Worldwide manufacturing growth in the industrialized countries has been flat, and is forecast to remain flat for the foreseeable future. In a flat market, the fastest path to double digit growth for manufacturers is to steal share from less nimble competitors.
However, in an era where the buyer can easily access product information on the Internet that was once tightly held by the seller, the traditional approaches to sales and marketing are no longer effective.
Also, it has become almost impossible for the seller to breach the technological barricades put up by the buyer who doesn’t want to be bothered with interruptive sales and marketing messages.
The modern buyer doesn’t want to be pitched. They don’t want to be sold to. They want to be educated. Manufacturers who can provide helpful, educational and relevant information earn their customers’ attention and consideration.
Innovative manufacturers who draw on their extensive internal expertise to educate their customers are quickly earning trust, closing more sales and stealing share.
However, manufacturers’ biggest hurdle to accomplishing this breakthrough is a culture that has traditionally focused more on its products than the latent anxieties and desires of their customers.
"If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less."
~General Eric Shinseki, U.S. Army
If you are a manufacturer ready to grow aggressively and steal share in your industry vertical, I've written a primer to ignite that process. Over the next few months, I'll deliver more up-to-date insights on how the world of sales and marketing is changing for manufacturers — and the entire supply chain — and give you the latest information on how to generate more leads for your manufacturing business.
If you like what you'd read so far (this was an excerpt!), I invite you to download my free e-book: Lead Generation for the Growth-Oriented Manufacturer.
