How Consultants Can Get Exponential Growth and Reach their Goals Sooner.

How to get exponential sales growth

If you’re spending money on marketing, you want results. And the sooner the better. But it's a mistake to assume advertising is the quickest way to get the growth you want.

Advertising is mistakenly seen as sort of a marketing on/off switch. The hope is that you can flip the switch, spend more money, and get more clients. But it's often the case that you don't get any results and your money is wasted. For example, an IT Consultant recently told me he spent over $3,000 on LinkedIn advertising and didn’t get a single lead. So, what does work?

To avoid such failure, think of advertising and marketing as having two separate functions, with each producing a different type of result. One is incremental, and the other is exponential.

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Getting growth: advertising vs. marketing

The above analysis shows why advertising is “incremental.” It does deliver results: views and clicks. You can spend more and you get more views and clicks, but not necessarily sales.

So, what does it take to get sales? It turns out there are many factors. For example, whom are you targeting? Are they the right audience for your services? Do they see your offering as the perfect solution for them? Does your messaging resonate? Are you offering your services at the right time? Are you empathizing with their needs and creating engagement by building value, or just pitching your services? If so, your advertising is guaranteed to fail.

How to get exponential sales results

Advertising is interruptive in nature. So, your messages must be short and impactful. LinkedIn lets you build value with content marketing. But even content requires advertising. That's what headlines are for. In theory, great sales results are possible through advertising, but difficult to achieve in practice.

Exponential sales results come from combining strategic marketing with impactful advertising. Do it well, and you'll spend very little on advertising and get excellent sales results.

So, before you get wrapped around the axle of advertising strategies and tools (like CRM), start improving your marketing. Here are eight principles to consider.

The eight principles of predictable marketing

In today’s age of digital transformation, marketing has never been more important or complicated. These eight principles will guide you through the obstacle course of modern marketing.

PRINCIPLE #1: Marketing Alignment

Marketing Alignment is more than target marketing. It’s an iterative process of realigning your company’s strengths with your most profitable markets. The more your target audience sees you as the perfect solution for them, the sooner you'll get clients. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #2: Brand Credibility

The more credible your business is, the less risk there is for a buyer. So, when you increase your perceived credibility, you reverse a prospect's perception of risk. Do this by collecting and documenting the successful outcomes you help clients achieve. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #3: Competitive Advantage

You gain a competitive advantage when your business preferentially stands out from your competitors. Not only will it be easier to get clients, but you can charge a premium price. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #4: Brand Purpose

It may sound strange, but there’s more to business than making money. The best employees and clients want more than money, and so do you! Find your inspiring brand purpose and you’ll be able to achieve true growth. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #5: Tribal Leadership

People hate to be sold, but they love to buy. It’s no different in B2B. Give your prospects the chance to get to know you, like you, and trust you by creating a value-building buying process they want to be part of. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #6: Buyer Motivation

Prospects don’t care what you know until they know you care (or at least understand them). Empathize and give them the direction they need with educational content such as a White Paper, Webinar, or Video series - Watch Video.

PRINCIPLE #7: Sales Enablement

Sales objections at the decision stage of the buyer’s journey are unanswered questions. Create a repeatable sales process that answers all your buyer's questions. You’ll empower your buyers and enable your sales. Watch Video

PRINCIPLE #8: Brand Authority

An authoritative brand is the highest peak your business can reach. Build it up and you'll become the first choice for your target audience. It will be easier to attract the best clients and your business will have more market value if you ever wanted to sell it. You’ll enjoy more success now and in the future. Watch Video

Make exponential growth predictable

Ultimately, the greatest driver of growth in your business is demand. If you have that, then apply the above eight principles and your marketing will generally succeed. What's more likely is that you have strengths and weaknesses, and blind spots.

To grow, you must leverage your strengths and make the most of your weaknesses. There's no limit to how much you can improve by making ongoing adjustments and improvements. Persist, and you'll get the stability you need and the growth you want. And you may create a world-class business.

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