There’s an old adage somewhere…stick with what you know. In some ways that’s a good thing. Stability and experience can help you through a range of business challenges. But when it comes to sales, outdated processes and sales materials can kill you.

1. Are Your Sales Messages Aligned to Your Customers?
There’s an old adage somewhere…stick with what you know. In some ways that’s a
good thing. Stability and experience can help you through a range of business
challenges. But when it comes to sales, outdated processes and sales materials can kill
you.
Are your sales materials outdated?
Take a look at your nearest sell sheet or website and
pay close attention to the messaging. What calls out to
you?
Do you list your services?
Do you talk about the benefits of working with you?
Those things are great, but are they relevant to your
clients’ and prospective clients’ challenges and goals? If
they’re not, then they’re adding zero benefit.
It’s not about you.
Your sales collateral and processes might do a great job talking about you, but here’s
the thing: It’s not about you. At all. It’s about your clients, their challenges, and their
goals. If you’re not addressing them, your sales (what sales?) are going to tank.
How do you get it right? Here are some things savvy companies do to ensure they’re
sending the right message to their clients and prospects:
1. They take the steps to determine what kind of messaging is needed at each
stage in the sales cycle.
2. They create impactful value statements and customer-orientated
communications focused on buyer needs, challenges or goals.
3. They embed this messaging throughout the sales process and in all marketing
materials (website, collateral, social media, etc.), and they provide the sales
team with tools specific to each stage in the buying cycle.
4. They train and re-train their sales team on how to deliver the right content
based on the current selling situation. Instead of focusing the conversation on
their company and its services, they first determine the customer context, and
then map out how to respond to those situations.
5. They ensure all necessary content is easy to access and share with clients,
prospects and employees.
Now what?
We won’t leave you empty-handed. Here’s a list of questions you should ask to
determine whether your sales messages are out of date or making an impact:
Have you taken a close look at your company’s sales process and messaging in
the last year?

2. Is your messaging aligned with the challenges and goals of your customers?
Is it integrated into your sales cycle, and is it consistent across all platforms?
For example, if a prospect looks at your website, will they see the same
message there as in your sales deck? Consistency is key!
Do you have buy-in from your sales team on the messaging and content
vehicles?
Does your sales team have easy access to supporting sales materials?
If you had some “No” answers in there, don’t be too alarmed!
Time to create a game plan.
Odds are you may have had a “no” or two in there, but that’s not the end of the
world. We have some tips to help you take the proper next steps to get your sales
messaging on target:
Develop messages tailored to the specific needs and buying preferences of
customers at each stage in the buying cycle.
Make sure your sales team is involved in creating messages to ensure buy-in.
Templates can also offer a great start, while giving your sales team flexibility
to put their own voice into each piece.
Look at all of the places your messaging exists and ensure it’s consistent across
the board. For example, if you have a company Facebook page, the “About”
statement should use the same company description as your website. Same
thing for your company LinkedIn page.
Train your sales team how to effectively convey your value proposition and
message to the right person at the right time.
Make it easy for your sales team to access, send and print sales materials.
Interact often with your sales team to ensure your messaging is being
appropriately and consistently communicated.
Finally, here is perhaps the most important tip of all: you’re not done! Your sales
messaging and processes are fluid – you should constantly be assessing their
effectiveness and relevance. Once you’ve gone through the process once, it’ll be
easier. Just make it part of your annual plan, and your messaging will be more
effective in the long run. And, if you need help updating your sales messaging,
ClearEdge can help. Give us a call or send us an email to get started.
Image Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net/Stuart Miles