One of the essential tools needed to execute a lead nurturing program in your organization is some form of contact management / lead management system. I’ve spent hours on end trying to decide on the best system for Burst Marketing.

I’ve spoken to a number of people who’ve tried to tackle this challenge themselves and we are all coming to the same conclusion: there is no perfect choice for anyone. It shouldn’t be a surprise, but c’mon folks. The rush to market has created a mosh pit of offerings and a fog of sameness is settling in.

It seems that this industry is in that awkward and confusing “tweener” phase. That’s somewhere between startup and maturity.  It’s where the market has proven that the industry has a bright future and there’s a stampede to make sure your company has an offering.

The result is customer confusion and often long-term dissatisfaction. If your industry is in this tweener phase, then how should you market your product? There answer is, as usual, in seeing it from the customer’s point of view. In the rush to get a “me too” product to market, all the offerings start to look the same to the customer. So to make a choice, they have to prioritize the features and benefits they want from their purchase.

Product and service providers have to recognize that their customer is narrowing down their “gotta have” lists. Therefore, you must even more clearly define the strengths of your offering. Take a stand. (check out Seth Godin’s classic Purple Cow to see what I’m talking about).

Sure you’ll turn away the customers who are primarily seeking a different benefit than the one you’re touting as your strength. But in the long run, you’ll have integrity, and when the market shakes out, you’ll have a better chance of being one of the lone survivors than a provider that faded into the herd.

Posted by: Steve Banis