Why sales and marketing need to be besties if you want conversions
Marketing and sales should be 100% each other’s type on paper, right? Marketing makes sales easier to convert, and sales make it possible for marketing to keep creating leads and opportunities.
But we know that if you want to generate consistent leads, opportunities and, importantly, conversions, sales and marketing need to be united.
Let’s get into why.
Marketing sends people down the funnel
In sales, it’s generally much harder to get someone on board when they have zero awareness of who you are, what you do and who you do it for.
Let’s face it, we’ve all had a cold email or cold call that we’ve ignored. And it’s probably because we’ve had no exposure to that business before being contacted. The sales pitch feels thoughtless and impersonal.
When you have one shot at your opening email or phone call, you don’t want to squander the opportunity.
Marketing is there to move potential customers through the five stages of awareness. In other words, all their marketing touchpoints help get someone ready to purchase with you, maybe without them even realising.
Five stages of awareness
Unaware
A person doesn’t know they even have a problem. They’re certainly not at a point of looking for a solution, as they don’t even know a problem exists.
The marketing content will focus on highlighting problems or pain points so a person looks and says, ‘wait, I have that problem! Damn, maybe I should do something about that.’
Problem aware
The lead now recognises there’s an issue, but they don’t know solutions like yours exist. They’re probably looking for businesses or people who can understand how they’re feeling or the problems they’re experiencing.
Content here will most likely be ‘#RelatableContent’. It won’t be a full-blown sales pitch, but rather content that builds trust and lets the person know that your business sees and understands them.
Solution aware
They’ve clocked that there’s a fix, but they may not be aware that you provide the fix. They’re probably researching a number of different options in what’s now known as ‘the messy middle’.
Marketers are probably hitting them with plenty of case studies, thought leadership articles and social proof to help your product or service stand out from your competitors and show your authority in your particular space.
Product aware
Your product or service is now on your prospect’s radar. It’s now marketing’s job to convince them you’re the right fit.
They might push some product features or comparisons with competitors. The prospect needs to know that not only do you ‘get them’, but that your product actually delivers what it promises.
Most aware
Time for sales to take the baton and seal the deal. Marketing has nurtured your prospect so that they’re primed and ready to buy.
Sales directly inform marketing
Or at least… they should.
Sales teams have the ability to feed back information directly to marketing and influence what goes out to help leads and opportunities turn into conversions.
What questions keep coming up again and again?
Is there any collateral marketing could create that would answer these FAQs?
Are the leads coming through genuinely qualified?
Is the marketing output attracting the wrong type of prospect?
Are there knowledge gaps that could be filled by marketing resources and other sales collateral?
What’s the sentiment around the company’s marketing? Too much? Too little? Relevant?
Sales also have an opportunity to help marketing shape larger brand projects like audience personas, key messaging and brand voice. With their direct line to the people using your products and services, salespeople are incredibly valuable to have in brand meetings.
If you need sales collateral that generates leads, opportunities and conversions, we want to create it for you. From case studies to thought leadership, we’ve got you covered. Just get in touch to get started.
