Watertight Marketing = sales results in the long term

“𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀”

Our latest interview is with Damion Viney, owner and accountant running with Co-Accounting, based in South London.

One of the things Damion talks about is how, having been on some sales briefings from a training organisation, he realised how well Watertight worked with sales.

In fact, when his new business development manager started, he handed her the book, saying: this is our approach to marketing. She has been using it to map out their customer journey and there is plenty in our material about what marketing to put in place to warm up conversations with prospects, give them sense of what it's like to work with you and how to prove your promises - all things a savvy sales person would want to do.

Read the full interview here: https://watertight-thinking.com/2024/09/interview-damion-viney/.

Thank you Damion for chatting to us!

**New podblog**

10 ways to screw up your marketing budget.

Bryony Thomas explores the ten things she most often sees blowing the marketing budget.

I think my "favourite" one is: counting entertainment as marketing.

I'll hazard a guess that EVERY marketer who's reading this will nod their head. Yes it has a place, and of course if can be about relationship building, but paying several thousand pounds for a box at the local rugby ground... might not be good value.

You can listen to it here https://www.watertight.school/podcasts/watertight-marketing-podblog/episodes/2148742630

Which of the 10 ways resonate most with you?

10 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing Budget 10 ways to screw up your marketing budget! This episode delves into the top ten reasons marketing budgets often get overspent. Key links to accompany this episode: The original blog post is here Key Words: Marketing Strategy, Commercial Karma, Marketing Team, Values, Vision, Leadership Team,...

**New blog** Five ways to maintain marketing and business momentum

In the research we conducted last year, we found that only one third of respondents were crystal clear about their business aspirations and plan.

It's very hard to find the energy to maintain something that's not clear!

Maintaining momentum in business (and marketing) is achieved by creating a vision, being clear about your values and putting in place milestones – and then communicating that to your people so they feel part of the plan and can actively contribute.

It also involves consistent effort over time, which is where it often falters. In our new blog we explore what it takes to make sure you’re keeping up the energy in marketing and business.

Maintaining momentum in your marketing efforts - Watertight Thinking A write-up from the roundtable discussion: How to change internal thinking

🍧Who influences the buying decisions your customers make?

Our 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒄𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 framework explains who influences the decision at what stage the journey.

In high value, considered purchases, marketing to influencers are often forgotten. They're top of mind for some products - witness the power of Influencers on social media. But these people are not the only ones who can influence your buyer.

This blog explains more about the framework and which audiences you may need to engage with.

Is their team on your team? Bryony Thomas- Watertight Thinking You need to know who your buyers are talking to, and get those people on side. You need to know who’s on their team, and get them on yours.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬?

This was the question we researched last year, publishing our findings in a paper using data from 500+ companies.

We're updating the research and would love you to be part of it. It'll only take 10 mins and you'll be entered into our prize draw, a donation of £100 from us to a charity of your choice.

Last time, we discovered that 88% of people think their marketing could do with some improvement. We unearthed what the good growth habits were, what holds most businesses back and what to do about it. We're very curious to know how things have changed.

Link to complete is here: https://watertight-thinking.com/research2024/

Change is a constant theme. But navigating it successfully can be tricky.

In this month's roundtable we chatted about that very topic. Joined by the very knowledgeable change consultant Roger Williams, we had some excellent contributions and questions.

The write-up is out today - well worth a read. Including 🪙 8 nuggets of wisdom from around the room.

How to manage change - Watertight Thinking A write-up from the roundtable discussion: How to change internal thinking

This is one of the hardest things to get right...

🥱 It might be dull... but it is important!

According to our research, 89% of respondents felt that their marketing rhythm and discipline needs attention.

It’s seen as challenging by all roles and all business sizes.

In this week's blog, we explore here why this is so and what you can do about it.

https://watertight-thinking.com/2024/07/deliver-consistent-marketing/

*New post* Our latest Watertight Thinker interview

We talked to Della Hudson, business owner and mentor to accountants who's worked with and applied Watertight for many years, successfully using it in two businesses.

She talks about how she comes back to the tools again and again, especially the Touchpoint Leaks. And how she's used them to get buy-in and involvement from her team too.

Read the full interview here

Watertight Thinkers: Interview with Della Hudson We talked to Della Hudson, business owner and mentor and coach to accountants, has been using Watertight to great success for many years.

Write-up from our latest marketers roundtable is out today - it was on the topic of marketing leadership.

Some cracking contributions from guests. I think my favourite nugget of wisdom from the room is number 8, the idea of coming from a place of curiosity, but really, they're all great advice.

What would you add to the list?

What makes for a good marketing leader - Watertight Thinking A write-up from the roundtable discussion: How to show impact: quick wins and long-term success

💡 Imagine if….

You had access to all these lovely things.

On-going learning and support, accessible whenever you want.

A library of resources, guidance and checklists to power up your marketing and make sure you're doing better, and more of the right, marketing.

Easily achieve your CPD.

Peer support and mentoring for sounding board, questions and encouragement.

✅️ That would help you get more done.
📈 Build your confidence.
🚀 Make a real difference in your role.

Join our Taster session on 18 June where we’ll take you through the resources you’d have at your fingertips with our new CMO Toolkit.
👉 www.watertight-thinking.com/taster for more info and booking details

Get a taster of the CMO Toolkit - Watertight Thinking Join Bryony Thomas and Rachael Wheatley for a look behind the scenes on the CMO Toolkit to see if it's what your marketing career needs next.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?

If you're interested in the knowing the answer to this, do come along next Wednesday to our latest senior marketers' roundtable when we'll be discussing this very topic.

When I first explored this a while back, there were two key themes that emerged.

Firstly the need for good leadership skills.

Sounds obvious, but it's less about being brilliant at marketing as it is about being a good leader.

Secondly, the need to manage change effectively, since senior marketing roles inevitably involve change in all sorts of guises.

What do you think makes for a good marketing leader?

Here's the link to register for next week's roundtable discussion - do come and join the conversation

Join us for #WatertightWednesdays - Watertight Thinking Join the Watertight team on the first Wednesday of each month for a lunchtime discussion for strategic marketers that want to steps things up.

Clarity, focus and more strategic.

That's how one client framed the impact using Watertight Marketing had on her marketing team and business.

Read more in our latest Watertight Thinking interview.

We always love hearing how people use and apply our tools and thinking and what it helps them to do!

Watertight Thinkers: Interview with Claire Thorpe We talked to Claire Thorpe, now a business coach and copywriter, about her experience of using and applying Watertight Thinking when she was in an in-house marketing position.

**𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲** 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞-𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

A really interesting discussion around how to demonstrate impact.

🪄 Sometimes it feels like we need a magic wand to deliver on expectations (read: quick sales)

🥇 But success can be framed in different ways, not just increased revenue.

It could be: more loyal customers, customers who buy more of your services or more subscription renewals, more referrals or reducing customer churn.

And impact is not just about sales, either. You show it through volumes (how many people do something) or ratios (how many people go on to the next step in their buying journey).

Progress or reaching a milestone is also useful and helps to manage expectations.

Read the full write-up here https://watertight-thinking.com/2024/05/how-to-show-impact/ and find out what the 8 nuggets were from around the room.

❓Which resonates most with you?

How to show impact: quick wins and long-term success - Watertight Thinking A write-up from the roundtable discussion: How to show impact: quick wins and long-term success

**New podcast available**

We had such an interesting and insightful discussion last week at our marketers' roundtable.

The topic was 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕 and we chatted about quick wins and long term successes and which was appropriate in what situations.

Some key themes emerged:

➡️ Volume metrics might show quick wins, but not necessarily quality.
➡️ Conversion rates from one step to the next in a customer's journey are more indicative of quality.
➡️ The importance of managing metric expectations from the outset.

As someone there said: "a really valuable discussion".

If your marketing plan has ever been challenged on the 'so what' front, it's well worth an hour of your time.

https://www.watertight.school/podcasts/watertight-wednesday/episodes/2148603130

𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

It's National Gardening Week this week... and it got us thinking.

Why is it that the same marketer can thrive in one organisation and shrivel in another?

Much like plants in your garden, they need to find the right place to flourish.

This blog looks at the two key ingredients the marketing and marketer needs to flourish.

Assessing organisational receptiveness - Watertight Thinking How receptive is your leadership team to a strategic approach to marketing. Find out what Bryony Thomas on what she looks for in a business that will truly embrace it.

In research across more than 500 UK SMEs, Watertight Thinking found that 88% rated their marketing as needing improvement. This was across both strategic and operational areas, and echoed across all job roles.

Download our FREE research paper for the detailed findings... and what we suggest you do about it!

40 fabulous pages of insight into how to align strategic and operational marketing to achieve excellence, and underpin sustainable business growth.

Rachael Wheatley and Bryony Thomas have been busy pulling this together over the last six months, from over a decade of thinking and two years of qualitative and quantitative research with over 500 businesses.

Lots to dig into in this. For me, the biggie is the glaring disconnect between knowing and doing. It's so human, and so utterly true to what we see borne out. Check out how this shows up, and what to do about it in our brand new paper.

We had fun today at the first part of our Watertight Thinking Spring Workshop. We stretched buckets, funnels, taps, foundations, fitness, cats, tables, plate juggling, roller skates, Ferraris, and other metaphors, to within an inch of their lives! All in the pursuit of understanding marketing that truly means business.

Huge thanks to Brian Warren, Richard McBarnet and Melanie Osborne for participating in our client panel. And, to Ed Hudson for lending us his meeting room for the in-room part of the hybrid.

We'll be coming back together next Tuesday morning to share reflections from today and dive into growth stacking, employer marketing, and the power of company-wide thinking tools.

Thanks to everyone who brought their wisdom to the room, not least Rachael Wheatley and Cheryl Crichton for their thought provoking sessions. We'll be making recordings available next week, so do shout if you weren't able to join us live.

Whoop, looking forward to the first day of our Spring workshop tomorrow. I'll be kicking things off with our Flow Foundation Floor Plan - this is the key organising framework we use to get the whole organisation on board with what is needed for marketing to underpin healthy and sustainable growth.

If you are a marketer in a scaling business, the first audience you should be characterising is your colleagues. How they perceive marketing has a direct impact on how effective you can be in your role. Let’s take a look at how they might see it, and what you can do about it.

https://watertightmarketing.com/2022/01/marketing-perception/

How do your colleagues see marketing? - Watertight Marketing If you are the only marketing person in a scaling business, the first audience you should characterise is your colleagues.

Marketing people, are you a "Stuck Record"? Find out here --> https://watertightmarketing.com/2021/11/credibility/

Marketing Credibility Killers - Watertight Marketing A quick look at 16 things marketing professionals do that undermine their credibility and reduce their ability to make a strategic impact.

Have you been asked to step up from marketing manager to marketing director? Or are you wondering what it takes to progress your career to that next step?

What does it take to successfully make this step up from marketing manager to marketing director?

There’s one thing that I believe is crucial for a marketing manager to take on to successfully step up to being a marketing director.

It’s expressed in the Watertight Marketing methodology as Commercial Karma.

It encompasses two key ideas.

Firstly, treating people decently is a sound business strategy.

Secondly, that helping customers to make the right buying decision, even if that choice is not to buy from you, defines “marketing”.

https://watertightmarketing.com/2021/10/from-marketing-manager-to-marketing-director-what-does-it-take/

From Marketing Manager to Marketing Director – what does it take? - Watertight Marketing Rachael Wheatley shares 8 tips to move successfully from a marketing manager to a marketing director role.

Some great conversation on our roundtable - are you there?

If you've booked on to our event on LinkedIn but haven't registered directly, you won't get an invitation to the Zoom forum - all you need to do is register here www.watertightmarketing.com/wednesday