Marketers, Your Sales Team Needs You!
Truth is as marketers we often overlook the needs of the sales team in order to create marketing materials that are drowning in branding terminology and less on the information that will help sales convert prospective customers and clients into new customers and clients. It's never been more important for sales team and marketing departments to work together to come up with tools that make that conversion happen.
I understand how hard it can be to step away from traditional marketing techniques and transform our marketing materials into sales tools hat work, but it's never been more important to do this than in today's economy.
Take the time to gain an understanding of the phases your sales people go through, and start creating materials that will make you both superstars in your company. It's time we stop working against each other and started work together to benefit the companies that we support. Are you up for the challenge? Learn how you as the marketing department can support your sales team.
Your turn: How do you work with your sales team to make sure that you are creating materials in your marketing department that help them convernt potential customers into new customers?
Laura, I’d like to take your theme of marketers looking at the tools salespeople need instead of just concentrating on the large picture of branding, etc.
That is they should look at their materials as if they were the customers and how that materail is used when the saleperson is not there to control the conversation. That’s where selling takes place. Seldom are sales materials written for what might take place when the decision to buy/not buy is made by a committee be it a formal or informal committee discussions
As a buyer for 25 years there were many products I did not buy because the materials available from the salesperson was inadequate for my use with, first, my associates and staff and then with our retail customers. If I really wanted to buy it, I had to develop those materials and often I did not have the time and/or it took too much effort to do it.
Thanks for bringing the topic forward. Now it’s time to take it further.
Alan
Great post. Marketers should be working together with the sales team to create the best and most effective marketing materials.
When done right, marketing means the sales person just needs to take the order!
There has always been a slight distrust between sales and marketing teams with each of them believing that they do all the work when in fact they both need each other to perform their best. Good article.
The most successful sales pieces focus on the buyers pain, the provider’s solution and most importantly achieving desired results. Three marketing tips that drive sales: 1) why buy from you, 2) why buy from you now and 3) why someone would be absolutely crazy to do business with anyone except you.
Try selling the product to yourself first. You may be able to find the reason why they will not buy the product.
At that point you are prepepared to sell the product in a different light.
Great article, getting caught up in the language and brand management when designing marketing materials and not focussing on the buyer requirements is certainly something which can happen. We have found by analysing & discussing the “objections” raised by potential buyers with our sales people we can tailor our marketing materials to bette suit the sales pitch.