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Have you ever gone to a movie and realized halfway through that it wasn’t going to get any better? You tell yourself to just get up and leave, but you don’t. Come on – this has happened to all of us…

Why do we stay?

Give this appropriately named song by the Clash a listen as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Why You Stay When You Should Go

Sunk cost fallacy – it can cripple your decision-making. It’s when one is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they’ve invested heavily in it, even when it’s clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.

We’ve all seen examples of this in B2B – how many times have we seen a sales rep that won’t let a deal go no matter how many times the close date is pushed? What about those leads that you hang onto – continually marketing to them, adding them to drip campaigns, and engaging in multiple qualification conversations that just don’t go anywhere!

So why can’t we let go?

Victor Antonio says there are 3 possible reasons:

  • Sunk Cost: The longer you stay the more you’re delaying moving on to something more productive or fulfilling. If you go there could be trouble… but if you stay it will be double! So be honest with yourself: how much more are you losing by sticking around?
  • Need for Closure: Life is full of mysteries; it’s always tease, tease, tease. Learn to accept that you don’t have to know the outcome, you simply have to know that it’s not for you. Focus on what YOU can control: your ability to walk away!
  • FOMO: Ask yourself, “Even if things did change, is the outcome really worth holding on to? Is the juice worth the squeeze?” If it’s something you believe in strongly, then yes, hold on! Fight for it! But if you’ve decided you’ll be here till the end of time ‘just in case’… that’s never a good strategy.

We need to rewire our thinking. Don’t let your biases hold you back! I’ve always believed that it’s just as important to DISqualify a prospect as it is to qualify one. Otherwise, we run the risk of expensive outreach and marketing efforts that take us nowhere.

Other Lessons from The Clash

Our ‘musical guest’ this week – the Clash – were trendsetters in their time. There are many articles about the way the band was promoted and their rise in popularity… But what else can we learn from them?

This article is fun, and talks about what the Clash can teach us about B2B copywriting. It’s all about AUTHENTICITY – which, especially in this age of AI-generated content, is something that can be lacking. The Clash were told by their manager, “Write about what’s affecting you, what’s important.”

Maybe this is how you can stand out from your peers – and really produce content that resonates with your audience! What’s affecting them? What’s important to your leads and customers? Figure that out first, then come on and let them know that you’ve got what they need!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat