Here's What You Can Expect In A strategic messaging workshop

For a company to be successful, sales need to be successful, and behind a good sales team is great messaging developed into excellent content.

In a strategic messaging workshop, the first order of business is to have the leadership team aligned on where the company’s solution sits in the market landscape, and what its key value is. Without this agreement, messaging tends to be all over the place. Everyone has a different view point because there is no alignment on what the companies solutions value is and, who it is of value to.

The next session is to identify the top use cases and prioritize them. At this point, the leadership team can take a more backseat role and let the product and marketing teams do the detailed work.

The final session is to create the messaging and identify how and when it will be used.

Typically a three day workshop is spread over 4-6 weeks with homework and discussion between the in-person sessions. It can also be done as a 3 day off-site boot camp.

Session 1 – Setting the scene

  • Context and value vs features and benefits
  • Strategic selling – why it matters to marketing
  • Technology adoption life cycle – how does it apply
  • Diffusion of innovation in an online world
  • Assign use cases
  • Homework
    • Write up use case scenarios
    • Define market sizing
    • Agree the date and time for next session

Session 2 – Use case selection

  • Discuss the scenarios
  • Refine scenarios for each use case
  • Score the scenarios
  • Prioritize top use cases
  • Choose top 3 scenarios
  • Homework
    • Assign teams to scenarios
    • Draft messaging for top three use cases
    • Agree the date and time for next session
Session 3 – Messaging creation and roll out
  • Refine message document for top  scenario
  • Plan for roll out
    • What will need to change as a result of the workshop?
    • Define assets available and new assets needed for RTM/GTM
    • How will this be rolled out across the company?
    • Who will be responsible for what?
    • Which customers and analysts will the messaging be tested against
    • Time table for other top use cases
    • Ownership of parking lot subjects
    • How will success be measured?