Brace yourself. This could be painful.
Over half the time, great leads are wasted. The failure to properly express value—quickly—to prospects means that 60% of the time, sales reps don’t make it to a second meeting.
The fault lies with what a lead hears (and doesn’t hear) from the vendor doing the selling:
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66% of business decision-makers said vendors provide them with too much content to sort through (ughh we have been known to do this).
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57% said much of the material is useless.
SO, what’s going wrong with those great leads?
Companies these days don’t start from scratch when it comes to looking for a solution to a problem. The same study showed that most gather at least some research and information from other sources before they actually meet or talk with a vendor. Well-informed, but time-strapped, the last thing they want – or need – is someone taking up their time telling them what they already know. Or to be franker - no one wants to be “mansplained”. We know you know what we mean. The days of having someone tell you how you don’t enough about the “product” are over. In fact, we can boldly say that the days of sales-people peacocking are over.
What your leads do need, however, is the assurance that the vendor is the best choice in terms of value.
This cannot be accomplished by, as one commentator stated, “showing up and throwing up.” It can only be done by taking time to understand the prospect, listen, learn, and then customize what you present to the exact needs of that company. In short, deliver the right content, to the right buyer, at the right time.
Buyer focused content to the rescue
The buzz word (in case you want to drop this into your next conversation) is ‘buyer-focused content “. Buyer focused content addresses what your lead wants to be answered. Providing buyer-focused content proves that the vendor has truly spent time and effort getting to know about a lead before starting to sell to them.
Digital marketing makes the creation and sharing of buyer-focused content fairly easy. Stories, articles, data, research etc. can be collected, sorted, and shared according to each situation through social media.
One company, for example, creates short, real-life case studies as the keystone to their content marketing. Once a sales rep has met or talked with a prospect, they email one that represents a similar challenge as a way of demonstrating how they can add value. If nothing fits, they send some specific research or actional data. But they never send a generic one-size-fits-all blast.
Demonstrating value leads to purchase decisions
Leads are looking for a partner to help them make purchase decisions. Buyer-focused content tells a value-based story to help make that decision. It’s the key to getting that second meeting.
Gathering the data necessary and then spinning value from it can become overwhelming as your client list grows. We can help your sales force have the right tools, the stories needed to delight in that first meeting and get closer to that second one. Maguire Marketing Group has the right team to generate growth through the right marketing strategies, gives us a call and let us deliver buyer-focused content to you.
