Marketing Around the Steps to the Sale

Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Marketing Planning, Marketing Strategy

Today’s one minute marketing tip is Organizing Your Marketing Around the Steps to the Sale.

In a previous video and blog we presented the need to map the steps to the sale. Our example steps are:

  • Offer
  • Lead Generation
  • Follow up Contact
  • Education of Prospect/Confirmation of Interest
  • Sales Call
  • Discovery/Information Gathering
  • Confirmation of Scope
  • Proposal
  • Negotiation
  • Closed Sale

Benefits of Mapping the Sales Process

Steps to the Sale What is your sales process? Offer Lead Generation Follow up contact. Education/Confirmation of interest, Sales Call Discovery, Confirmation of Scope Proposal Negotiation Closed SaleOnce these steps are determined, it is much easier to manage the sales process and support it with marketing. There are a number of benefits including the ability to track the number of prospects moving through each step to the sale. This data can inform planning and sales projections, as well as budgeting for marketing. Those subjects are covered in other blogs and videos including our course on using the sales goals for each step in the sales process to determine the budget for marketing around the steps to the sale.

Aligning Marketing Around the Steps to the Sale

Next, understand how marketing (and other departments) touch the process of a sale. Looking at each step, what marketing and communications support the step?

It might look something like this:

  • Offer: Advertising, Social Media, Enewsletter
  • Lead Generation: Web forms, Contests, 800 number, Outbound
  • Follow-up Contact: Value Proposition, Spec Sheets, Case Histories
  • Education of Prospect/Confirmation of Interest: Email series, Videos, FAQs
  • Sales Call: CRM, Sales Sheet, Product Samples
  • Discovery/Information Gathering: Testimonials, Questionnaires, Tours
  • Confirmation of Scope: Spec Sheets, Tech Review
  • Proposal: Support Documentation
  • Negotiation: Reviews, Optional Add-Ons
  • Closed Sale: Onboarding Kit

Offer: Advertising, Social Media, Enewsletter Lead Generation: Web forms, Contests, 800 number, Outbound Follow up Contact: Value Proposition, Spec Sheets, Case Histories Education of Prospect/Confirmation of Interest: Email series, Videos, FAQs  Sales Call: CRM, Sales Sheet, Product Samples Discovery/Information Gathering: Testimonials, Questionnaires, Tours Confirmation of Scope: Spec Sheets, Tech Review Proposal: Support Documentation Negotiation: Reviews, Optional Add-Ons Closed Sale: Onboarding KitOrganizing your marketing around the steps to the sale ensures you are supporting the sales process and integrating the marketing and sales effort. While many companies rely on the salesperson to usher a prospect through the sales process, marketing can help drive the movement when integrated with the sales team’s effort.

Questions to Ask About Your Marketing

Take the time to map your sales process and the marketing around the steps to the sale. Are there gaps? How can marketing better pull the prospect to the next step to the sale?

Integrated marketing and sales help make a more efficient and effective process that can result in more prospects moving more quickly through the sales pipeline.

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