Do your current sales tools represent your brand successfully?
Yes, it would be wonderful if people simply flocked to your business on their own, but for most companies, that is not the case. This is where sale tools come in: sales tools and literature are some of the best ways to turn leads into clients. Your sales kit can include a range of materials, including samples, brochures, websites, price sheets, presentations, and whitepapers.
Good tools can be a powerful way to legitimize and brand your business while leading clients throughout the closing process–but there’s always room for improvement. If you think your tools are lacking or could simply be enhanced, here are some ways to analyze and update your current tools to optimize your sales process:
- To design the best sales tools, know your sales process. We’re talking about the predictable series of steps or phases required to sell your product. Evaluating and defining the shortest way from point A to point B will help you become more efficient and develop your essential sales tools.
- Take apart your sales tools and define the purpose of each one. Take a look at your typical sales process. What are the steps? Think about potential questions that might arise at every step, and then design tools to answer them. Do you need success stories to add legitimacy to your sale, a clear presentation, or discovery questions to engage customers? Run a few trial sales with people unaffiliated with your business, and see what questions arise and when, so your tools are thoroughly prepared.
- Gather opinions: Take your sales tools for a test drive. Demonstrate to a team or friends and ask if each piece fulfills its purpose. What are the immediate reactions? Are there better ideas? Sometimes the best ideas come from people who aren’t related to the company.
- Is your brand well represented? Each piece should scream that it belongs to your company–and your company only. Using vague business language, common and inconsistent color schemes, or simply not branding yourself is going to hurt, not drive, sales. Branding is what makes your company different. It’s also lucrative. A good branding campaign ultimately means brand equity, or the amount of money people are willing to pay for a product because, well, it’s your product. If you are providing something stellar, make sure people can easily associate your quality work with your brand. Over time, it will pay off. Your sales tools are a perfect place to use your brand equity.
- Delivery: Is every tool being delivered on time and in an optimal way? Do your employees know how they should be using the tools? No matter how useful or clear a tool is, if the person presenting it is unenthused or confused, the customer will be also. Think about who in your company uses these tools and how they do it. Consider how employees are being trained to use the tools, and if another training is in order.
Don’t underestimate your sales tools. If you think they’re not working, then analyze them to see what’s working-and what’s not. Keeping your tools current and aligned to your sales process will ensure that your business is delivering the information clients need, at precisely the right time.
