With the increasing pressure on marketing to deliver measurable results you need to identify new ways to drive sales and increase revenue. Recruiting, training and motivating a great sales team is a key factor in driving revenue. As marketing professionals we are responsible for developing the marcom materials that will support our sales efforts. We are also tasked with developing sales training materials. And, we arm our sales team with the industry knowledge and insights they need to be a trusted resource for our customers. But is your website pulling its weight in the sales process?
| Think of inbound marketing as turning your website into the best trained sales rep you have. |
How are the underlying principles of sales and inbound marketing similar?
The underlying premise of inbound marketing is nothing new to the seasoned marketing professional.
- Customers expect sellers to be knowledgeable.
- Sellers who provide valuable and timely information to potential buyers are more respected than sellers who do not.
- Respected sellers attract more customers and make more sales.
Admittedly, this is an overly simplified view but it’s at the heart of every sales methodology. The respected sales person can provide the customer with the information they need at each stage of their buying journey. Whether it’s Solution Selling, SPIN Selling, Miller-Heiman Strategic Selling, Customer Centric Selling, the fundamental key to success is the knowledge of your sales person and their ability to move the customer to a decision.
5 Ways Your Website Can Act Like Your Best Sales Rep
1. A great sales rep shows up regularly and predictably when you need them.
The same should be true for your website.Your website needs to show up at the top of the list when a customer searches for information related to your business. How you accomplish this is through SEO – Search Engine Optimization. As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience.
2. A great sales rep moves the customer towards a decision by asking questions, demonstrating understanding of customer needs and problems and identifying solutions for them.
Your website should demonstrate that you understand your customer; their challenges, needs and questions. You can accomplish this by adding a blog to your website. A successful business blog builds confidence, relationships and sales. Customers will look to you as a reliable resource for information on your industry; then come to you to buy. In addition, a blog creates a two-way conversation with customers, prospects and industry peers. It encourages interaction, comments and feedback and gives insight into your audience.
3. A great sales rep should be able to answer questions about your products and services
Your core web pages should contain the information about your company, products and services that visitors to your site are seeking. Like a great sales rep, a website should educate and inform, prove claims, showcase relevant content, and add value at every touch point throughout the site.
4. The best sales reps nurture their prospects
According to research from Miller Heiman, the best sales reps:
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Like a great sales person, you need a plan to follow up wth potential customers in a methodical way. You should be capturing leads from your website and nurturing them with an appropriate workflow of emails and direct contact. This doesn’t mean badgering customers with “spammy” email. That would be just as annoying as an overly pushy sales rep. Rather, you should put in place a well-defined workflow with targeted messages and content that will continue the dialogue with your potential customer.
5. A great sales rep delights customer and gets recommendations.
When a customer loves their sales rep they will share their experience and even provide referrals. By providing opportunities for social sharing of your website and blog pages, your customers can easily rebroadcast the content they have found valuable.
Your website is your hardest working employee. It works for you 24/7, doesn’t take vacations or lunch breaks and should never have a bad day. Make sure your website is the best employee it can be.
Jacqueline Murray is a Marketing Strategist for DardenLentz, a B2B Marketing and Branding Agency focused on healthcare and technology. Jacqueline heads the firm's Ohio office, established to support the region's bioscience industry. She has held senior positions with global marketing responsibilities for both diagnostic and medical device companies.