How to Use Marketing Content to Sell to Clients: Part 1
By Lindsay: Blue Flamingo VP, lover of all snacks, and business development whiz
Oh no, not another salesperson trying to contact me.
The term “sales” or “salesperson” can have a negative connotation. When someone says sales, the mind immediately pictures the used car lot salesman, the 6 pm robocall, or even, dare I say, the door-to-door solar salesperson who made eye contact through the window while ringing the doorbell, interrupted dinner, and reinforced the idea of new blinds by the weekend.
This same thought process often bleeds into business. It’s fairly typical that in any organization, both big and small, that Sales and Marketing Teams don’t always get along. Which is surprising, because in the grand scheme of things:
Sales needs marketing and marketing needs sales.
Cue “Circle of Life” Lion King theme song.
Marketing teams often view salespeople as distractions or impediments, especially when they’re asked to create content and materials that only fit the sales needs of the company. The worlds of sales and marketing like to duke it out around company brand priorities… but that’s a whole other blog for another time.
How could they complement each other instead? Use your marketing content to sell.
Sales can utilize marketing’s hard-worked creative hours by sharing the company’s blog and social media posts.
The good news is with this tactic, not only does Marketing high-five the salesperson for sending traffic to the site, but the perception of a salesperson can also change. Instead of a dreaded solar seller, the sales team member becomes a consultant and industry expert.
Think of it like this:
As a salesperson, I’m not telling you to buy…
I’m merely starting a conversation and sharing industry perspectives.
I’m positioning myself to be someone you’d like an opportunity to have a discussion with.
I’m reaching out because we are better together and share similar perspectives.
… And it just so happens my product/service fits your needs.
Sounds great. But how do you actually do this?
Send your clients things they want to read.
Just like you would send your sister the latest article from the New York Times or tag your bestie in a meme on Instagram, you can take the same approach by sharing blogs and social media your marketing department is already creating and lead your client back to your website or your social platform. Using your marketing content to sell = more customer time on site = sales revenue.
And better than just having another excuse to reach out, sharing content that gets their attention will increase the likelihood they pick up your call, answer your emails, and want to buy from you.
Why?
Because you’re not selling, you’re having an authentic conversation with like-minded individuals.
Let’s change the narrative for the salespeople.
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