10 Tips for Supporting the Sales Team in Today's Environment
Over the course of several sessions with the Affinity Express subject matter experts, we developed our value proposition for the retail industry around our ability to enable client marketing teams to more effectively allocate their time and resources to new media—where consumers are spending their time and making purchases. Now we are working to incorporate and reinforce that value proposition on our website, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and more.
5. Interview sales
These meetings with sales are crucial to building value propositions as well as teamwork. You want to form strong partnerships from the beginning. You should ask team members about their sales style, tactics they use to open doors and engage prospects, and the types of materials and content they like to use. Pick their brains and map out the sales process to understand what tools would be helpful at each stage of the prospect buying process. It's not about sending outbound messages on how great your company and services are. Instead, you want to practice inbound marketing to educate the prospects and provide value.
We were lucky enough to get some face time with our sales pros while attending the National Retail Federation. After walking the exhibit hall and checking out various sessions, we would convene back at the hotel with our laptops, which enabled us to brainstorm what would be effective for companies considering Affinity Express services. One of the items we prioritized was a client discovery proposal, which we use to explain what we need and will accomplish by completing an onsite assessment of a client's current operation.
6. Attend sales presentations
Nothing advises marketing better than seeing sales work their magic in person. You not only get a better read on salespeople, you can hear the questions, goals and objections of prospects directly. This gives you a priority list of new materials and messaging you should create. It also helps you gather the first-hand experience that will elevate your topics and messaging on social media.
