A framework for established companies.
When marketing isn't creating enough opportunities, the instinct is to add something new.
Another campaign. Another platform. Another agency.
Often the problem is somewhere else. Growth usually gets stuck in one of four places.
Growth stalls at the first step that is weak. Ownership holds the other three together.
Buyers can't easily see what makes you different from the alternatives.
Signs: prospects ask for a price before they understand the offer. Your website could belong to several competitors.
Look first at: your homepage, your LinkedIn page and how you describe yourself in a first meeting.
Your marketing isn't consistently in front of the people who make the decision.
Signs: the people who find you are rarely the people you want. Activity is irregular.
Look first at: who you are trying to reach, by company and by role, and where they spend time.
Interest comes in, but it isn't answered, nurtured or tracked consistently.
Signs: inquiries wait days for a reply. Contacts sit in the CRM and go quiet.
Look first at: what happens in the first day after someone gets in touch.
Marketing exists, but no one is responsible for it as a focused effort.
Signs: marketing happens when the team has time. Nobody can say what it achieved last quarter.
Look first at: who owns the plan, the priorities and the results.
| What a buyer experiences | What you see inside | Look first at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | A business that sounds like the alternatives | Prospects ask for a price before they understand the offer | Your homepage and LinkedIn page |
| Reach | Rarely meets you | The people who find you aren't the people you want | Who you want to reach, by company and role |
| Follow-up | Waits, then moves on | Inquiries sit and contacts go quiet | The first day after someone gets in touch |
| Ownership | Uneven, stop-start messages | Nobody can say what marketing achieved last quarter | Who owns the plan and the results |
Most companies have one main constraint at a time.
Fix that one before adding more activity. Adding more upstream of a blocked step only makes the block bigger.
Not sure which one is yours? The Growth Check takes a few minutes.
Book a 30-minute call with Katleen to discuss your business, your current marketing and whether the Growth Partnership is the right fit.
