There is one word in marketing we need to lose and that is collateral — as in collateral materials. It has the perception of being limited to only a general assortment of printed corporate information (from letterhead to corporate brochures to presentation folders).
Gone are the days of printed materials stored in boxes for limited use throughout the year. If your company resembles or strives to be like the types of thriving businesses I admire, then you first must have a dynamic product offering. As it improves and expands, you can update and customize multichannel communications to fit various audience segments.
With that said, let’s start using communication tools in place of collateral. Viewed in this light, you can turn basic materials into engaging communications that your sales team will actually use to bring in leads, open up old ones, and close sales. To that point, here are my…
Top Ten Tips for Creating Effective Sales Communication Tools:
- Speak to Personas — Understand your different types of customers and tailor your messaging toward them.
- Customize Imaging — Use photographs and art that each persona group will resonate with personally.
- Educate Your Audience — Deliver valuable content that empowers your reader.
- Show and Tell — Produce videos and infographics that visually walk viewers through your brand’s user experience.
- Use Digital Printing — Digitally print your tools in small amounts to have on-hand, or on-demand.
- Deliver the News — Keep your brand trending by generating and sharing news about it through blogs, social media, and publishers.
- Keep Branding Consistent — Develop a branding guide with design and messaging rules to build on brand positioning.
- Make a Creative Proposal — Too often, the last step in the sale is a boring proposal. Freshen it up with compelling copy and good graphic design.
- Create a Digital Online Library — Store all versions of your communications tools and web links online for quick and easy access (so they’ll actually get used!).
- Ask the Team — Elicit input from the team about what they could use to make them more successful.
Most material used to support sales is more likely to be delivered via email or online than by mail or in person. Recipients will not plough through copy-heavy brochures on their own. They’re more likely to engage with targeted communications that pique their interest and create a desire to know more such as:
- Case Studies
- Checklists
- eBooks
- FAQ Sheets
- Landing Pages
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Product Demos
- Testimonials
- Webinars
- White Papers
It’s not often that high-achieving salespeople ask their bosses or business owners for a set of company collateral. Today, I find that the best ones ask for pieces they can use to generate quality leads, create more interest, and build knowledge. Give them the tools they need in the formats they’ll use most and you can ensure that communication does indeed occur.
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