All posts in Sales Messaging

What’s In It For Me?

I recently attended the 2008 WMEP Manufacturing Matters! Conference in Milwaukee. One of the speakers was Doug Hall, founder and CEO of the Eureka! Ranch, a business development consultancy that helps companies discover measurably smarter choices for growth.

Doug had several valuable insights about growing businesses that apply to the sales process as well. One of these insights related to three questions that customers ask themselves when evaluating whether to do business with your company:

“What’s in it for me?…What’s the benefit to me? What kind of experience will I enjoy by doing business with you? Can I quantify it and put a number to it?”

“Why should I believe?…Are you for real? Will you do what you promise to do do? What reason do I have to believe you?”

“Why should I care?…Is there any difference between what you are telling me and what your competition is saying? Is the difference dramatic enough to make me stop doing what I am doing (with someone else) and start doing it with you?”

How does this relate to you if you are a CEO, President or Owner of a business? Here two questions to ask yourself?

1)       “Does our sales team’s sales messaging address customers’ questions about

       our company?”

2)       “How effective are our salespeople at introducing and answering these questions

       in front of customers?”

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Sales Messaging – A Lost Art?

I came across some interesting research recently that got me thinking about what companies are doing (or not doing) with their sales messaging. Before I go any further let’s use this working definition of sales messaging—saying the right thing, to the right prospect, at the right time in the selling cycle.

I asked myself the following question. Does sales messaging give a sales organization any competitive advantage in the market place?

Research seems to suggest that it does in several profound ways. Companies that devote time and attention creating and effectively delivering great sales messaging see up to one-third more of their salespeople achieving their sales goals, see their reps win opportunities 20% more often and experience about one-third less turnover on their sales staffs.

Companies that excel in sales messaging appear to do four activities better than their competition:

  • They identify the real value they offer to customers
  • They link their real value to the customer’s value requirements
  • Their sales messaging describes differentiation that has staying power in the marketplace.
  • They get the message out into the marketplace.

Making these activities come to life requires two more necessary steps. First, sales organizations make sure their sales teams not only buy into the sales messaging but that they also ‘get it’ and can effectively communicate it to customers. Second, flawless execution in front of the customer is absolutely essential to complete the process.

Looking for a strategy to help you hit your sales numbers this year? Fine tuning your sales messaging may be the answer.

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