Our joint Managing Director, Rob Bryant, was invited to join a lively discussion with Caroline Robinson on the Cambridge Directors Podcast, which looks at the expertise and insights from local directors as to what has made them and their businesses successful. Listen in to hear Rob’s passionate take on the ‘pitch process’, the ‘barriers to growth’ and the ‘relationship between sales and marketing’ in the creative industry, and how the Mobas approach results in a 50% conversion rate to new business.
During the discussion, Rob discusses ‘pitching’ in the creative industry, and delivers a truly insightful explanation of how Mobas qualifies the opportunity by first understanding the customer, the budget and whether there is a personality match.
‘Pitching is part of our world’
Using Mobas’s unique approach of Establishing Transformation, Furthering Transformation and Living Transformation means each project can be categorised as having different needs and therefore different price points, contacts and relationship lengths. With a pitch typically costing 7-10% of the overall client budget, it’s crucial that any agency understands what the client’s needs are and has the confidence to ask questions before starting the pitch process. A core part of this for Mobas is a face-to-face meeting wherever possible before a pitch has even been started.
The discussion then moves on to how a successful company can continue to grow past the initial sales capabilities of the founders. Again, Rob provides great insight on how Mobas built a team of experts in the commercial team where sales come through being passionate about what it is that they deliver as experts rather than just ‘filling the pot’ to hit commercial targets.
‘Marketing is simply a process in driving people towards the point of purchase’
In the final part Rob discusses the relationship between sales and marketing functions and how both roles can work powerfully together. Rob explains how important it is that there is an overall understanding of the objectives of the business and that there is strategy and communication between sales and marketing. Rob gives a client example where the marketing team develop wonderful marketing material then spend two to three days in sales and marketing conferences educating the sales teams on what the marketing messages and tactics are. This ensures that trust is developed with customers who hear the same message from the marketing material and during the sales process.
Mobas often work with £15m+ organisations looking at Establishing Transformation, looking for alignment of both sales and marketing. Typically, strategy experts will be parachuted in to be the Director of Sales and Marketing for a period of time, and to ensure that the two work hand in hand.
To listen to the whole broadcast, follow Cambridge Directors Podcast here.
