STORIES

Shift happens. There have been four economies in the history of the world – hunting and gathering, the Agricultural Age, the Industrial Age, and the current economy (shall we call it the Tech Age?)

B2B sales and marketing is in the midst of a seismic shift. The engagement mechanism that has been used over the course of time is not as well received in the new landscape. Consider the research that shows today’s business buyers do not contact suppliers directly until 70-plus percent of the purchase process is complete.

Marketers spend a great deal of time wondering if what they do matters. Specifically, 14% of small business owners say they don’t know if their marketing is effective. In turn, only 29% of people want to talk to a salesperson to learn more about a product.

Experience matters. I don’t mean chronological age type of stuff and I am definitely not referring to the kind that you get from a YouTube video or a Google search. I mean that real experience matters; the kind that you can smell, touch, taste, and see. I’m talking about the kind of experience that comes with getting off the couch and engaging the world.

I’ve always hated shopping. But when I wanted to buy a couple of shirts for an upcoming trip recently, I decided to walk into a retail store. Within seconds, an employee pounced on me and asked if I needed any help.

Raising the bar comes from vulnerability. It’s being able to embrace risk in a world where people have cocooned themselves and have little interest in exposing that vulnerability. Certainly, success can be defined in a variety of ways, but getting to another level in the post Industrial Age landscape demands a new recipe of engagement.