ABOUT YOUR HOST: James F. O’Gara is a seasoned marketing professional and entrepreneur. At OnMessage, Mr. O’Gara is responsible for building collaborative relationships with clients that result in highly effective go-to-market, messaging/positioning, and demand generation strategies.

As the president and founder of OnMessage, James brings a wealth of entrepreneurial, strategic marketing, and business leadership expertise to every client engagement.

According to research among executive B2B decision makers:

Conversations with prospects account for 53% of the reason they decide whether to choose your company over your competition.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only 3% of B2B sales and marketing professionals use a repeatable process when creating messaging across the enterprise.

Source: Marketingprofs.com

YET IT’S STAGGERING THAT...

Companies that develop and infuse effective messaging:

- outpace other firms in quota achievement by 25%- have win rates that are 20% higher

Source: CSO Insights Study

WHY IS THIS WHEN MESSAGING HAS PROVEN TO BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER?

WE BELIEVE IT COMES DOWN TO...

philosophy

discipline

commitment

We believe … messaging is strategic and intrinsically linked to financial performance.

We believe … messaging must be woven into the fabric of the organization and delivered consistently throughout the customer experience.

We believe … messaging management is a journey that requires the unwavering support of leadership. There are no short cuts.

ALIGNMENT RELEVANCE UNIQUENESS

CONSISTENCY RECALL VALUE

ALIGNMENThow closely aligned is our messaging with our business strategy?

ALIGNMENTHow closely aligned is our messaging with our business strategy?

challenge:major changes in the business create gaps between your story: what you do, what you offer, and the customer experience.

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

TARGET MARKETS

SALES MODELS AND ORGANIZATIONS

LEADERSHIP AND GROWTH STRATEGYCOMPETITIVE PRESSURES

ALIGNMENTHow closely aligned is our messaging with our business strategy?

VISION / STRATEGY (how has it changed?)

BUSINESS GOALS (does our messaging strategy align with key business drivers?)

SALES PROCESS (does messaging tie to sales strategies, stages and activities?)

TARGET AUDIENCE (are we speaking to the most critical decision

PRODUCTS (are new products, features part of our story?)

SERVICES (are hard/soft services represented in messaging?)

MARKETS geographies)?)

COMPETITORS (are there new players? what advancements have they made?)

your alignment checklist:

ALIGNMENTHow closely aligned is our messaging with our business strategy?

your action

plan

ESTABLISH BASELINEconduct strategy alignment session with key executives (1/2 - 1 day)

CONDUCT AUDITaudit your messaging across all communication vehicles.compare and contrast. identify gaps.

CONNECT THE DOTSstate of the business” and your messaging.

RELEVANCEdoes our message resonate and connect with customer needs?

RELEVANCEdoes our message resonate and connect with customer needs?

challenge:people change. preferences change. priorities change. your message must keep pace.

GOV/INDUSTRY REGULATIONSBUDGET ALLOCATIONSJOB RESPONSIBILITIESBUSINESS PROCESSESPURCHASING PRIORITIESDOWNSIZING / REORGSNEW TECHNOLOGIESMARKET DYNAMICSCUSTOMER REQUIREMENTSSTRATEGIC INITIATIVESKEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

RELEVANCEdoes our message resonate and connect with customer needs?

KNOW WHOmake sure your message speaks directly to these individuals.

KNOW WHATclearly identify what you do or provide that is the most meaningful to them.

KNOW WHYdescribe in practical terms why they need/must have what you are offering.ensure this is at the forefront of your message and delivered consistently.

your relevance checklist:

your action

plan

SURVEY CUSTOMERScraft and launch a survey to assess the current needs of target audience.

VALIDATE WITH PROSPECTSshape key messages that align what you do with these needs.test these messages in controlled surveys or interviews with prospects.

INFUSE & MONITORdecide how these messages will play a role in your overall message.infuse core messages into a fully aligned messaging platform.conduct relevance assessment surveys on an annual basis.

RELEVANCEdoes our message resonate and connect with customer needs?

UNIQUENESSis our message ownable and truly different from our competitors?

UNIQUENESSis our message ownable and truly different from our competitors?

challenge:common. it takes discipline and creativity to establish and “it’s our

SERVICE”customers expect good service. its a baseline. how can you communicate quality of service or experience without the customer experiencing it?

“it’s QUALITY”can you demonstrate and substantiate better quality in a way that makes a difference to your customer?

“it’s our PEOPLE”everyone says this. what is it about your people that makes a difference to the customer?

your uniqueness

checklist:

UNIQUENESSis our message truly different from our competitors?

OWNABLEis there an element of what you do or offer that is truly different?can others in your industry claim to provide the same thing?is this uniqueness quickly and clearly communicated in your message?

DEFENSIBLE

TRUEdoes everyone believe in and deliver this message with passion?

your action

plan

compile a key messages comparison chart between you and your competition.

REALITY CHECKkeep it real by surveying customers. validate if they see this aspect of your business as truly meaningful and different from others.

LOCK AND LOADlock in on your point(s) of difference and ensure they are consistently conveyed in all communication vehicles.

UNIQUENESSis our message ownable and truly different from our competitors?

CONSISTENCYhow consistently is your message delivered inside and outside of your organization?

CONSISTENCYhow consistently is your message delivered inside and outside of your organization?

challenge:messaging when not managed and monitored takes on a life of its own. it becomes a barrier to engagement and business success.

“It’s time for P&G to rethink what its one message should be. For an organization known for its superior marketing and business discipline, it’s time for it to focus on one unique and meaningful message. We call this the “meaning message,” a concise, commonly understood statement that highlights the true meaning of the organization and which serves to inspire and provide direction.”

CONSISTENCYhow consistently is your message delivered inside and outside of your organization?

your consistency

checklist:

WHO YOU AREdoes your company clearly and consistently answer this question: “we are a ...?”

WHAT YOU DOwhen you describe what you do - do you use consistent words and terminology?

WHY SHOULD CUSTOMERS CAREcustomers need or should want your product/service?

CONSISTENCYhow consistently is your message delivered inside and outside of your organization?

your action

plan

INSPECT WEB PRESENCEthe most basic yet powerful step you can take is to audit your web presence. how many different ways do you state who you are, what you do and the value you deliver? this will be quite telling. to improve consistency dimension these must be stated in a clear, consistent manner across all customer touch points.

EVALUATE COLLATERALreview messaging across all communication vehicles (collateral, press releases, presentations, etc.). look for inconsistent language, style, personality.

INTERVIEW EMPLOYEESdeliver as an organization.” if these answers are inconsistent - you can bet the rest

RECALLis the message you are sending really what your audience hears?

RECALLis the message you are sending really what your audience hears?

challenge:consumers are hit with 300 to 3000 messages each and every day. how can you make your message memorable?

CLASSIC OGILVY AD

your recall

checklist:

RECALLis the message you are sending really what your audience hears?

STREAMLINEget to the point as quickly as possible.

SIMPLIFY look for ways to make the message easier to consume: remove the cliches, me too verbiage, and industry slang.

SEQUENCEevaluate the sequence of your story and be sure you are making quick, logical connections between the various layers/level of your messaging.

your action

plan

RECALLis the message you are sending really what your audience hears?

interview customers and prospects. ask them the one word that comes to mind when they think of your company. if there is a positive common thread - make sure this language is present in your messaging.

ISOLATE THE NOISEreview your messaging and identify the non-value added content that is not sticking in the market place. gut it immediately.

LEVERAGE REPETITION

VALUEis the value you deliver clear and compelling to your target audience?

VALUEis the value you deliver clear and compelling to your target audience?

challenge:establishing differentiated value is a challenge in and of itself. once in place - getting people to stick with it can be even harder.

75% ofmarketing and salespeople are unable to consistently and effectively articulate their value propositions.Marketing Alignment Benchmark Study ~ Holden Corporation

VALUEis the value you deliver clear and compelling to your target audience?

your value

checklist:

IS THERE ONEmessaging? Yes I said 1 ... not 10.

CREATE ONE a common thread. can it be bubbled up and still be meaningful. one core value is critical.

STICK WITH ONEconduct training and education classes across the enterprise to make it stick.

VALUEis the value you deliver clear and compelling to your target audience?

your action

plan

KEEP IT CLEAR make sure your value is clearly stated - not buried in your story. leverage visuals and other methods of communicating value (testimonials, metrics, etc.).

KEEP IT CONSISTENTyour core value. communicate it the same way consistently across all communication vehicles.

KEEP IT CURRENTpeople change. priorities change. make sure the value you communicate remains relevant and compelling to your target audience. keep asking if it is meaningful and true.

ALIGNMENT RELEVANCE UNIQUENESS

CONSISTENCY RECALL VALUE

IT TAKES COMMITMENTAnything worth doing is worth doing right. There are no short cuts. Strategic messaging management is a journey that requires the unwavering support of senior leadership. It means taking the time to lay the necessary groundwork and consistently manage its application.

IT IS MORE THAN WORDSFor too many years, messaging has been driven by tactics and vehicles (i.e. we need a new ad, new sales presentation, new brochure). This fragmented, ad hoc

to harness the true power of messaging. We believe messaging is strategically

performance. And it can make the difference between market laggards and market leaders.

IT IS AN INSIDEOUT JOBMessaging must be woven into the fabric of your organization. It is no longer

responsibility. Messaging must be delivered consistently throughout the entire customer experience. Every interaction is an opportunity to strengthen your market position or lose market share.

ESTABLISH A STRATEGICMESSAGING MIND-SET

ONMESSAGE.

It embodies our singular purpose and mission…

To change how leaders infuse messaging into their company, culture and customers.

OnMessage is a messaging infusion company with a proven model for helping you develop a clear, compelling and consistent message. Our methodology

needs to create a messaging platform that elicits optimal engagement across all communication channels. This methodology, when combined with our employee training programs and demand generation services, enables you to achieve the highest return on every connection you make by infusing effective messaging into your company, culture and customers.

WEB: itsonmessage.comPHONE: 214.438.1106EMAIL: jogara@itsonmessage.com

thank you.