So exactly what kind of marketing strategy shift is Halligan talking about?
What sets successful businesses apart, what makes them different and remarkable and successful is their ability to formulate an approach that attacks and disrupts the current status quo. But only with a high-level strategy do these companies actually realize their goals in the long term.
Halligan points out that the most significant shift in marketing strategy is that it's less about purchasing attention and more about earning attention, establishing your authority and exercising industry leadership.
"Your success with inbound marketing is much more about the width of your brain than the width of your wallet," Halligan said.
At the 2013 INBOUND conference, Shah admonished attendees that this strategic shift was less about mere inbound marketing and more about creating an entirely inbound experience.
"You have to sell to match the way people buy," said Halligan, echoing his co-founder's sentiments. "All the leverage and all the power is with the potential customer now."
Not only is the nature of marketing changing, Halligan noted, but the nature of sales is changing as well. In fact, the two may be merging into a single function all about providing the best experience for the potential customer.
"Marketing as we know it is completely broken," Halligan said. "The way people shop, the way people buy has radically changed, and marketers need to wake up and change the way they do it."