Are Marketing Managers Victims of Learned Helplessness?
How do Marketing Managers stop being victims?
The condition called Learned Helplessness, was discovered and popularized by psychologist Martin Seligman. He found that when he placed dogs into an inescapable environment and administered electric shocks the dog eventually stopped trying to escape. If the dog was placed into an environment where it could escape and given shocks it would still not try to escape. It learned to give-up. This discovery has had a major impact on human psychology.
This issue stalks the lives of marketing and marketing communications managers. In most instances they have been placed into an environment where they have been taught it is futile to prove the ROI for lead generating activities. After time passes they quit trying to prove an ROI and suffer the consequences of Learned Marketing Helplessness.
Even, unfortunately, when they change jobs and have full access to prove the ROI for lead generation, because of their "Learned Marketing Helplessness", they don’t try to escape the confines of their past. They are afraid that if they try to prove the value of their programs, someone will shock them.
Because they will not try to prove the ROI for lead generating tactics, they spend their company’s precious assets on a crap-shoot of what works and what doesn't with nary a look to see what created sales results.
Learned Marketing Helplessness Can be Broken
As a speaker at workshops and seminars, and in my articles and books, I focus on the subject of Marketing ROI. In most instances I am looking into the faces of marketing people who are so beaten down and restricted that they listen with hope, but have no stomach for escape.
After these events, attendees will come to the podium and ask, "Is it really true, can I prove the ROI for lead generation and will people listen?" I tell them, "You must stop asking for permission to do your job." They must use the CRM (and marketing automation) systems for the primary task for which it was invented and prove that:
"Inquiries turn into leads and leads turn into sales in a predictable manner."
It is easier than they think, I say to them, but first they must believe it is possible. With belief will come a determination to never again be confined by small thinking management.
Now that we know the cause for an aversion to proving marketing’s ROI, I challenge marketing management to break the bonds of Learned Marketing Helplessness and demonstrate the ROI for a tactic or program. For instance, pick a trade show or a direct marketing campaign to measure. When you prove the ROI for the first program you will be free forever from the confines of the Learned Marketing Helpless.
Six Steps to Break the Learned Marketing Helplessness Cycle!
1. Learn how to predict the number of inquiries needed to make quota for your sales channel (a simple formula). Quota $/Average Sales Price/45%/Market Share % = Inquiries 45% equals the number of buyers in a group of inquiries.
2. Create programs to support your own marketing "quota" for inquiries and qualified leads.
3. Ensure that sales is following up and reporting on 100% of the inquiries you give them.
4. Use the CRM system for one of its primary intended purposes: Proving the ROI for marketing expenditures. Report the results: The good, bad and the ugly.
5. Adjust your investment. "Marketing managers must spend money on things that work and let their competitors spend money on everything else."
6. Repeat the cycle: Predict, create programs, follow-up 100%, use the CRM system ROI capabilities, adjust spending, and report the results.
What do you think? Is it time that marketing management breaks the bonds of Learned Marketing Helplessness?
Categories: Marketing Management
Tags: Lead Management
I see the mindset of B2B marketers changing more and more in regard to measurement. The changing buyer and the fast changing B2B market place has helped fuel that change. This coupled with the increase of marketing automation adoption is allowing marketers, who finally have the necessary solutions, to do what they need and have always wanted to do - manage success. However, in order for this to be truly successful, marketers must look at the measurement within the greater context of a holistic lead management practice. The aspect of measurement is no longer a linear campaign-to-campaign approach. As more and more campaigns include nurturing, the measurement becomes more complex and is fluid rather than static. It is due to this that marketers need to stop relying on CRM (a sales tool) and begin using marketing automation. The marrying of these two systems will provide a great deal of data to show the cradle to grave measurements throughout the buying cycle. All of this however has to be governed by a developed and documented process in order for it to be repeatable.
Lastly and to Step 6 - in order to predict, marketers must analyze. To many organizations measure to show proof, but don't measure to help shape strategy or for future development. B2B marketers need to improve the use of the business intelligence found in metrics to get the most value out of their measurement.
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You're right Carlos, ideally having both a CRM and a marketing automation solution to get the most from your campaigns is best. Nurturing does create complexity, but it always without fail pays off. Let’s hope more marketing managers have the courage to measure what they manage.
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BECOMING ESSENTIAL:
Every day each of us meet individuals who have enormous potential to share their knowledge, opinions, and wisdom, but unfortunately, have allowed themselves to been corralled to a self limiting belief system or intimidated by their superior to hold it back and just plug into the “Corporate Matrix” !
From my perspective and personal internal clock, it is time to stop complying with the system and establish your own plan of action. Develop your own road map.
You need to be your own leader and use your given intelligence to create and deliver your message. Your contribution is essential, and the contribution you create is invaluable. You are the only one that can create this shift in attitude, and if you are to grow beyond the limitations imposed upon you by others, then you need to begin today, right now, to be the re- invented newly minted you. Only you can do it, and you must." Right here, Right now! There is no time to waste. We are all waiting to learn from your contribution!
The only way to define you’re value in today’s competitive business landscape, is to stand out from others. To be unique you need to invest emotional labor in order to distinguish yourself and to be seen as essential to your organization.
The motto on your battle flag should read “You can’t go forward without me”. Begin today to create work and interactive experiences with your co workers, that are positive, giving, caring and beneficial. Make this your mission for change, and other s will begin to see you as “essential”.
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Great post Jim. Your comments are spot-on and I too have seen a lot of this "learned helplessness" and even practiced a bit of it myself earlier in my career. But as I advise my clients who hunger to bridge the gap with their sales departments, marketing must be viewed as a co-equal part of the revenue producing process. And to do this, marketers need to understand exactly how their efforts lead to revenue and be able to report the results via the CRM system.
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Using a CRM tool and implementing measurement is key. If you can not measure it, you can not fix it.
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In the same vain as Marge's comment - the mantra of "Inspect what you expect" applies to measuring marketing ROI. In tough economic times it is unthinkable to spend money on a trade show or an advertising campaign without knowing what the bang for your buck is. There are many affordable solutions from a number of vendors (including LEADTRACK) that will help you do this. Break the walls down to "learned Marketing Helplessness" and start to measure the effectiveness of your marketing investments. Your spirit will be renewed, and you can prove to mangement how valuable your efforts are.
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