The 7 Marketing Tools You Need to Sell a Product
There’s a well-known adage that Marketing rarely provides Sales “enough”; enough content, enough qualified leads. It’s rarely fast enough, sexy enough, simple enough. And while time and resource constraints may challenge Marketing from providing everything, they can provide great assets that enable Sales to sell like a champ.
My must-haves:
Brand Recognition – You need this to open doors; it’s just that simple. There are a myriad of ways to accomplish it, and I won’t go into it here, but your Sales team needs a recognizable name to open doors and start conversations.
Content – clear, differentiating, informative messaging. This includes information on the website, one page downloadable datasheets, sales deck, e-books, blogs, etc. This is harder than it seems because it requires your messaging to resonate with the buyer, but it is completely worth the investment.
Graphics –Interesting graphics or photos are your content’s first impression and in the end becomes the comprehension driver. If what you’re selling is complicated or technical, use graphics to convey complex concepts. Consider infographics, especially for industries with a lot of stats or data. Remember, no one really wants to read paragraphs about your solution. They want it in pretty pictures and brief bullets.
Video – While this could be lumped in with content, I think it’s important enough to call it out on its own. Similar to graphics, people like to comprehend visually rather than read and video is a prime way to deliver information. I see it in everything from my kids’ homework, to my husband’s how-to videos for boat and home maintenance. Heck, I just chose a professional photographer for headshots in part because he had a killer video. It pointed out his difference, his uniqueness. You need to use one to do the same.
Customer Case Study - At the end of the day, every buyer wants to know that you can do what you say you can do. Customer case studies demonstrate experience. Even if your client does not approve of the use of their logo, white label it. It’s FAR better than not having one at all. Start with one and build to cover additional cases.
Great Demo Script – Buyers want to be wowed by your product. Much of this falls on the product demo because its data in action. The script should be solution focused, not a feature recap. If possible, use a sample of the buyer’s data. Seeing their business come alive in your solution will do all but put the signed contract in your hand.
Trained Sales Team – All these assets only get you so far if the Sales team doesn’t know how to sell the product. They must be trained in the buyer, their pains and how your solution fits in their world. Sales needs to embody your message and corporate culture. This starts with the sales deck and includes training on messaging and storytelling. The sales enablement step cannot be missed, no matter how experienced the Sales Team.
Remember, this isn’t meant to be a list of every last thing that could be created to sell a product. It’s the heavy hitter list you have to tackle before you start worrying about the nice to haves such as sophisticated nurture campaigns, marketing automation software, events, analyst coverage and more. Focus and prioritize on these efforts, and your Sales Team will thank you.
See something we’re missing, let me know. I love to hear from you.
A closing note, help with messaging is THE SINGLE most common request I’m seeing this year. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Reach out if you’re struggling with your messaging; you’re not alone.
