Commercial Integrator May 2022 - 13

from there. The salesperson educated the
customer in more detail about the product
or service and closed the deal. But with the
plethora of information available online,
sales' role has changed drastically. Instead
of answering questions like, " What can you
tell me about your product? " , they're now
confronted with people saying, " I know
about your product, and I think I may want
it. So, tell me what I don't already know. " In
many cases, what they don't know is whether
the product will really fit their needs (or
whether it just appears to).
To reach the highest levels in both sales
and marketing, you must begin with education.
There are two parts in the education
journey: First, the salesperson must know
their products and applications thoroughly,
which means in greater depth than potential
customers know them. The knowledge
must go beyond what a customer can (and
will) effortlessly find online. Yes, marketing
materials - for example, value-proposition
descriptions and product images with short
blurbs - can be valuable, but they only set
the stage for sales to add value beyond
what customers have seen on their own.
Second, the salesperson must educate
themselves about the customer. This
involves research; it entails going beyond
" knowing of " a company and, instead,
knowing a company in detail. Prior to engaging
with a customer at the decision-making
and buying levels, the salesperson must
dig into the company (i.e., research the
staff organizational chart, the buyers and
the company's customers). Much of this
information is available online; however, if
it isn't, the salesperson must utilize a direct
exploratory approach before entering the
core sales process.
Take Time to Educate Yourself
It's important for the salesperson not to
consume the customer's time by asking the
customer to educate them about the
company. If you walk in the door with a
certain level of knowledge, it will show the
customer that you, the salesperson, have
done your homework. This goes a long way
to building trust and becoming a trusted
advisor - not " just a vendor. " Trust leads to
an open discussion of what the customer
does and does not already know. The salesperson
can add value by telling the customer
commercialintegrator.com
Marketing is now responsible for a large part of what once fell under sales' purview.
And, if revenue is coming from sales, then marketing is a revenue driver, too.
things they did not know and by sharing
information they're uniquely qualified to
provide. As potential customers get closer
to a purchase, the sales team needs to be
there at the most critical time, providing
information that customers didn't already
know. Good salespeople can clearly,
confidently and efficiently help prospects
become customers. Investing this research
time upfront will pay dividends in the end.
Time to Take a Fresh
Look at Marketing
It is time to take a fresh look at marketing,
too. For too long, marketing has been
looked at as an expense. This harks back
to " the old days " of marketing basically
being an advertising medium, whereas
the sales team was viewed as the true
purveyor/deliverer of information. In many
companies, marketing was thought of as
a reward for sales. This view is outdated.
Today, many sales can be traced directly to
marketing having closed the deal on their
own. Marketing should take responsibility
for expected revenue and be able to prove
their ROI in the process. Both sales and
marketing should be seen as bringing in
revenue, and each department should be
funded as such.
Think about it this way: If marketing is now
responsible for a large part of what once fell
under sales' purview, and if we acknowledge
that revenue is coming from sales, then
marketing, too, is a revenue driver, right?
Now for the overlap. Marketing should
not work in a vacuum. They should reach
out to the sales team as the proverbial
" feet on the street " who have direct,
face-to-face contact with customers, and
marketing should ask sales to share their
experiences and expertise. Sales reps
have intimate knowledge of the questions
prospects ask during the buying process.
This knowledge should yield marketing
content that can further increase sales and
shorten the sales cycle. In this way, sales
can help in the marketing process, just as
marketing has come to help in the sales
process. By collaborating, both teams
get better, and the company becomes
more efficient, more transparent and more
successful. Now, is that a sales process
or a marketing process? As one expert
opines, " It's a new kind of sales experience,
designed by marketers to cater to a
modern buyer. "
This year and beyond, it will be harder
and harder to distinguish between sales
and marketing. Forward-thinking companies
are opting for a blended revenue
plan inclusive of marketing and sales.
This eliminates the segmentation that has
divided sales and marketing for so long.
The blended teams can collaborate, and
then they can focus on providing customers
with a seamless experience: relevant
content, appropriate digital marketing
and sales that creates an education-based
buying experience.
Times change. So, too, must organizations
and their approaches.
Alan C. Brawn, CTS, ISF, ISF-C,
DSCE, DSDE, DCME, is the
principal of Brawn Consulting.
MAY 2022 Commercial Integrator
13
ANTONIODIAZ/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator May 2022
