Together with the evolution of buying processes and consumer behavior, the way marketing and sales teams function has also undergone a massive shift.
Today, the key to B2B success boils down to strategically aligning both teams.
An important element of alignment comes in the form of quality content that Marketing equips Sales with and focuses on educating and engaging prospects and guiding them down the funnel.
However, it's alarming to note that 65% of sales reps say they can't find content to send to prospects. And that's where you as a marketer can come in to bridge the gap by creating valuable content that empowers sales representatives to accelerate the sales process.
So, let's take a look at six content assets that can help your sales team close deals more efficiently.
1. Buyer Persona Documents
It's one thing to think you know who your target audience is; it's another to do an in-depth analysis of their demographics, psychographics, buying behavior, motivations, challenges, and decision-making process in order to develop detailed personas.
That's exactly what buyer persona documents are: unique and detailed descriptions and analyses of the personas that constitute your main customer groups.
Developing personas will give you a better understanding of your customers while ensuring consistency in communication and targeting.
You can gather information by creating surveys of customers, interviewing them, forming focus groups, using third-party networks where they spend time, and uncovering trends or patterns in their interactions with your website from Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights or elsewhere.
It would be a good idea to also do a customer empathy-mapping exercise to help you identify your most likely customers and understand how to best connect with those who will consume your content and your products or services.
(And while you're at it, do a quick mind-mapping exercise with your Sales counterparts to understand their pain points and brainstorm content ideas suited for your business.)
Once you've compiled the details, formalize the personas: Organize and document the information. An effective way to do that is to use infographics to visually present your persona guide, making it more engaging and easier to comprehend.
2. Case Studies
Case studies demonstrate your company's value proposition and expertise without being pushy. It's no wonder that 69% of marketers use case studies as part of their content marketing strategy.
Best-suited for the leads in the consideration stage of the sales funnel, case studies act as social proof and can be used by the sales team to give prospects that extra push, taking them to the next stage. They work well both to nurture leads and to convert them.
A winning case study starts with a compelling story. Ensure you insert statistical information and data to validate your points and end with a customer testimonial to make it authentic and convincing.
3. Sales Presentations
Your sales team is meeting prospects and delivering pitches. What could really support their case is a powerful sales presentation.
From introducing your company and what it offers to showcasing your success stories and presenting personalized solutions, sales presentations done right are a great way to put your brand in front of the buyer and convince them on why they should trust you.
Make the presentations visually appealing by using infographics, charts, and graphs to get across your point and highlight your company's capabilities.
4. Product Overview
To be a successful salesperson, you need to know your product inside out, right?
So how about creating a product overview or one-pager for your sales team? Often an internal document, it can nevertheless really help your sales representatives get up to speed with the products they're selling.
The stronger their product knowledge, the more confident they will be when speaking with prospects and steering the conversation toward conversion.
The one-pager needs to highlight the features, uses, benefits, and price points of the product. Keep it crisp and to the point, and make sure it fits on one page.
5. Sales Scripts
Your sales representatives are the face of your company. They're the ones on the frontline, interacting with prospects and customers. Hence, it's important to ensure they are well-equipped to say what needs to be said during conversations with prospects and buyers.
Writing a sales script is about putting together key talking points. The idea is to give them pointers so they know what needs to be covered to convince prospects and take them closer to conversion during sales calls. However, they shouldn't simply memorize the script; that would just make them sound robotic.
It's also advisable to draft responses for some commonly asked questions so there's consistency in their replies and so that they're not caught off guard.
6. Email Templates
Whether Sales is sending a cold-pitch email or re-engaging previous leads, emails are the go-to mode of communication, especially these days.
What if you could provide email templates to your sales team for various situations instead of having them waste their time drafting emails and responses?
Once the outbound email templates are set up, it's about introducing marketing automation to accelerate conversions. Templates and automation not only save time and ensure consistency in communication but also help track performance and optimize your prospecting strategy.
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As a B2B marketer, your work does not start or end with passing along generated leads to the sales team. What's more important is empowering them with targeted content assets to deliver a more personalized and engaging experience to prospects and buyers.
