5 Ways Marketers Can Enable Sales With Content

Over the past decade there has been much said and written about marketing and sales not being aligned. In the past this disconnect was attributed to psychological differences between the two departments, organizational structure and performance measurements. But I argue the misalignment is over content and its intended use.

Salespeople want unambiguous information to help them close sales. They need the information to help customers make a purchase decision. Marketing is focused on generating awareness, but that top-of-funnel content won’t generate revenue.

Here are five ways marketers can tailor content to enable sales:

1. Speak in Specifics

Vague words mask the advantage or value to the customer. Frequently, a firm’s advantages are described with words like “best of breed,” “seamless,” “leadership,” “easy to use” and “most complete.” These descriptions are meaningless. They require more sales skill to be leveraged as advantages that are compelling to a customer.

Words such as “help,” “enable,” and “allow” act as fillers. They sound good but provide no idea of what the product does or how it is better than the competitive alternatives. If I say, “I helped/enabled/allowed the San Francisco 49ers to win every football game that Joe Montana ever won,” can you tell if I was on the field playing, on the sidelines coaching or in the stands cheering?

2. Focus on Function

Your competitive advantage is what your product or service does substantially better than competitors, and customers want to know what they can accomplish better because of your product.

If your product is faster, prospects want to know how much faster it is. Simply using words like “very” may not be compelling enough to lead to a purchase. The prospect needs to be able to compare your product’s claims to the claims of competitors.

However the advantage for most products/services is not absolute and unconditional. Most advantages only exist under specific conditions and situations. The key to identifying your advantage is to find the condition or situation where the advantage is significant enough to be compelling. This means that advantages usually cannot be communicated with product information alone; it must include customer use information as well.

The value proposition should answer the question, “What is the value to the customer of your competitive advantage?” The question is not about the value of your product, but the value of your differential.

3. Don’t Make Empty Claims

Evidence complements a salesperson’s ability to provide credibility to your competitive advantage and customer value. Without quality evidence, much more sales time and skill are required to close a sale.

Without evidence, a message — however compelling — may not be believable enough to motivate buyers. This can mean fewer sales and longer sales cycles.

Different customers will balance risk and reward differently. Many customers will opt for a lower level of value if they certain that they will actually get it. Thus, having a more compelling message won’t always win.

The effort to transfer credibility can make the sales cycle longer, either because customers need more demonstrations before they become convinced.

4. No Uncertain Terms

Shopping and buying have increasingly become a journey that customers take alone until they are ready to purchase. Comparison shopping often takes place before customers ever interact with a salesperson, and brands that have not made clear how they compare to competitors will be passed over. Prospects need to be able to compare your product claims to the claims of the competitors. Include quantifiable measurements and specifications that are familiar and meaningful.

5. Don’t Mix Messages

Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Irma S. Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking each require a different level of cooking skill. The former is appropriately complex for experienced cooks, and the latter is more accessible to beginners.

Correspondingly the complexity of the selling messages we provide to our sales channels have to be aligned with the time and skill available in that channel. Having one set of messages for all of the direct and indirect channels may be a mistake, resulting in lost sales.

Achieving the alignment of marketing and sales starts with giving salespeople the content they need to generate revenue. Use these five points to consistently provide the information your colleagues need. Without a diagnostic process, quality improvements are not scalable and may not last longer than your next change of marketing or sales management.

About the Author | Bud Hyler

Bud Hyler is the founder of Logical Marketing, a B-to-B marketing firm. He has worked with IBM, AT&T, Microsoft, HP and other brands to champion customer-centered marketing. He can be reached at budh@logmkt.com.