Salespeople need to sell your brand

Branding is a marketing thing, right? I mean, what role could salespeople possibly play - especially in selling IT, where the sale is consultative and the purchase decision complex? So goes the prevailing wisdom.

With the coming of the Web 2.0 world, that tired argument has gone out the window. In consumer markets, branding experts talk of turning every employee into a "brand ambassador" - someone who actively promotes and "lives" the brand in every interaction with customers, partners and prospects. Forward-thinking tech vendors are realizing that the sales field (which owns the customer relationship in most cases) needs to play this vital role in building brand equity. Millions of dollars spent on direct mail and PR and keyword buys can't replace a warm body in this vital role.

CIO Today has written a comprehensive article on how to make each salesperson the living embodiment of your brand. A great brand is built by repeated actions. With every interaction, the sales rep provides the personality in front of all your branding efforts - good or bad. Actions speak louder than words, the article asserts, so every communication must be viewed as an opportunity to assert brand image and drive brand loyalty.

First, a vendor needs to understand its unique brand. Assuming that Marketing is doing its job in this regard (and in B2B tech that's a big assumption), sales support then needs to train the sales force to wrap the brand experience around the sales process that is already in place. This training shouldn't focus on the tactical - like enforcing sales presentation design templates. It's strategic sales training that seeks to institutionalize brand message consistency within each step and at every level of the consultative sales process. The key to Brand Selling is instantiating the vendor's core values, history, and operational procedures within the customer relationship itself.

Brand Selling is in fact one of the keys to selling higher inside a customer/prospect organization, the CIO Today article asserts (and I can't tell you how many of my clients over the years have had THAT as an objective!) Brand promises are no longer limited to the functional product/service level, therefore delivering on these promises forges a deeper emotional bond (yes, the "E" word) between vendor and customer based on trust and authenticity (i.e. what makes a great brand). The customer comes to view the vendor's unique mission and philosophy as not just empty words, but as directly helping them achieve return on their investment. To be sure, this strategic selling of "shared outcomes" gets the attention of CIOs.

A vendor salesforce that actually "lives" its differentiated brand personality with each and every customer interaction elevates its game. They infuse customer relationships with a deeper understanding of values shared. Some specific suggestions in the article include:

• Start by polling employees for examples of how your company delivers on its mission statement or unique selling proposition (if brand is unknown). Look for inconsistencies.
• Rewrite case studies and success stories to reinforce how your philosophy and values came to life for the customer's benefit.
• Hold occasional "brand refresher" meetings with customers to reinforce the long-term benefits of partnering with your company.
• Take the time to resolve customer issues in person, as personal attention and face-time breed familiarity, extend contacts across management, and uncover new opportunities.
• A sales force is the ultimate marketing research resource - integral to refreshing the brand and testing its premises - so a regular feedback loop to Marketing is imperative.

The results of stronger brand loyalty with customers is indeed quantifiable - as it sets the stage for successful up- and cross-selling over time.

Comments

[jcftbq nrtcyjd]

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[sell my house fast]

and that approach can shed light on the source the change in the number of homeowners choosing to default.

[Rådgivende ingeniør]

Sales people are person that responsible in selling a products. If you hired them they are responsible for selling your brand. And they must used some techniques and marketing strategies that can impresses the customer and they convince them to buy that product.