Develop more effective sales messaging.

By Gretchen Kast

When you develop a new sales strategy, there are many communications channels to consider. While in-person conversations or individual phone calls are effective at closing sales, oftentimes the first touch point for a new prospect will come from more general marketing materials. In order to craft the most effective language for that message, it’s important to first have a clear idea of who your audience really is and, perhaps more importantly, how you can help them succeed. No matter how good your opportunities are, if your readers aren’t able to easily discern how they can benefit from working with you—then your efforts will be for naught.

Of course, it’s important to have a few key talking points or turns of phrases you use when referring to your organization, publication or event. Pinpoint what it is you are selling and all the necessary statistics and information. Establishing these details will help keep your messaging consistent and easily identifiable. It also creates a solid base that you can build on when developing more targeted communications.

From there, you can begin to identify your audience. What types of companies benefit most from the opportunities you’re selling? What job titles, specifically, are you speaking to—and who are the people that are ultimately making the decision? What are the problems they are looking to solve? What are their short-term or long-term goals? If you are looking to connect with multiple audiences, flesh out these questions for each one.

By having a more concrete idea of who it is you are talking to, it will be easier to craft a message that will engage them on a deeper level. Remember: thinking through the negative (what they are looking to avoid) is just as important as delving into the positive (what are they looking to achieve). The most effective type of messaging touches upon both in an equal balance.

It’s also important to think about how different materials reach your audience at different stages of their decision making journey. Is this the first they’re hearing of your offerings? Then you may want to stick to high-level ideas. If you’re working on an info-sheet to send as a follow-up to a phone conversation, then you may want to dig deeper into the weeds of what the opportunity is and how it will benefit them.

Before you finalize this new sales strategy, stop and ask yourself: Have you developed a full strategy?  Are you addressing prospects at each point of decision making process?  How will you close the sale? 

By making sure to always tie your content back to your intended audience, you will start to see your written materials play a more impactful role in your overall sales strategy.

Want to learn more? Get in touch today.