When You Rely on Traditional Sales Content, the Party’s Over
How to move your sales interaction from exhibition to engagement

By Tom Pisello | October 15, 2019

What makes for a great party?

In a recent blog, we likened a sales interaction to a party. Not only do the elements of a party matter, but the quality of those elements matters even more: the food, the music, the environment, and the conversation. We described how a party that has these elements, but lacks engagement or connection, might resonate with guests – it’s impressive, it’s interesting, but it has almost nothing to do with those invited to it. It’s an exhibition, not an engagement.

500x400_partyover_Image1 What do you remember about a great party? I tend to remember the food; others might value a stimulating discussion with another guest or perhaps an 80’s-only karaoke contest. But that’s exactly the point, isn’t it? What your guests remember has nothing to do with what you present to them, and everything to do with what’s important to them. If that important thing – whatever it is that you value – is a metaphor for the way you utilize sales content during a sales interaction, how satisfied are your guests?

Your sales enablement solution should be more than a content repository. It should empower your sellers to create more impactful and personalized sales conversations that drive business results. The risk of overlooking the need for unforgettable, personalized customer engagement is similar to a guest simply not enjoying themselves. And if they leave unsatisfied, they’ll likely decline the invitation to your next party.

Effective sales content must go beyond the traditional to inspire action and guarantee you get their next RSVP. How do you ensure you’re leveraging your sales enablement technology investment to not only help sellers find and utilize your sales content but also use that content to evolve the way they engage with prospects?

Quotemark Talk to someone about themselves, and they’ll listen for hours. Dale Carnegie

3 Elements of Memorable Sales Content

500x400_partyover_Image2 1) Does Your Sales Content Spark Meaningful Conversations? Some customers and prospects can identify their unique business problems; many have yet to uncover them. Meaningful content “gets the party started,” meaning, it immediately catapults you into a connection with buyers because they can identify their own challenges in your solution. When reps can lean on content to start conversations about what buyers care about most, they can enter sales engagements more confidently and leave them more memorably.

500x400_partyover_Image3 2) Is your Sales Content Flexible Enough for Changing Conversations? Parties can be unpredictable. Guests may bring other uninvited guests, they may bring food you didn’t plan for your menu, they may change the subject mid-conversation. Your content should enable you to pivot during sales interactions and provide information on the fly. Unarguably, the best hosts are interesting, dynamic hosts; they can talk to anyone about a variety of subjects. With high-performing, available content, conversations can move in any direction buyers want to take them.

500x400_partyover_Image4-2 3) Is Your Sales Content Fueling Ongoing Conversations? Once you’ve got the party started, how do you keep it going? When powered by artificial intelligence (AI), your sales enablement solution can automatically recommend the next best action, ensuring your sellers always incorporate the most relevant content at the right time in their sales conversations. Any content can start a conversation, it’s the right content that fuels conversations for optimal results.

Not Sure What to Bring to the Party? Start with Data

Evolving your content to focus on what the buyer cares about most can bring them into a data-driven conversation about their unique needs. With dynamic tools that help you diagnose business issues for customers and prospects, you can quantify and communicate the impact your product or service will have on your buyer’s business and ultimately, establish a real connection.

Find out where the best parties are. Schedule a workshop to level-up your sales content strategy and drive deals forward.

Tom “The ROI Guy” Pisello is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the book Evolved Selling™: Optimizing Sales Enablement in the Age of Frugalnomics. He joined the Mediafly team in 2018 through the acquisition of the company he founded and led, Alinean Inc. In his role as Mediafly’s Chief Evangelist, Tom is responsible for developing new practices for sellers and marketers to communicate and quantify business value to increasingly frugal buyers. He also leads Mediafly’s Advisory Services group in helping companies evolve their selling practices from transactional to value-led. Outside of the office, he is the proud father of two daughters.

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