Last week I collaborated with Trish Bertuzzi & Matt Bertuzzi (from The Bridge Group Inc) and Lori Richardson (CEO of Score More Sales) on an American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) Boston Chapter event. The event was hosted by Cathy Bilafer, Director of Inside Sales and Lead Development at Kronos. Our overarching topic: “Using Content to Move the Sale Forward”. With buyers demanding that salespeople bring value to the table, we advocated the benefits to salespeople of using content to share expertise and insights.

So what do we mean by content?
Content includes:

• Industry reports on trends and new developments
• customer success stories
• ROI Calculators
• implementation guides
• analyst reports
• product information
• training materials
• webinar recordings
• eBooks
• blog posts
• videos
• slide decks
• images…and more.

I began my presentation segment, “Ten Tips for Using Content to Set the Buying Vision”, by asking the assembled 100+ inside sales professionals:

Q: “How many of you use content today in your sales process?”

A: Less then 15% raised their hands.

Was this answer a surprise? A bit, as I would have thought more hands would go up. At the same time it points to:

1. The opportunity for salespeople to differentiate themselves from other salespeople if they do begin to use content in their selling process.
2. The opportunity for Marketing and Sales to collaborate to bring the value of all that marketing content into the hands of salespeople for the last mile message delivery to potential customers.
3. How sales leaders can help their sales representatives become respected experts.

Content is now a centerpiece of business-to-business (B2B) inbound marketing. Marketers are regularly creating content to help attract potential buyers to their companies. Potential clients are consuming this content. In fact, data from IDG shows that IT decision makers consume on average nine (9) pieces of content during the purchase process.

Sharing content CAN increase a salesperson’s opportunity to win each deal.

The reality is buyers are doing their own research. Left to their own devices, buyers will not typically speak with a sales rep until they are roughly 2/3 through the buying process. At the same time, buyers tell us they respect and trust the person who helps them set the “buying vision” and go with the vendor who does more often then not. Said differently, the vendor who disrupts a client’s satisfaction with the status quo—by articulating a better outcome with a clear path to achieving it—most often wins the deal. Sharing valuable content to educate is one way a salesperson can engage a potential buyer early on—ideally even before the prospect realizes there is a problem.

There is a lot written on the importance of aligning marketing and sales to achieve the ultimate goal of growing revenues. Most marketing organizations are creating a lot of content to help create leads. I see a huge opportunity for marketing and sales to collaborate on helping sales reps learn how best to use content to drive revenue.

How are you using content in the sales process?

Postwire lets you collect & organize all of your content and then select & publish private, personalized, visual views of it for each prospect, client, customer, or member. You can upload your own thumbnail images and edit descriptive text, as well as control the placement of content items.

Drag ‘n Drop

More often than not, the salesperson who helps a buyer see the way to achieving a greater outcome than sticking with the status quo is the salesperson who wins the business. In fact, according to Forrester Research, 65% of the time a potential client will buy from the salesperson who sets his buying vision.

In presenting a point of view to a prospect, sales reps often share information. A question for many is how much info to share with a prospective client and when to share it.

One strategy for presenting information to set the buying vision can be compared to the very popular poker game, Texas Hold’em. In this card game, players typically make single bets after each card is shown. Eventually, one card player might sense an opportunity and go all in, placing all of her chips on the table because she believes her hand will win against all others. This forces everyone else to fold or match her bet.

Here’s how I connect this card playing metaphor to a content sharing strategy for salespeople to aid in setting the buying vision:

• Situation 1: When your prospect doesn’t yet know he has a problem, share information deliberately, one card at a time.
• Situation 2: When your prospect realizes he has a problem and is considering taking action, go all in laying down all of your cards.

Building Awareness of a Better Outcome

In the first situation, ignorance is bliss and the prospect is in learning mode. He’s very busy and craves simple. In content sharing terms, simple means sharing a single piece of content. For example, one really good article that talks about why not taking action has negative consequences–like why not addressing energy efficiency in a data center causes significant issues beyond cost. If your prospect shows interest by reading this article, then you can suggest other related educational content. You begin to set the buying vision, one card and single bet at a time. Jill Konrath has a wonderful concept  TMTQ (Too Much Too Quick).  Read it here.

Creating Confidence in Your Solution

In Situation 2, the buyer already knows he has a problem and is actively seeking solutions. This is your chance to show him a complete path to success. Yes, describe your solution, but also provide information on other options he might consider as alternatives. Present likely outcomes and what it’s like to do business with you. Your goal here is to impress him by providing the relevant information in an organized fashion to enable him to quickly and confidently make a decision. In this case, your information helps him see you as the “right” partner. Knowing what he reads gives you insights to enrich your conversations and openly address any concerns. Just as Texas Hold’em is played with 7 cards, restrict your all-in information sharing to 7 or fewer pieces of content.

Determine your prospect’s concerns and bring content addressing them to the table–share the right content in the right context. It’s not always easy to assess when less is more. When in doubt, share only what matters to avoid overwhelming. Be poised for when the opportunity is ripe to go all-in.

How are you using content in your sales process?

“The most important client is the one you already have.”

Here are tips to stay connected, share new ideas & grow revenue:

• Share resources on a personalized Postwire Page that reflect the particular needs of each client to get started after the deal is closed, get the most out of the product or get the contract renewed.
• Stay in touch and keep it real by adding third party perspectives on topics your client cares about.
• You know that new webinar recording or thought leadership ebook developed to generate leads—share it with existing clients who’ll value it, too!
• Remind clients of everything you offer and include links to new offers for related products & services.
• Use the Page to let new users or departments know how you are helping others at the company today.

How to Upload a Prettier Image

Upload any image you want. Consider taking a screenshot of the nice graphics in your ebook. Here’s how:

1. View the PDF document.
2. Take a screenshot of the graphics you like:
   How to Take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows
   How to Take a Screenshot in Mac OS X
3. Edit the content item.
4. Click Can’t find a good image?
5. Click Upload an image.
6. Select the image file to upload.
7. Use the cropper.
8. Ta dah!

From a Postwire user…

Michael Heffner, Enterprise Sales Account Manager from Tableau Software says:

“I make a Postwire Page for each account. I modify the content titles to state clearly what each item is and also upload attractive images. My customers love Postwire because it gives them one place to go.

I love it because there’s no better way to understand what content customers care about. It’s amazing to see customer behavior!”

The last week of August we rocked with Cyndi Lauper and 2800 others in Boston at Hubspot‘s annual user conference, Inbound 2012. As Hubspotters and other inbound marketing enthusiasts know, it’s much easier to start a conversation with someone who’s interested in what you have to say. And the conversations we had with folks who stopped by Postwire’s sponsor table flowed! Postwire naturally picks up where Hubspot leaves off by making it easy to pass the content baton to salespeople and other client-facing employees to continue client conversations.

In speaking with the #Inbound12 crowd, we learned that some folks plan to use Postwire to educate buyers by anticipating and answering the questions buyers must ask to make purchase decisions. There were others who made a beeline to our sponsor table from Laura Fitton’s breakout session on “Inbound PR”. Laura plugged Postwire as a way to build relationships and share your ideas to attract media attention “without being a self-promotional jerk”. Several small business owners saw ways to differentiate their services using Postwire. I especially enjoyed meeting a woman who owns a doggie daycare and training business. She was excited about creating a Postwire Page for each client to provide educational materials & short videos capturing the away-from-home antics of her clients’ beloved pets!

Yes, Inbound 2012 was awesome! A hearty welcome to all of our new Inbound 2012 friends!

Who’s this “Someone”?

Knowing when a prospect or client engages with the information you share is one of the features many Postwire users love. Postwire’s tracking reporting gives you feedback you might not otherwise get, helping you to respond faster with greater insight. But who is this “Someone from Asia Pacific Network Information Centre near San Jose, CA – US has viewed your Page Inbound12 Highlights“? Want to learn more? Read the full blog post: How Does Postwire Tracking Work?

4 Reasons Your Client Wants Their Own
(FREE) Postwire Account

1. To comment on your Postwire Page.
2. To avoid hunting through the Inbox for the Page link.
3. To invite colleagues to view and discuss your cool content.
4. To keep connected with their own clients, too!

We hope you enjoy this guest blog post written by Michael Boyette, the executive editor of the Rapid Learning Institute Selling Essentials e-learning site and editor of the Top Sales Dog Blog. 

Contact Michael Boyette via email at topsalesdog@rapidlearninginstitute.com or connect via Twitter.

Growing your business is hard enough as it is. So of course the last thing you need is to worry about steady, reliable customers leaving you for no reason.

Here’s the thing; your customer could be sending you a message that could be a precursor to jumping ship. It’s up to you to notice that message and act on it before they’re gone. The good news is there is a way to spot these opportunities before they lead to trouble.

Think of your customers like an iceberg.

At best, about five percent of what they are actually thinking is on display at any given time.

Even the most loyal customers have reasons for keeping you in the dark. Perhaps they’re worried you will take advantage of their business. Maybe they’re also in talks with another salesperson and trying to keep it quiet. So they closely cling to their cards and say what you want to hear. Right until it’s too late for you to do anything about it.

But customers often drop hints that something’s wrong. These seemingly throwaway remarks are similar to icebergs: On the surface, they don’t seem like much to worry about. But, in reality, trouble lies just below the surface.

In business, there is no such thing as an offhand remark. Any comment that relates to the existing relationship, the customer’s operations, or your products and services requires your immediate, undivided attention.

Even more troubling, “conversational icebergs” often are buried in seemingly positive comments. Maybe your buyer is trying to avoid confrontation or soften the insult, so they bury the criticism alongside some good words. For sales professionals, it can be easy to listen to the flattering remark and miss the actual meaning.

Conversational icebergs generally come in the form of statements like these:

• “Your software is really powerful. I wish the user interface was a little easier to understand, but overall it was good.”

• “The new equipment works fine. It’s just that some of my people are really low-tech. We’ll have to spend a lot of time training them.”

• “Though your prices are a little high, I told my supervisor we appreciate your great service.”

• “I’m going to get your invoice paid as soon as possible. Accounting just needs to see an itemized list of your charges.”

Each of these statements has concerns embedded within them, which could easily be overlooked. But when you do spot them, it’s time to drop everything and mend the underlying difficulty. Some examples:

• “You said the user interface could be easier. What kinds of problems are you encountering?”

• “You said some of your people will need training? Is that something we need to address?

• “Help me understand why your boss thought our prices are too high.”

• “I’ll be happy to provide Accounting with that itemized backup. But they never asked for it before. What’s up?”

Of course, sometimes you’ll need to go looking for conversational icebergs. How can you do that? By sending out signals, or pings, and listening to the response.

Pings are proactive: They come from you – not your customer.

You send them out and listen for a response. Here are some examples:

• “We just sent you our first invoice – I just want to confirm it included all the information your accounting department needed.”

• “In the past, we have allowed three business days to ensure prompt delivery times. Is this still sufficient to meet your demands?”

• “I understand YOU recognize our value proposition, but is your boss on the same page with this? Should we explain it to him in further detail?”

Of course, you should not dwell on the downfalls or ping your buyers too often. You also don’t want to solicit vague questions such as “Are we doing well?” But asking specific questions designed to ensure customers are receiving what they want or anticipate can help you avoid disaster.

What does finding a place to pee have to do with inbound marketing? Isn’t inbound marketing about creating great content to enlighten you on problems you didn’t realize you have and help you find solutions?

You see, it’s 3AM and I just read in the New York Times, how much harder it is getting to find a toilet in NYC.

Yes, you may say that you did not need to read the Times to know that access to restrooms in major cities is just a hassle. Restaurant owners are getting even more difficult by limiting access only to customers. But what is anyone doing about it? Not a newcomer to disruptive endeavors, Bill Gates sees an opportunity to revolutionize the throne.

And so do we. Our Postwire team – relative newcomers to disruption by taking on email (TCDisrupt NYC 2012) – are pleased to announce our intention to team up with Starbucks to offer priority access to their restrooms while you are out and about.

So today, if you sign up for Postwire, your first content collection will include a priority pass that you can show in any Starbucks to get immediate priority access to their restroom. No need to be stared down or wait on long lines. It is sort of the equivalent of an Airline Premium card getting you through the security line.

Sign up at www.Postwire.com to get your free pass.

Separately, we are looking at doing a buyout of a major sundry chain in New York – one of those stores where you can buy gum, candy, magazines (yes, they still exist). We are going to install public restrooms in each store. We will advertise that anyone can use them and we’ll use that to drive traffic resulting in sales of all of our in-store products. You can contact me if you would like to be part of this exciting venture!

Disruption comes from someone taking a different approach to fill an unmet need. We are delighted to be disruptive.

P.S. We haven’t quite worked out the details with Starbucks yet. Watch for updates in The Postwire Post published weekly right here.

Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself!

Adding third party perspectives to the information you share builds credibility. Take it from Postwire early adopter, John Jensen, Senior Account Manager at Tableau Software. Last week John informed colleagues of the success he had sharing a particular blog post from a respected source touting the elegance of Tableau’s business intelligence software. Whenever a prospect reads that post, says John, he or she is 2X more likely to engage with the rest of the info shared. You can bet that blog post is now in the team’s shared library!

Personalized Resource Page for YOU

Your client will appreciate the information you hand select around a specific topic just for her. One Postwire fan uses Postwire in her coaching practice. She makes a Postwire Page for each client, entitles it “Resource Page for [Client-Name]“ and selectively posts articles, videos and audio meditation exercises. Clients love keeping her coaching advice handy between sessions and she encourages them to bookmark the link to their personal Page. Through notifications, she now knows which resources are truly valued by each client.

We’ve been giving a lot of thought recently to what it takes to create a remarkable client experience. There’s certainly no shortage of research and expertise on this topic. Sometimes, though, it’s the simplest of all concepts that strike you the hardest. Like this one I stumbled upon this week surfing the Web:

Delighting your customers doesn’t build loyalty. Reducing effort does.

The body of research behind this statement comes from the Corporate Executive Board and popped onto my radar screen this week from reading this post. What’s my takeaway from my cursory reading about the Customer Effort Score? Using its four dimensions—reducing thinking effort, emotional effort, physical effort and time—is a helpful framework for improving how you work with clients…and, if you’re a salesperson, how you sell. After all, according to other research by the Customer Executive Board, client loyalty is more a function of how you sell than what you sell.

I remember when you pulled into a station to fill up your car. You would wait for an attendant to come from running from inside or finish with another car. Almost all stations are self service now. Why? Because while it required a bit more physical effort from me, it reduced time as I could jump out, fill up my car and dash off.  Also, now the credit card reader is right at the pump—you no longer have to wait for the attendant to run inside. What a concept! Oh, and have you seen some of the new restaurant check out systems where the server can take payment right at the table?

What are you doing to reduce your client’s efforts?

This image gas_station_2 is courtesy of Atle Brunvoll on Flickr and made available under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 license.

With that statement, “The Sales Lion”, Marcus Sheridan, roared his way into my life for the first time this week.

Anyone who superimposes his photo alongside a magnificent lion on his web site is already someone I want to meet. Marcus is a pool sales guy turned hands-on content marketing guru who obviously has mastered the art of attracting revenue by sharing his expertise.

At last look, the blog post that initially caught my eye had 55 comments! I encourage you to take the time to read Marcus’ entire post: The Incredible Relationship Between Content Marketing and Sales. The thought-provoking question posed by Marcus:

“Why do so many companies fail to integrate content marketing into their sales processes?”

My response:

1. Why do so many companies fail to integrate content marketing into their sales process? I think that the word “content marketing” has left many people feeling that content is for marketing – getting people to the website and “top of funnel” and it is not as important when the sales person gets involved. The sales person sells on building trust and does not need content to create that bond. What a missed opportunity.This is compounded by the fact that marketing and sales management is not driving how to get the content that marketing is using into the hands of sales people. I am amazed at how many companies have rich content libraries but when you ask the sales people do they use the content they say not much and they do not know how to get at it. They just grab a couple of pieces, often out of date and continue to use it over and over again. Not strategically, just so they have something to send.
2. Who is doing it well? I admire:

• Owen Blevins at Mid-Atlantic Concrete – http://maconcrete.com
• David Marinac at Standuppouches – http://standuppouches.net
• Andrew Sealy at MINDBODY – http://mindbodyonline.com

The stars are aligning right now such that content can serve as a bridge to bring sales and marketing together. In the world of content marketing, getting content into the hands of salespeople and helping them effectively use it is an easy, powerful win that will drive more sales. In our work with clients using Postwire, we see firsthand that sharing good content to educate prospects saves precious time for both buyers and sellers by shortening sales cycles–whether selling pools, concrete production equipment, food packaging pouches or expertise like “The Sale Lion”.

Expert salespeople have figured out that great content is the secret sauce for making sales. Share your expertise using Postwire. Sign up for free account at www.postwire.com.

Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr