Please describe the best process to validate messaging with prospects? With existing customers?
I don't really run structured tests to test messaging very often, but I'm constantly trying to understand if our messaging is working. Here are a few things I'm always doing. This approach really works for me and my teams. I'm always trying to figure out if things aren't working or if they are.
Sales adoption and specific calls with prospects / customers. Simply put if it's good sales will use it if it's not they won't. Good sales people don't waste their time with bad messaging or collateral. It's not about their opinion. Even if they don't personally like it but it's working they'll use it. They are a great barometer of success. Also get on calls and pitch the new deck yourself. Talk about the new product to a customer yourself. Pay close attention to them, do they get it? Are they asking strange questions because they are confused? Do they like it but don't find enough value in it to really push for it? Watch for it all.
Content performance. When I use my narrative design framework and especially when I do it well content performs better - much better. You want your blog posts, webinars, talks, collateral, etc to outperform benchmarks. More views, more leads, more internal usage. This is a direct result of great messaging.
C-suite feedback or a lack of it. Most c-suites have seen a lot of good and bad messaging and they'll tell you what they think. Listen to them and take the feedback. Sometimes a lack of feedback, especially from an opinionated c-suite (aren't they all) is the best sign you got it right.
Here are the processes and activities I use to test and validate messaging for prospects and customers:
Listen to Sales Calls: What are prospects saying? What are their pain points? What do they say about your solution? How do you’re sales reps position your offering? Do they stay to the key points of your messaging or are they saying sometimes h else?
Interview Customers: make it a point to interview customers as often as you can. During these customer interviews listen to the challenges they were experiencing and how they described your offering and the value you bring them. You should hear elements of your messaging in their responses.
Run Ads: partner with your demand gen/growth team to turn your messaging into ads. Based on these ads, you will get quick feedback on what resonates and what doesn’t.
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