing them online. Now you can move on to the next topic... Effort. Companies that find success with Inbound Marketing will be the first to tell you it takes a ton of effort. Patience at the outset can be an invaluable asset as well. It's not for the faint of heart or the fair weather fan. You NEED to hang in there. A good inbound marketing agency will make certain that the customer knows exactly what lies ahead of them. Sugar coating it will backfire. Don't.
Be upfront and transparent about the
Time
Resources
Education
Timeline for results
before allowing them to decide to move forward. Opportunity number two for you to be selective. If the prospect is a smaller business and simply doesn't have the resources or the time to put forth the effort you might want to think twice about selling them on managing their inbound marketing in house.
This is a good opportunity mention your company's marketing services. Our experience has been to simply let them know that we do, in fact, offer services to manage their internet marketing strategies. We never use a "hard sell" approach to our services. If and when the client is ready we have a follow up conversation about the options available to them.
Manageable Expectations
This is a tough one from time to time. We all want results yesterday. If the prospect is looking for overnight results and is resistant to the longer timeline inherent in Inbound Marketing, you may want to think twice. Ideally your sales team has the ability to read prospects early on in a conversation and determine if this is the case. Carrying on a long, highly detailed conversation about how inbound marketing works with a prospect that is clearly not a good fit based on their impatience is not only a waste of time for your sales person but also for that prospect. By now I’m sure you have guessed but this is number three in the list of opportunities to be selective.
I realize I’ve been talking mostly about when to say “no” to a prospect but I truly believe that it is equally important to know what you don’t want as it is to know what you do want. Qualifying a prospect is essential to your success as an Inbound Marketing Agency. Don’t be afraid to redirect a prospect to another approach other than inbound marketing is it’s not a good fit. Ultimately, if that prospect is successful by way of your guidance you will reap the benefits.
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