If I have heard it once then I have heard it a thousand times, salespeople suck when it comes to writing.
A tip of the sales hat to Konica Minolta, "Only from the minds of marketers" you will hear salespeople suck at writing. The first disconnect between sales & marketing.
“Wisdom oft comes from the mouth of babes.” George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
I am here to inform you wisdom oft comes from the mouth of salespeople.
Sales teams can't go one day without hearing, "You have now entered the world of buyer empowerment." Yes in some sense, prospects now have the ability to research and make buying decisions independent of communication with sales reps. Reports from a multitude of industry pundits, state the average buyer is nearly 70% through the sales process before they contact a sales rep.
I agree buyer’s habits have certainly changed, however; the typical sales strategy has been extremely slow to adapt. The B2B buyer has become more connected, socially empowered and a highly informed decision maker. Sales professionals you must become time management agents and create influence by honing in on social fundamentals.
Let me introduce to you the:
Calling all sales reps, how you... Capture, Converse, Collaborate, Connect along with providing relevant and insightful Content to grab the attention of the executive buyer will determine your sales success in the 21st century.
Lets begin to share our stories
No, we are not back in school and our sales stories do not start with:
Here are three reasons why sales reps should become story-writers.
1. Writing Attracts Prospects
Gather the top questions you hear from your clients and prospects during your sales meetings and answer them in a blog format. Potential prospects researching for those answers online could end up finding your blog posts.
Here are a few ideas:
- Answers to the top 5 reasons why implementing Document Management is critical to your business
- Here is how document scanning can benefit your accounting department
- Top 3 reasons why BYOD security is important within the digital workforce
Prospects and clients today not only search by keywords but by topics. If your posts are hitting on the topics your prospects are searching for then you are attracting potential customers.
"It's not a secret that the B2B audience is online. We know that 89% of B2B researchers use the internet during the B2B research process." The Changing Face of B2B Marketing, Google Report March 2015
2. Writing Builds Your Credibility
Lets face reality, most prospects feel sales reps are full of S$%T. As you capture, converse, collaborate and connect with your prospects; share with them with your posts, educate them and help by guiding them in the right direction. The direction you point them to is your LinkedIn profile. This is where you promote your business professional brand, your story, how you have helped your clients and what your prospects can expect when the get engaged with you. You can check out my profile here...
Be Honest, Share your Knowledge and Reduce the Risk
Misleading your audience is sure way to damage your professional brand and discourage prospects from trusting you. Being completely honest, accurate and genuine will greatly boost your credibility. If you consider yourself an expert in your field, you already have a fantastic source of credibility. Make that resource known by offering your knowledge to the rest of your community. Whenever possible, put your potential prospects at ease by reducing the amount of risk associated in doing business with you. The fewer roadblocks and red flags the more they’ll be able to trust in you.
3. Reading Helps Your Writing
As I enter my 29th year in the sales industry, all inside the copier industry, I learned one way to stay ahead of the "wolf pack" was through reading. Self- education as a sales rep is mission critical. When we read it sparks learning. Learning leads to personal growth. Personal growth leads to a positive self- image. When we feel good about ourselves this tends to radiate when we communicate with our prospects and clients.
If you want to write well, you must read well, and you must become a voracious reader. Through reading you will gain knowledge and you will find inspiration to articulate your thoughts.
"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say", F. Scott Fitzgerald
I challenge all sales managers and sales teams to become sales-writers. If a recovering copier sales rep of 28 years can do it then I have complete faith you all can do it. If you would like some inspiration I welcome the conversation.
V.P. of Sales and Sales Managers, I am here to be of help. My commitment is to help your team win. If you would like my Sales Managers Guide to LinkedIn, please send me an email to llevine@dealermarketing.net"
If you enjoyed this post please share your comments. Lets connect and start a conversation.
If you enjoyed reading please check out more at the Social Sales Academy blog site as well as at Dealer Marketing
Please enjoy my other posts on LinkedIn Publisher and on SlideShare
I enjoy sharing my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. I transform and coach copier sales professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help independent office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, at the Social Sales Academy or at Dealer Marketing
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