As everyone knows we live in a marketplace that is flooded with brand messaging from individuals, business marketers, consumer brands and social organizations. With all of this information prospects have become accustomed to finding the specific information they want– and not having to wait for it. The way this impacts an organization’s business strategy today is sales and marketing representatives cannot rely upon traditional “Many Calls Equals Many Sales” formulas. In fact, these practices can be counter-productive to establishing meaningful long-term client relationships.
So what can you do to affect a positive strategy and compete effectively in the marketplace?
Based upon MarketCues’ research among its clients over the past three years the data shows sales marketing representatives will be far more effective by participating in an “Inbound Business Strategy.” Not only will this create a much higher interest among prospects it will place the correct emphasis on delivering hard-core benefits to clients versus trying to the silver bullet sales person. To get started here are three ways to implement this strategy:
#1. Focus your content. The new paradigm demands you have a penetrating focus on what your company offers. Gone are the days that a company offers 1,000 products in 50 different markets. This conglomerate strategy has been overtaken by singularly focused organizations such as Apple with four basic products: iPhone, iPod, iPad and computers. That’s it and they are now one of the largest companies in the world. This business strategy of fewer is better needs to be reflected in your content as well so prospects can quickly find the information they want.
#2. Focus your corporate story. Usually the founder of a company tells the most interesting story about his or her company. This works well as long as the company remains in a smaller stage of growth and relies upon its founder for driving sales and marketing representative. Where problems often set in is when the company grows beyond the specific skills of the founder, or if a new company head is named in transition or purchase, etc. who does not possess the same set of skills as the original founder had. To overcome this common problem a strong set of content throughout the organization needs to be instituted along with external communications on the company website, media communications, social media, search engine optimization and other content driven marketing programs.
#3. Encourage two-way communications. In times past a good sales person with a good prospect list could drum up business. Although I don’t want to suggest sales people shouldn’t sell, what I do want to emphasize is if sales people are responding to leads that have been generated from various company communications their effectiveness will go way up! “Hitting the streets” is not a very effective way to create business compared to a strategy driven sales marketing program that has embedded many ways for a prospect to find the specific information they are looking for in the form they want it. This could include downloads, video shorts, webinars, seminars, white papers, as well as direct sales meetings.
So to get ahead and stay ahead you need a program that incorporates and integrates the many ways you communicate with your prospects and customers within your sales and marketing programs.