Subjected to marketing and sales monologues for the better part of 40 years in the form of blanket advertising, product brochures and ‘your call is important to us’ busy signals, customers have taken the lead and are way ahead of us when it comes to having sales and marketing dialogues.
Far more informed and sophisticated, and posting blogs, Facebook ‘Likes’, tweets and re-tweets, customers are engaging in their own sales and marketing dialogues about our products, our sales people, our promises, our customer service proposition and our brands, and they are affecting how we are perceived and valued in the market place.
At its very best, customers can be our finest sales team, advocating our products, services, people and brand with their endorsements. Customers can drive more sales and business to our door or, in this day and age, our online shopping carts. By contrast, the impact of their disapproval of our brand, products, customer service and sales people can be swift and devastating, sending people away in droves with their digital complaints and jibes in cyberspace.
Coupled with this, selling has now become a social enterprise where everyone (employees, customers, suppliers, communities, etc) can be, and often are, involved in the sales and customer service processes, and in some instances, the procurement process. Smart sales people are using their advocates to engage with their prospects and customers, encouraging and influencing them along the buyer’s journey. Linkedin in the B2B space, Facebook in the B2C space, and in some instances the B2B space, along with Twitter, are rich in group conversations which need to be listened and responded to, monitored and used as signposts for new innovations, satisfaction levels and collaboration.
It’s like the Wild West and this new age of selling and marketing is really challenging the way businesses control and represent their image, values and reputation. Like pioneers forging new frontiers, sales and marketing teams need to rethink their strategies and start working together if they are going to effectively influence and communicate with their valued customers and advocates. It’s now time for sales and marketing to collaborate. For too long, too many organisations have had a standoff between sales and marketing: an ‘Us versus Them’ finger pointing culture of one-up-man-ship to the detriment of customers and businesses alike.
Sales and marketing need a new partnership.
Why not involve your marketing team in your next sales training program or at the very least get the sales and marketing teams together for one day and discuss what needs to happen to ensure you are all on the same team and working for the betterment of all. Look at your key messages, advertising strategies, discussions groups, websites, social media, product mix, direct and emerging competitors, and your everyday public presence.
Why not go one step further and include all your staff in the discussions: get your customer service, finance, production/operations, IT and procurement teams in the same room and map your customers’ buying journeys. Explore how everyone in your business can affect your brand, customer experiences, sales results and overall business performance.
One thing is clear: successful selling now requires new and more meaningful collaboration between sales, marketing, customer service, operations, finance, IT, customers, suppliers and communities. We’re all in it together.
Remember, everybody lives by selling something.
Sue Barrett practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT. Sue and her team take the guess work out of selling and help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership.To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.
Smart Company is the leading online publication in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
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