Do you know what the difference between sales and marketing
is? Let’s have a bird eye view on this question for a second. Without marketing
no customer or leads to follow up, but yet without a good sales technique and
strategy your closing rate may depress. Marketing and sales must work closely
with each other, but most companies have separate units that do not even speak
to each other.
If we divide the fundamentals, marketing is everything you
do to reach and persuade prospects and the sales process is everything that you
do to close the sale and get a signed treaty or agreement. Both are needs to
the success of a business. You cannot do without either process. If you work
for strategically combining both efforts you will experience a successful
amount of business growth. However, for the same reason, if the efforts are
unbalanced or departments do not communicate may deviate business growth.
Your marketing should consist of strategies that you can
measure your reach and works to convince your prospects that you are the one
for them. It's the message that makes your customers for sale. It may consist
of promotion, PR, brand marketing, affiliation marketing, viral marketing, DM
and social media marketing
The sales process consists of interpersonal interaction. It
is often accomplished by a meeting one-on-one, cold calling and networking. It
is something that engages you with the prospect or customer on a personal level
rather than at a distance. Most of the time the prospect or potential customer
has taken you through marketing efforts.
I like to think of it like this, your marketing efforts activate
the procedure of the eight contacts that studies show it takes to move a
prospect or potential customer to closing the sale. If marketing is done effectively
you can begin to move that prospect from a cold state to a warm lead cable.
When the prospect hits the level of "hot" is much easier for the
sales professional or sales department nearby for sale
Do you see the cycle?
Studies have shown that multiple contacts using both sales
and marketing to move the prospect from one level to another are needed. That's
why it is important that you develop a process that combines both sales and
marketing. This will allow you to reach prospects at all three stages; cold,
warm, and hot. It's all about balance. Make sure you have combined the two,
sales and marketing. They are not a single body. If they are different
departments, departments should speak and communicate in order to be effective.
Not sure how to integrate marketing and sales?
Try this. Take a few minutes and divide your prospect lists
and database into categories of cold, warm and hot leads. Then sit down and
determine a strategy on how to proceed with each individual group.
For example, you could try the following contact methods:
Cold Lead Strategy - Send a direct mail promotion or special
offer
Hot Lead Strategy - Try a follow up call, send a sales
letter, or schedule a special seminar or training session for all of your warm
leads together.
Once you have moved your prospect to the "warm"
level it is time to proceed with the closing of the sale, call if you want to
pass the baton. This will be easier to do if you are involved in some way
perspective. You can do this by making a call from one-on-one, make a
presentation or submit a proposal, estimate or contract.
What if you do not feel comfortable with the process of
selling or marketing?
An alternative that is often successful is to partner with
someone who has the talents you feel you lack. If you are stronger in
marketing, search for the one who knows and aware of the sales process. If you
are best in sales to find someone that can help support the message, craft
marketing tackles that sell and give you the tactics and ideas. If you work in
a company that consists of departments and is working alone you can do this by
creating a partnership, outsourcing or hiring that talent.
Remember that the key to success in marketing and sales is
balance!
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