It’s been a year since launch, and here’s what we’ve learned (so far!)

It’s been a year since we launched Illumineto Spark to sales professionals and we’ve learned a lot! Here are a few of the things that we’ve learned about how you use Spark (some we knew would happen, but, some we didn’t expect).

• 78% of Spark pages are copied from your peers. Leveraging what your other team members are using is great!
• 90% of users integrate multiple sources (YouTube, their website, etc.) so you don’t have to search numerous content repositories for that “right” asset. Some of you have over a dozen integrations!
• 25% of you are sending out monthly newsletter to your customers — continuing the nurturing and education needed in sales, and at the same time discovering that your existing customers are interested in more than what you previously sold them.
• 62% of you have integrated with a CRM system to automatically update your records, eliminating hours a week on administration tasks and giving you more time to sell.

And now for how Spark users use Spark in ways we didn’t expect.

• Some of you use Spark as your email client with prospects. Instead of using Gmail or Outlook, you use Spark — which gives you immediate feedback when they have read your email (or not). These are emails without attachments!
• Marketing departments are using Spark to update their sales teams with the latest content — sending out updates at least once a month — and with a Spark page, in essence being a web page, updating it weekly to insure that all the sales team has access to the latest content.
• You are using Spark as a company brochure, with all of your current assets available to a customer to look at.
• We knew this would happen, but didn’t think so many of you would use a Spark page to reference other Spark pages. For example, some of you, like in the previous story, build a Spark page that links to other Spark pages to help refine/define your offering. In other words, let’s say you sale printers: you build a Spark page that lists the three general types of printers (as sections) and in each section you link to Spark pages that have the specific information about each type (you don’t overwhelm your prospect with information and gain the insight into what they are truly interested in).
• You LOVE teams. Not only the corporate or regional team that you are already on, but, making numerous other teams — like a team for your distributors, another team for your support staff, and another team for marketing (so they can see what and how you are using the content they provide).
• We have individuals who aren’t “selling” a product, but are using Spark for fundraising (from Girl Scout Cookies to colleges pitching alumni).

These are just some of the stories that we hear about how you are using Illumineto Spark.

Thank you for making Spark such a success. Without your feedback and suggestions, the product wouldn’t be what it is today and of course, it wouldn’t be used the way it is.

If you have a unique way that you are using Spark, feel free to write us, either below in the comments or email us directly (marketing@illumineto.com).

Good luck selling!