Connect Salespeople with your Marketing Materials

By Allan Pulga

A disjunction between marketing and sales is a common challenge for all retail businesses. But how can you ensure the necessary ideas are shared by both parties: that your salespeople will use the marketing materials they’re given and that your marketing team is equipping them with the tools they need?

In a recent Entrepreneur.com column, contact marketing expert Kim T. Gordon identified ways to create marketing materials with your salespeople in mind. “Whether you have one salesperson or 10, outfitting your front line with the right tools is critical to your company’s success,” she writes.

“Production or collateral materials often falls to marketing teams that design in vacuum, without true insight into the day-to-day operational requirements – and just the plain hands-on, grab-and-run nature – of salespeople.”

Gordon says studies have found up to 80 per cent of materials created by marketing staff for use by salespeople go unused, leaving salespeople to devise their own tools on the fly. Meanwhile, important branding and selling messages are disregarded.

Gordon proposes the following three steps to create tools your salespeople will actually use:

1. Get frontline input.

“Eliminate the disconnect between your marketing and sales teams by getting them talking. Salespeople can offer tremendous insight into customers’ needs and objections as well as your company’s competitive challenges,” says Gordon.

Get salespeople to brief the marketing staff on the product or service elements that are most critical to the customers or clients they meet. Identify common objections they face in the selling process so you can create marketing tools and materials to overcome them. Salespeople should describe any issues or changes in customer demographics, to keep marketing tools in tune with the current needs of your customer base.

Gordon says salespeople are constantly faced with competing products and services. Ask them for insight into new, emerging competition to help you create marketing materials that are a step ahead.

2. Add up all the touch points.

Your sales force requires comprehensive and consistent marketing tools. “Each time salespeople make contact with customers or clients, these tools must work to reinforce your company image and support the sales process,” says Gordon. Many business owners do not consider the true number of touch points throughout the sales cycle – intersections between the sales staff and customers – where collateral materials are needed.

While your salespeople may use company brochures, presentation tools, e-mails, or other materials, it’s essential that all materials have a consistent company message and use your logo or company identity properly. Take the time to investigate and make a comprehensive list of the day-to-day touch points between your salespeople and customers, then supply your people with every item they need to be successful.

3. Enrol salespeople in your mission.

“Once you’ve gained all the input you need from your frontline sales force and have created new collateral tools and materials, make a presentation to your sales staff that highlights how all the tools will work to help them win more sales. Rather than merely handing over boxes of tools, share the strategies behind the key marketing messages to get everyone onboard with your campaigns and materials. If they reflect the input the sales force shared with you and your marketing team, your salespeople will be enthusiastic about using the tools you’ve created.”

Gordon advises to schedule ongoing meetings between sales and marketing staff to obtain evolving customer information and preview upcoming promotions and specials. “Let your salespeople know where and when your advertising will run so they can be ready to respond. And include them in any changes in future creative materials and strategies. This will guarantee that the tools you create are positively embraced by your sales staff and successfully support the sales effort.”