I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite sales trainers, Jeffrey Gitomer speak. His speech was informative as well as entertaining and drenched with energy. There however was one thing that stuck in my mind, Jeffrey would often talk about the materials that marketers provide their sales teams and how the marketers should try to sell with the tools they had produced.
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.
I understand how hard it can be to step away from traditional marketing techniques and transform our marketing materials into sales tools that work, but it's never been more important to do this than in today's economy. It's time to work together to come up with tools that empower our sales teams and make conversions happen.
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?
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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.
Great post! I also believe that working with the sales team is critical in the success of both marketing and sales. I sit down with the sales team on a weekly basis to understand what they are thinking and/or what they need, by keeping an open mind to others ideas and suggestions; I can become better and make them better.
Laura,
Without exception those leaving comments agree with the basic premise….. but I think most people still miss the point by referring to sales teams and marketing teams.
These shouldn’t be distinct teams. They should be one team … the marketing team.
After all we don’t refer to the marketing team, the advertising team and the direct mail team. They are all part of marketing.
Sales is also a part of marketing and the sooner we abandon the idea of sales being outside of marketing the better.
In my experience where those with responsibility for sales, advertising, direct mail etc. etc. come togther under one department … and realise that the success of the company depends on all of them working as a single team … you have a successful company.
Sadly it is still quite rare to see this on either side of the Atlantic
My rec is to put the marketing and sales teams in the same room for discussion. The marketing team’s role is to capture insight and present a relevant solution/packaging in the best way (if services marketing the tech experts/market leaders should be in the room as well) based on intelligence from the sales team. They work in tandem and I firmly believe should NOT be one team. Sales goal is to close deals. Marketing is to lay the platform and brand awareness so the cold calls become warm – a long term view versus short term.
I don’t understand why can’t marketing works together with sales, it seems they will or can’t ever work together on the same project.
I always face problem when we need to deal with marketing team. This message is always in my mind when they rejected us: “Hey, without sales team, you can’t get your pay!!”