016 | How to Nail Storytelling in Marketing with Ken Rutsky | Studio CMO - a podcast by Golden Spiral, Shaping Technology Marketing

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The Episode in 60 Seconds

Ken Rutsky, President and Principal Consultant at KJR Associates, Inc., joined us on Studio CMO to talk about the power of balancing both the analytic and data-driven side of marketing with great storytelling.

An accomplished speaker, mentor, and author, Ken has spent 20+ years in B2B marketing roles and believes it's just as important to fit in as it is to stand out.

This interview delves into:

• Why Great Technology Isn't Enough
• The Power of Storytelling in Marketing
• Driving Your Buyer's Epiphany
• Your Most Worthwhile Audience
• An Expert Marketing Consultant's Advice to CMOs
• What has Changed in B2B Marketing

Our Guest

Ken Rutsky, President and Principal Consultant at KJR Associates, Inc., helps B2B growth company executives in Sales, Marketing, and the C-Suite breakthrough and grow leadership in new and existing markets.

Ken launched the Intel Inside broadcast co-op program in 1991 and the Internet’s first affiliate marketing program, Netscape Now, while at Netscape from 1995-99. Since then, he's been CMO at several start-ups and ran Network Security Marketing at McAfee. He now leads his own consulting practice, whose clients have generated over $10B of shareholder value through IPOs and acquisitions.

Ken is also the author of Launching to Leading: How B2B Market Leaders Breakthrough, Lead, and Transform their Markets and host of The Marketing InSecurity Podcast.

Show Notes

STEEP Analysis: Society, Technology, Environment, Economics, and Politics. What are all the things going on in your buyer's world across those dimensions?

One of Ken Rutsky's favorite short stories: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Communicate Without Technology Bias

Technological founders often live and breathe the products they're bringing to the market. It's great if you love to talk about your product, but you must provide context to the potential buyer. 

"I don't care about cool. I care about value." - Ken Rutsky

If you have value in your product, then chances are you want to exchange two things:

1. Time and Attention

2. Money

Why makes time and attention more difficult to achieve than money? Getting the attention isn't going to happen because you only talk about your technology. Great technology isn't enough to stand out. Providing value is critical.

The Power of the Story

Providing Return on Investment (ROI) is now table stakes. The ROI won't get you into the deal. What will is your Return on Strategy (ROS). Technology is about transformation. Think: "What problems aren't I solving?"

You must first address your buyer's pain points. Only then can you introduce your technology.

The story you provide your buyer should consist of four chapters:

1. Chapter One: Today's reality.
2. Chapter Two: Identifying the pain gap.
3. Chapter Three: Introducing a new approach, new mindset, and new technology.
4. Chapter Four: The transformation.

If you want to test the strength of your story, try removing Chapters Two and Three. Focus on the From-To. Is it still meaningful, or is it now generic.

Chapter Three: Leading Your Buyer to the Epiphany Moment

"The epiphany must belong to the customer. We cannot steal that epiphany. We can't force it. The buyer must be the hero." - Mark Whitlock

Driving the customer's epiphany is twofold:

1. Identify the mindset, and frame your approach.
2. Push the innovation into a what, as opposed to a why. What makes your approach different, and how will your technology solve their unique problems?

 

Choose Your Conversations Wisely

Who is making the buying decision? That's the person you want to tell your story to.

You may be thinking "But, the technical buyer doesn't care about the business transformation." Actually...

"When the technical buyer falls in love with your tech, they have to consult the person who cares about the business transformation. They better know that story, or else they'll never make the sale for you." - Ken Rutsky

Ken Rutsky's Biggest Piece of Advice For CMOs

Successful marketing starts and ends with narrative and story. If you do that well, you already have 80% of the work done. 

"Don't tell your story, tell your customer's story. Create context for your value." - Ken Rutsky

If the person you've been engaging with can't repeat your story within the organization, you're not telling it right. Your story must be memorable.

B2B Marketing: What Has Changed?

The story has gotten lost on a lot of marketers. The idea of growth hacking has exploded, the idea that you can test your way to success. Well, your test is only as good as your hypothesis, and you can't test your way to a hypothesis. You have to think your way to it. That's where your story comes in.

CMOs are disappearing. The role is being split between a revenue focus and a corporate focus, and all of a sudden, no one is thinking holistically.

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