The New Business Growth Equation: Brand Management + Marketing + Sales Enablement

I remember sitting in an old, run down Indian restaurant nestled behind some of the most well known chains out there–Burger King, McDonalds, and Wendy’s. This restaurant was a little treasure chest among a deep sea of top dogs. Whenever you sat at a table, you received an experience, as if you were being transported to India over the course of an evening.

The food was impeccable. Each dish filled with spices that left your mouth watering for more. The service was also something out of a fairy tale. It was as if each waiter was attentive to every customer’s needs, whether it be the amount of water glasses that needed refreshing or the one child who required a coloring book to distract them from their hunger.

These classic mom and pop type places know how to craft an experience that brings customers back. And according to research, great customer service is what wins over 86 percent of customers.

But what sets well known chains like Burger King and McDonalds apart from these hole in the wall type places is branding. And yet, even for name-brand companies like these, generating growth can become stagnant.

According to Harvard Review, brand building is losing out more and more, in large part because performance marketing is considered to be much more closely linked to measurable business results.

“A lot has changed in the business world, but one thing is pretty clear to me, that in order for businesses to grow better, faster, and longer, they need to take a different approach to business growth,” said Josh Webber, CEO and co-founder of Big Red Jelly.

That approach requires blending together the teams or departments or areas of responsibility that were previously seen as separate – brand building, marketing, and sales enablement. If your company only excels at one, it’s as if you are putting lipstick on a pig. You are making superficial changes that consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, can see straight through.

That’s what sets Big Red Jelly apart. They are ensuring businesses get measurable results by implementing the new business growth equation: brand management + marketing + sales enablement.

Marketing Agencies Are a Thing of the Past

Everything from PR and content creation to the use of AI has changed the way we approach technology, especially in the competitive digital marketplace in which we play. With today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, hiring a marketing agency that’s outside of your organization is becoming a thing of the past. This is largely due to the commoditization of online advertising and digital marketing.

“You just don’t need an army of people anymore like you used to,” said Webber. “You really, really, really need someone who is great with creative and strategy and will help you execute on that.”

Therefore, hiring someone fractionally (to just be over one specific team) is not the right long-term, holistic solution. You need someone who can speak the same language with each team, blurring the lines between branding, marketing, and sales.

To put this in perspective, a HubSpot survey showed that 28% of salespeople stated that the most significant advantage of sales and marketing alignment is the improved customer experience it brings.

If you have someone who just specializes in marketing but has no sales experience, you lose accountability, especially in revenue. Conversely, if you have someone who has marketing and sales experience but lacks the understanding on how to build a brand, you will have major hiccups down the road. Therefore, blending these teams is a must.

Growth Agencies Are a Thing of the Future

This is where growth agencies come into the equation. Unlike regular digital agencies, growth agencies, like Big Red Jelly, have changed their perspective from a funnel mentality to a sales and marketing flywheel.

Instead of looking just at the marketing and advertising sphere, they go one step beyond that. Growth agencies help you clean house, closing deals through effective sales enablement, training, support, and strategy. They also help you look at the big-picture; they seek to understand who you are as a brand by getting embedded in your product or service.

Part of that flywheel includes the actual delivery of the product or service, where you take strangers, turn them into customers, and these new customers become brand advocates and promoters. As a result, they go and turn other strangers into new customers, allowing the flywheel to continue.

“World-class delivery of your product or service and world-class customer service that serves your marketing helps you close deals,” said Webber.

Another aspect that makes growth agencies a thing of the future is their drive for transparency and authenticity. Gone are the days where agencies only promise a bunch of leads and website visitors. For businesses to grow faster, better, and for longer, they need growth agencies to showcase their genuineness.

And with the main audience being Gen Z and millennials who value transparency and authenticity, this shift is a must. Growth-minded agencies see this shift and are proactive about it.

What To Look for in a Growth Agency

Given the commoditization of online advertising, digital marketing, tools, and platforms where one person can now do what a hundred people dreamed of doing ten years ago, it’s even harder for businesses to stand out and be different.

“We’re all using the same tools. We’re all using the same CMSs, same AI tools, same technology. We’re using the same verbiage,” said Webber. “So finding a team or someone that buys into your brand vision and is able to really look at things differently and help you be different–not better–is a valuable skill set.”

Creative Strategy and Intentional Execution

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” So growth agencies that focus on being different over being better help businesses showcase true creativity that generates long-term revenue. However, to have true creativity, growth agencies need both intentional strategy and execution.

Many agencies are great at the execution side, but only a few agencies are good at strategy. So if you have a consultant who’s good at strategy but won’t help you execute it, you won’t achieve results. As Morris Chang once said, “Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless.”

Your strategy needs to be creative, different, and make sense for your brand, marketing, and sales in order to execute it.

Therefore, find an agency who is embedded in each team, helps you execute your strategy, and is a partner with you, holding your hand and growing with you. Because at the end of the day, every team influences the brand: the brand influences marketing, and marketing influences sales, which allows the flywheel cycle to continue.

KPI Accountability

In addition, find an agency who values KPI accountability. It’s no longer all about social media followers, website visitors, and leads or booked appointments.

“How many dollars does that put into your bank account?” asked Webber. “I’ll give you a hint: zero. Unless you know how to close those deals, nurture those deals, and then turn those customers into brand advocates and grow your business more efficiently than ever before.”

Although agencies will still have some marketing KPIs–like website visitors, organic websites, and new leads–a true growth agency will go one step beyond that, looking at other KPIs that foster authenticity, such as revenue growth, deal size, and customer lifetime value.

They will also step into company KPIs, looking at finances, sales, and branding. Those KPIs are seen in word of mouth referrals, returning clients, subscriptions, and reviews, which are ultimately a reflection of how your brand is doing.

Vision and Culture Alignment

Finally, look for a growth agency that aligns with your business’s vision, core values, and culture. Since the consumer base is mainly made up of Gen Zers and Millennials who demand transparency and authenticity, your growth agency should buy into those principles. Otherwise, the brand will suffer, and your consumer base will see it.

“It will be obvious too,” said Webber. “It will start to bleed through into your content, your brand voice, your marketing campaigns, etc.”

According to Harvard Business Review, 13% of customers would pay between 31-50% more for a brand’s products and services if they felt they were making a positive impact in the world.

As such, traditional advertising is now just a facade. Brands need to quickly change and proclaim, “This is who we are. This is what we stand for,” so that customers can align themselves with the brands that fit their values.