How do you feel about change? If you feel uncomfortable, you’re normal. Most of us don’t like change. But change you must. This is important to remain adaptable in a rapidly changing landscape. One that unabashedly leaves the old behind. This includes how you need to realign your sales team.
Realignment requires change. As a sales leader, it’s your responsibility to foster excitement. As well as a commitment to change. Not just today but also in the future. Nothing is static in the world today. Just as door-to-door sales no longer exist for consumers, cold calls for B2B should go away, too.
Buyers evolve.
Your sales team must evolve with them.
Sellers Guide Instead of Tell
Customers have been starting their sales journey independently of the sales team for some time now. If you have not recognized this phenomenon, you may be employing tactics that no longer work.
To empower your team to guide prospects and leads through the buyer’s journey as it now exists, you must use technology to place every bit of information your customer-facing team needs. They require insights to make an impact at scale. And only technology has the scalability to make that possible.
Break Down the Silos
Even now, too many organizations silo their teams. Each team waits for another to throw something over the wall to continue moving forward. All without interactive engagement between teams to inform the effectiveness of the message.
Everyone must pull in the same direction. But, they won’t know which way to go if they can’t see others. Marketing teams are often separated from the sales team. This happens even though marketing is the author of the message sales uses. Marketing receives little to no input from sales about the customer’s real needs. And sales has no insight into where the message marketing provides comes from.
When teams pull in different directions, it’s no surprise that the customer experience fragments. This steals valuable momentum and trust. Provide customers with what they want and need from your content to the buyer’s experience. Pull information from all areas to align your message according to insights from each area. Not just your own.
Why Do You Need Realignment?
Generic content doesn’t influence customers. Especially not at the B2B level, where budgets are under constant strain. At the same time, the organizations look for growth and market share. Did you know that over two-thirds of B2B buyers visit LinkedIn profiles when contemplating a purchase? Everyone within the organization should show the same message on profiles and shared content.
Each customer needs personalized content that shows them you understand their specific business problems. Content requires relevance. And it must be of high quality. Every piece must align with the same message from social media to in-person engagement.
The Marketing Team Working With The Sales Team
Marketing content is the foundation for sales enablement. Align marketing, sales, and customer service. Do this to produce relevant content informed by those who interact with the customer.
Analyze your current sales process. Look on social media and elsewhere online. Is your message getting out on all channels? And does it guide customers to a solution like yours? Or is your message and sales organization fragmented, producing a message that tells customers what they should buy?
Lay the groundwork now for a realignment. Change is uncomfortable, but it’s a necessary part of continued success.
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