Sales and marketing still struggle to overcome barriers of alignment, and this has only amplified in the digital age. Content marketing assets are created, but many times sales reps elect not to use the content because it doesn’t serve their needs. So they end up creating “rogue” sales content. This affects marketing’s ability to manage sales messaging, resulting in “crappy” and ineffective sales materials.
The role of sales representatives is also transforming. They are becoming storytellers and trusted advisors. This is why marketing content should be created for the audience and not the presenter, empowering sales to become the conduit through which all content flows.
Improving sales content so that it better supports the needs of sales can be accomplished by understanding the biggest mistakes that are still being made. We’ve broken them down to help marketers avoid these mistakes and improve sales content once and for all.
Mistake #1: One-Way Communication
Marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin. Creating great content isn’t enough. We need to engage, respond, comment and acknowledge our customers’ feedback.
Customers need to feel heard and understood. If we fail to engage with them, they will feel a stronger connection with another brand — and go elsewhere.
Stay connected by avoiding a “we” perspective when creating sales content, and opt for a “you” perspective instead.
Mistake #2: Missing the Connection
What keeps our customers up at night? What are their challenges, worries, and pains? To create great sales content, we need to understand customers like we’re reading their minds. But marketers aren’t mind readers, so how can we find out what they need?
Start listening.
Customers are talking about their pain on social channels, blog comments and even with our own customer support centers. Furthermore, if sales representatives don’t have relevant content at their fingertips when in front of a prospect or customer, they lose their chance at forging a connection. After all, there are no “do-overs” or second chances when it comes to building a client relationship.
Tapping into customer pain points for a better understanding of their challenges provides the ability to create stronger connections through sales materials.
Mistake #3: Not Focusing on Benefits
When we make customers work to figure out the benefits of our products, they fail to realize what’s in it for them. This results in a lack of motivation to purchase.
Features describe the product, while benefits focus on the results of using that product. It’s easy to fall into the rut of talking about features, but if we shift our focus to business benefits and results, it will motivate customers to move forward.
Mistake #4: Boring Sales Content
Due to shorter attention spans and so many things vying for our customers’ attention, content must be memorable. Capture attention and drive higher engagement by rotating seamlessly through different content formats.
Use content that drives engagement such as infographics, surveys or interactive content. Provide more impactful sales collateral to your sales force in the form of explanatory videos, guides, mini slide decks, etc..
Mistake #5: Not Measuring Results
The only way to find out how your sales content stacks up is by measuring the results. Measure what content the sales team is using most often, how they are using it, and what content they’re forwarding on to clients and prospects. You can then use this knowledge to continue tweaking your strategy until you reach your goals.
What steps have you taken to improve your sales content, and what have you learned? Share with us below!
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