The sales process has changed from times past. It’s not about selling. It is about buying. Salespeople today realize this as they can feel the empowerment and independence the buyer has in the sales conversation.
Instead of creating tension, you can be an ally in the awareness and education process of your buyers. It is like being a concierge. Slow down the pace of your natural tendency to close and instead, provide what your prospective customer is looking for. Help them learn. Here are some key content pieces which should be published, distributed and specifically provided during your sales process:
- How your market works. Assume that the thing you think about for endless hours is a small part of your buyer’s thinking. Help them understand how your market works and who the players are.
- Articulate the problem. Many times it is difficult for your customers to understand their problem fully. Help them by telling stories and explain what the dilemma is specifically. Scenarios of how others have had similar problems will provide context for how to think about your prospect’s own problems.
- Provide decision making considerations. Framing how to think about how to pick a consultant, software or plumber can be extremely helpful to someone needing a way to make a decision. Having content which helps your buyer think through options and how to regard them from a weighting standpoint can build confidence in your advice.
- Document case studies. Your past customers and their success builds confidence for someone who has yet to buy. Connect the two of them through business testimonials. You can read more about how to create a powerful business testimonial process here.
- Personal stories of how you work. Transparency to how your company gets things done helps buyers get to know you in a personal way. Your culture and the people behind your product or service offering creates relationship. Tell this story and share this content regularly to make a human connection.
Delivering your content can be done in a number of ways. Email at the right time, marketing automation systems and social media can all be set up to strategically engage prospects at the right time. It has to be done in a natural and well-designed way. It has to be convenient within your sales process. Both precision and reach make content work effectively in your sales process.
If you could provide content in a timely manner with your prospects, what do you believe the impact would be? Have you used content in this way? How has it worked?