Browsing the activity in the market reveals some striking considerations regarding the general trend in sales and marketing technology efforts. Many large and small firms alike with potentially strong technology and service offerings seem to struggle with creating a real customer value proposition on their web site. Aligning technology solutions with customer business value is a key element of solid marketing strategy and sales success. KYC and VOC positioning is critical in order to arm your staff with the best ways to articulate your value differentiation and separate your products and services from the pack.

Web site content, brochures, emails, letters, ads, or introducing calls may be the starting point in the sales process, but a strong, well designed sales and marketing strategy takes it to the next level throughout the entire sales cycle. Every customer engaging step in the sales cycle is a key milestone and opportunity for a firm to augment its value proposition and differentiation. If properly set in place, sales will be turbocharged, sales cycles will be shortened, and revenue will be generated more quickly.

Remember, in a perfect world, MRDs should precede PRDs. It is important to consider a strong sales and marketing technology strategy before you actually go to market with your solution. If you are already in the market and experiencing some success, why not leverage that success with a powerful sales and marketing positioning and build new business rapidly. When it comes to developing a clear sales and marketing strategy, there is no substitute for experience.