Join us as we sit down with trailblazers from Unit4, a leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, that harnesses the power of integration across Financials, Procurement, Project Management, HR, and FP&A to propel mid-market organisations to new heights of efficiency and insight.

In this interview, we are privileged to hear Robin Mathar, Global Head of Buyer Enablement and Exports at Unit4 who leads the development of a stellar approach to crafting product messaging throughout the buyer's journey. Robin will share how Unit4's nuanced communication strategies are meticulously designed to meet the diverse needs of customers across various scenarios and industries.

Dive into a discussion to learn actionable tips and deep insights into the art of messaging that engages and converts. Whether you're refining your own strategies or simply curious about the innovative approaches at play in today's SaaS solutions, this conversation will make you rethink your approach to communicating your product.

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Anna: How did you develop Unit4’s messaging across the buyer journey? What steps did you take to reach the final recommendation?

Robin: Of course, developing Unit4's messaging across the buyer journey wasn't a one-size-fits-all approach. We deal with quite complex business software, and our customer base is incredibly diverse, spanning various regions, industries, and specific needs. So, here's what we did: in the midst of changes in our go-to-market organizations, we introduced growth directors for every product and every vertical.

Working together with these growth directors and our product management team, we started to craft scenarios based on real pain points or significant topics for our customers and prospects. For instance, scenarios like integrating a newly acquired company or improving process efficiency for financial agility in a project-based business.

From there, with the invaluable input of our solution consultants, we developed snippets of content. These snippets are designed to showcase how our solutions—from HCM to ERP to FP&A—can work together to solve these specific issues in a unified way.

We then utilize these scenarios as a foundation across different stages of the buyer journey. In customer success, for example, these scenarios translate into specific success outcomes we aim to achieve. In marketing, we don't need to show the entire demo in an outreach campaign, so we use snippets of it to tell a story. And in solution consulting, it’s about delivering a pure demo. If a solution consultant is in front of you, they will show you the system precisely in this manner.

We've automated these processes to ensure consistency and effectiveness across all ten stages of the buyer journey, from attracting a prospect to fully onboarding them. We aim to use the same scenarios throughout, ensuring a cohesive experience.

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Anna: How did you break down all the case studies/use cases into more digestible chunks?

Robin: When you're demoing a full use case or scenario, it might span 15, 20, or even 25 minutes, and realistically, not everyone wants to listen to the same voice continuously. Of course, there are exceptions, but to make the information more digestible—or at least provide the option—we've created snippets. This way, if a part of the scenario isn't directly relevant to someone, they can easily skip it and move on to the next snippet. Conversely, if they find a section particularly pertinent, they can focus on that. Additionally, this approach gives us insight in discovery mode. We can analyze which snippets were more engaging to the prospect and which were less so, helping us refine our approach moving forward.

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Anna: What is the visualisation of your communication strategy?

Robin: It's not like I can definitively say things are set up a certain way. In my mind, I often visualize something akin to a flowchart, where elements are scattered—a bit here, a bit there—and then ultimately, they all come together. I've found Miro to be incredibly useful for this because of its flexibility. Miro allows you to use a large, expansive table format where you can map everything out comprehensively.

Within each step of the buyer journey mapped out on Miro, we can delve into specifics. For instance, what exactly does it mean when we are creating content for an outbound campaign? Or what are we looking at when we map out content for demo environments or any other tool or functionality aimed at simplifying and enhancing the buyer journey? From there, we can drill down into the details. So, the process involves a combination of using a Miro board and several slide decks to piece everything together.

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Anna: Which teams participated in aligning the strategy?

Robin: This process, I would say, is truly a product of collaboration. The growth directors, solution consultants, sales team, and product team all brought their insights to the table. We gathered everything that was there, creating a comprehensive collection. Now, we have a huge backlog of scenarios—potential scenarios for the future. We're constantly reviewing this backlog to determine which scenarios are relevant and which we should prioritize to develop content around or deliver on immediately. It's very much a work in progress.

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Anna: How do you proceed with producing assets after achieving consensus on the strategy?

Robin: So, it's not like we've delivered everything we aim to. We're still in the phases of building and expanding our capabilities. Ask me again in half a year, and I can give you a clearer picture of where we stand. What we've done so far is establish a group I call the 'Demo Automation Champions.' These are primarily solution consultants because they understand best how to effectively demo our solutions.

These champions are responsible for selecting scenarios, assessing each scenario's value and associated pain points, and figuring out how we can showcase and resolve these issues. They also craft scripts for these demos. We have already set up templates and examples of how we envision these demos should be conducted, including some sample videos.

Whenever we target a new scenario, we start by drafting a script, deciding which snippets to include, and then creating content around it, like a video. After producing the video, we review it together to see if there's anything we might adjust. This process of refining our content heavily relies on the time and input I get from my champions. Each snippet is tailored with a clear call to action, ensuring it effectively engages our audience.

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Anna: What approach do you take towards creating assets? Who is in charge of asset production? What measures are in place to guarantee they align with the overall messaging strategy? 

Robin: The foundation of our content originates from presales. As we progress along the journey, particularly when it comes to enablement and onboarding, customer success becomes crucial. For instance, we have a university that produces extensive content designed to empower key users. They are heavily involved in this aspect.

Then, of course, there's marketing. Each department brings its own perspective to the table, as I mentioned earlier. While we create the base content, each department utilizes it in various ways depending on their specific part of the customer journey. This collaborative approach ensures that our content is versatile and effectively supports each stage of the journey.

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Anna: What factors did you consider regarding tools and technology when implementing this project?

Robin: If you're aiming to enable and engage buyers, it's crucial to make the process as straightforward as possible for them to really grasp, learn, and interact with your offerings. Depending on where they are in the buyer's journey, the approach you select may vary, and sometimes, it's effective to use redundant tools to reinforce key messages. For instance, we often use video content, especially for features that might not be immediately apparent within the software itself. It might involve showcasing certain functionalities through slides, or simply creating short videos that highlight the ease of use of our product.

Another approach is interactive product tours. Here, we capture the front end of our software or take screenshots, and then craft narratives within these captures to guide users through the experience, albeit at a high level. Alternatively, we go a step further with trial options—full demo environments where users can log in and access all features. To prevent any confusion or loss of direction, we provide in-app guidance. This helps navigate users to the areas they are most interested in exploring within the software, even if they are unfamiliar with it.

We employ these varied approaches to ensure we keep buyers engaged and enabled throughout their journey. It's also crucial for us to gather insights on their interactions—whether they watched a video, clicked through an interactive tour, or logged into a demo environment. These insights are vital for understanding how effectively we are engaging buyers and guiding them through their journey.

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Anna: What obstacles were encountered in the development and execution of the messaging strategy, and what strategies were employed to address them?

Robin: Implementing new strategies always requires having the right people in the right positions to drive change, and even then, it's not always straightforward to get everyone on board. This is especially true in an organization like Unit4, which brings a significant legacy and decades of experience to the table. When you have 40 years of history, you don’t want to discard all that past work as though it means nothing.

Instead, the challenge lies in integrating this rich history with new approaches. It's about being cautious not to undermine what has been achieved, while still introducing modern methods and tools that weren't available before. This blend of respect for the past and openness to innovation allows us to enhance our strategies with new, effective tools, paving the way for a seamless transition into modernized operations.

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Anna: What is your strategy for evaluating the effectiveness of this initiative? Which key performance indicators or metrics do you intend to monitor?

Robin: We certainly set specific business cases where we commit to numerical targets, such as improving our win rate or increasing deal velocity, aiming for a faster time to market and overall benefits in our metrics. However, it's not just about those broader goals; much of our focus is also on solution consulting and the quality of the demo content we deliver, which primarily comes from our solution consulting team.

We're keen to understand how these initiatives impact key performance indicators like demo efficiency. For instance, are we better pre-qualifying leads by providing automated, on-demand content that business development or sales can use early in the process? This would ideally minimize the instances where in-person solution consultants discuss aspects that may not be relevant to the buyer. By making all this content readily available and automated, we hope to see a reduction in wasted demos—though we'll need time to confirm this impact.

Additionally, we monitor metrics such as the view rates of our videos and the click-through rates of our tours. These metrics are crucial for us to measure, as they provide direct insights into the effectiveness of our content and its engagement with potential clients. We're optimistic about the positive impacts these strategies will have on our operations.

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