Potential Tools & Literature Sales literature (a.k.a. “collateral”) and tools are designed to help you move prospects forward in the sales process. Every piece should have a specific job: to answer a natural question that the prospect has at a specific point in the process. Literature and tools are powerful because they can Carry authority and credibility if very well done Convey your message consistently Convey your brand positioning and value proposition in a memorable and powerful way Increase your efficiency because they are passed along to multiple people within an organization rather than delivered verbally by a salesperson on a one-‐to-‐one basis Tools and literature help convey product information and answer your prospects’ questions. You can use tools and literature to generate new leads. For example, white papers and case studies are very popular tools to offer in email and internet marketing campaigns. Prospects can download them to gain valuable information, and you can capture names and email addresses for further follow up. What kind of sales literature and tools do you need? Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and think about the questions and objections you’d have at each stage of the sales process. [Sales Process can help] Step in the sales process
What are the questions you’d want answered before moving to the next stage?
What kind of literature or tools can you provide to get them there? (see suggestion list below)
Think hard about what the prospect really wants and needs. It’s important that you only deliver the relevant information at each step. You don’t want to overwhelm people with too much detail at the wrong time.
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Suggestion list: Here are ideas for printed materials and tools that may be useful. LITERATURE
Company brochure
Website
Product/service data sheets White papers
Case studies
Reference lists
WHAT IS IT ?
TYPICAL USE
A printed piece – it can be as simple as a one page tri-‐fold to an elaborate four-‐color bound piece.
When you introduce yourself and your company. People don’t typically read it, but they will probably skim it and expect it. It can be a valuable tool in conveying your brand positioning through visual design and production quality. Your website is an incredibly Prospects typically look at websites early in important sales tool. Studies have the sales process. You can also use your site shown that most businesspeople to generate new prospects through internet look at a prospective supplier’s marketing efforts. website, and many of them make a decision whether to do business with that company based on the website alone. Use the Website section to evaluate your current site if you have one, then develop requirements based on your needs. One-‐page sheets with product To convey detailed or technical product specifications and photos. information in a simple format. A research report that provides news, “best practices,” scenarios, and/or data in an informative, neutral (non-‐salesy) tone.
To educate about a problem and potential solutions. A valuable white paper is a popular offer for email and internet marketing campaigns – it can be used to generate new leads and nurture existing leads. Show how a client’s problem was After a product presentation, to show in solved by your product/service. detail how a customer benefited from your product/service. A list of current customers, often People typically like to review references segmented by industry, division, or either before they start the sales process, or other. right before they purchase.
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Hard copy newsletter
PRESENTATION MATERIALS PowerPoint presentation template
Product demo Product sample Folders
Provides valuable information while keeping you top-‐of-‐mind. Typically 11x18 folded to create four usable pages.
To gain more information about their product, service or industry
WHAT IS IT?
TYPICAL USE
PowerPoint is an electronic slideshow software by Microsoft; it’s used to provide visuals during a presentation Physically showing how the product works Giving the product to the prospect to review/use Hold literature and business cards – can be printed to convey ideas, themes or messages
Viewing during a presentation and potentially a handout, but never as a piece of standalone literature
WHAT IS IT?
TYPICAL USE
To show how the product/service works
For people to feel, test and use the product
To hold other information, such as a brochure, data sheets and case studies
TEMPLATES
Proposal template Structured delivery of your quote
Sales letter templates
Email templates
of your product/service delivery and price – provides an opportunity to make another impression when prospect is making the decision to purchase Templates of different letters for your salespeople to use during the sales process Same as sales letters – templates your sales team can use in the sales process
To review your price for the products/services offered
To ensure that salespeople are conveying your messaging and to speed up the letter-‐ writing process Same as sales letters
INTERACTIVE TOOLS
Email newsletter
WHAT IS IT?
TYPICAL USE
Delivered via email, this newsletter To gain information and ask questions will provide answers to questions
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and links to sites that should help prospects Once you’ve generated a list of potential tools & literature, figure out exactly what each piece should accomplish. Literature & Singular objective of the piece (each piece of literature or Step in the sales process tools we NEED each tool should be designed to meet a very specific where it should be objective) delivered Literature & Singular objective of the piece (each piece of literature or Step in the sales process tools we HAVE each tool should be designed to meet a very specific where it should be objective) delivered What are your next steps? PERSON STEP DUE DATE RESPONSIBLE
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