The Unwanted Party Guest
Imagine you are at a party and person walks up and introduces themselves to you. Once you have told them what you do, they launch into a long-winded story about why they are so great. You are trapped. After an hour you’ve had enough. Suddenly the sales guy (as you have come to know him) says, “But enough about me, let’s hear you talk about me”. Herein lies the problem with most marketing and sales organizations. They focus on what they think is important.
Thinking About the Buyer Creates Opportunities
The best way to increase opportunities to sell, is to consider every touch a step on the Buyer’s Journey. Before a business can understand the Buyer’s Journey, it needs to make sure it understands the market. To do that, asking a few questions always helps:
- Are we helping our prospect solve a problem that will make a difference in their operation?
- Are they aware of the problem?
- Is the pain they experience of a high enough priority that they are willing to spend resources to fix it?
- When we talk to prospects, are we using their lexicon or ours?
- When we market, are we touting features and ignoring benefits and outcomes?
Ask your sales and marketing teams these questions one-on-one and see who answers the questions from a buyer’s perspective. The answers will surprise you, especially if you outsource your on and offline presence (web site, social media presence and other forms of marketing).