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Is your research being undervalued or overlooked by OA funding sources...or even by your own Division and Lab? Do you struggle to consistently attract the funding your project needs? Do you wish you could reach customers more effectively to get buy-in for your work? Are you confidenct that you're maximizing the potential of your research with existing customers or untapped markets? Have your past efforts to get funding not paid off? Or maybe you're overwhelmed with technical work, getting published and running your project, so there is no time to "market?"
As a technical expert and researcher, you need funding to continue doing what you do best -- research, discovery, and meaningful contribution. Yet getting your research understood and used by your "target market" is not something you typically learn in school. Now, more than ever, is the time to find ways to attract funding dollars into NIST. If you're ready to discover practical ways to attract sustained interest and funding for your research in the marketplace, join us for this innovative, hands-on workshop:
"Get Your Research Understood + Used in the Marketplace"
a NIST-specific, hands-on workshop and ongoing support
As a result of this workshop, you will be better able to:
- Identify your unique advantage over competitors (and yes, you do have competition).
- Articulate why potential customers should choose your research or services over others.
- Develop a plan for identifying, communicating with, and building relationships with potential customers.
- Create core materials (or leverage existing) to communicate with "prospects" in language that catches attention and stimulates action.
- Develop and implement relationship-building strategies to promote your research, your Lab, and NIST effectively, using both on- and off-line communication strategies.
- Leverage standards of professionalism in sales and marketing that are appropriate for a research-based federal agency.
- Generate high-quality referrals systematically.
- Network effectively to get a return on the resources invested in attending and sponsoring conferences.
- “Sell” in the context of building long-term relationships, and in a way that feels appropriate for you as a technical professional.
- Effectively manage and conduct the “sales conversation” on the telephone, in meetings, at conferences, and with multiple decision-makers.
- Turn prospects into customers, more quickly reassign those that aren’t ready, and eliminate those that should not be customers.
- Develop next-level strategies for existing customers and new markets.
- Raise the role of strategic marketing to a conscious level by getting it on the agenda on a regular, systematic basis.
If this sounds like something for you, register now.
All previous Workshops have sold out within days!
MODULE 1: Roadmap & Priorities
You’ll start with defining what "marketing and sales" mean in a research organization. You'll explore success principles and discover a customer-centric model that demystifies how to attract and keep the right buyers for your work.
You’ll identify your marketing strengths and weaknesses, setting priorities in the context of your funding needs and goals.You’ll identify the metrics of what you want to change or improve and tie the overall “marketing system” you develop to driving those metrics.
MODULE 2: Positioning
You’ll consider your true niche and learn how to identify your "unique competitive advantage" that compels prospects to choose your solutions, over all others. Based on mining real customer needs, you'll learn how to develop an "Ideal Client Profile"and craft a "Value Proposition" as foundations for a systematic approach to getting your work understood and funded. You'll consider what your "portfolio" of solutions should include, balancing market need with federal mission.
MODULE 3: Packaging
You’ll examine a number of core materials to help you communicate with prospects and customers in language to which they'll respond. Using a customer-centric approach, you’ll learn how todevelop (or improve)…
- your Value Proposition
- a core summary of your offerings as the basis for additional marketing "content" (i.e., webpages, brochures, sound bites, compelling articles and talks that target decision makers)
- an outline and working content for a website that helps you build customer relationships
- brief but powerful articles and talks that clearly communicate your professional knowledge in a way that prospects will see the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?), that is different from pure techical talks and articles
- customer success stories illustrating measurable results
- a format, outline of topics, and initial content for a keep-in-touch tool (e.g., monthly e-newsletter or technical update)
- a "Customer Engagement Kit” and strategy for how to use it
- a core set of solutions, priced to move customers incrementally through a buying cycle that feels natural and easy
MODULE 4: Promotion
You’ll learn how to develop relationship-building strategies to promote your work, both on and off-line, including how to…
- use the right approach at the right time to move prospects from Stranger, to Acquaintance, to Friend, to Lover, to Loyal Partner (and keep them there!)
- move prospects from no fee to high fee, using incremental "yeses" along the way
- deploy a variety of promotional tactics (high tech, medium tech, low tech and no tech) that reach your target audience at the right time and in the right way
- be strategic about giving talks and publishing articles to increase your chances of attracting the kinds of prospects you want
- find the right places to network and how to use networking effectively
- use direct outreach (e.g., calls and email) appropriately and easily
- generate referrals systematically
- stay in regular touch with customers, prospects, and other contacts
MODULE 5: Persuasion
You’ll learn about a "sales approach" that enables you to…
- build long-term customer relationships; not push research, products and services
- make the Dreaded Follow-Up Call after an initial networking event, referral, or inquiry in a way that moves the conversation forward
- effectively manage and conduct the “sales conversation” on the telephone, in meetings, with multiple decision makers
- turn prospects into customers more quickly, reassigning those that aren’t ready, and eliminate those that should not be customers
- develop a value-based pricing strategy that enables you to get the funding you need to support your work and deliver needed resources to NIST
- use clear, straightforward proposals to minimize “free consulting” and to minimize time wasted responding to dead-end RFPs
MODULE 6: Performance
Performance is where real marketing happens, and it’s not just the delivery of your expertise that matters. You’ll focus on how to manage and exceed client expectations on a number of fronts by looking at how to…
- create a laser-like alignment between your team’s “promise” to your customers and the internal activities/behaviors of management and employees
- manage customer expectations and establish a 50/50 shared responsibility for the successful outcome of your work together
- develop next-level strategies for existing customers and new markets
- create forward motion and momentum for all your marketing efforts by getting vendors and outside service providers to pull in the same direction
- raise the role of strategic marketing in your area to a conscious level by getting it on the agenda on a regular, systematic basis
- build time into your “business model” that is dedicated to marketing
MODULE 7: Integration and Next Steps
You’ll take stock of what you’ve learned and what needs to be done next. You’ll set goals for the next 6 months and develop a plan for how to make it happen. You’ll also identify what additional resources you’ll need, what might block your progress, and develop strategies to overcome possible obstacles.
PLUS: Ongoing Marketing Support
With most classroom-based training, it's nearly impossible to apply what you learned without ongoing support. Keep what you've learned alive, fresh and real by getting hands-on support for your efforts through...
The NIST Monthly Marketing Action Group (help for real-life funding challenges!)
The NIST Online Marketing Support Forum (24/7 access to answers, feedback, ideas)
So what are you waiting for? This is a great opportunity to learn how to fund what you love to do, advance your career, and develop your marketing leadership skills.
Register now, before your chance slips away.
What have you got to lose...
except more funding opportunities?!
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