The Skinned Knee Test - Finding ways to win with Sales Enablement and Marketing Automation

As a kid, my skinned knees were a badge of honor and vivid reminder of what I was capable of. The same holds true for my career in sales and marketing, where many of my best-laid plans left me with a skinned knee that I could grow and learn from. Often, I ended up with a skinned knee because I was first at trying something new; hyper-focused on creating opportunities instead of waiting for opportunities to come to me.

Companies that win by using sales enablement and marketing automation are fundamentally different from their counterparts. Their proactive mindset towards change, or “skinned knees,” is what sets them apart. If I could run only one test to determine the best way to create momentum using sales enablement or marketing automation, I would run a “Skinned Knee Test." 

The skinned knee test

1.    When was the last time you tried something significantly different in your approach to sales   enablement or tried to leverage marketing automation?

2.    As it relates to sales enablement and marketing automation, are you in front of the wave or trying to catch the wave?

3.    Would you describe your sales and marketing approach as more wait and see or do you seek to make things happen and challenge the status quo?

Any answers like the ones below are a sign that your investment in sales enablement and marketing automation are likely to fail. 

1.    None of our competitors are doing it.

2.    You’re certain your business is so unique and that won’t work for us.

3.    It’s not a priority, what we are doing is working fine.

4.    We just don’t have the time to make it happen at our company.

5.    We tried something like that once and it just didn't work.

6.    We’re more of a wait and see organization. If someone else is successful we take a look at it.

2 ideas to get you started skinning your knees.

1. Go talk to your top customers and ask them what they like most and like least about how you interact with them from a sales and marketing perspective, both online and offline. Evaluate that feedback and look for at least one way to redefine how you sell and market to a customer or prospect.

2. Build your own jumps out of whatever you can find. There are a gazillion tools out there that sales and marketing teams can use to get leverage. One of my favorites is the Mindmatrix playbook. It’s simple and provides a remarkable and useful way to share content with clients and prospects.

To find success and momentum your team must embrace being proactive and resolve to challenge the status quo.

Create momentum by skinning your knees.