{"id":13317,"date":"2017-11-18T00:15:18","date_gmt":"2017-11-18T00:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/?p=13317"},"modified":"2024-05-23T07:42:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T11:42:34","slug":"why-sales-reps-are-your-smartest-marketers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/blog\/why-sales-reps-are-your-smartest-marketers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Sales Reps are Your Smartest Marketers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crappy in-house marketers are expensive. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They charge you more money than they should, and they bring in fewer clients than they promise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, today\u2019s world is crowded with lousy marketers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As social media has found its massive online footing, everyone who\u2019s read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Contagious-Things-Catch-Jonah-Berger\/dp\/1451686587\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contagious<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Jonah Berger or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Purple-Cow-New-Transform-Remarkable\/dp\/1591843170\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purple Cow<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Seth Godin considers themselves to be a savvy marketer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And they might know a thing or two about the industry. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the problem is that all of that marketing theory isn\u2019t nearly as useful as actual experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While marketing often focuses on theory, sales focuses on actual one-on-one, hands-on, unavoidable experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which is probably why businesses with heavily aligned marketing and sales strategies experience a more effective marketing effort overall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13323\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image6-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image6-1.png 1000w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image6-1-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image6-1-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/marketing-statistics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, a whopping 79% of businesses don\u2019t have a tightly aligned marketing and sales team \u2014 which means they\u2019re losing out on all that benefit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13328\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1646\" height=\"854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1.png 1646w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1-1024x531.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1-768x398.png 768w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image11-1-1536x797.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1646px) 100vw, 1646px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it turns out, the experience of your sales team might just be your most valuable marketing asset. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, salespeople deal with your clients firsthand, which means that they probably understand your customers better than anyone else in the company. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s why that understanding makes them savvy marketers, whether they want to be or not. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-cta-section\">\n<p class=\"blog-cta-heading\">Want to Increase Leads For Your Business?<\/p>\n<p class=\"blog-cta-text\">We would love to take a look at your current search engine positioning and analyze the growth potential within your industry!<\/p>\n<p class=\"blog-cta\">\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>1. Salespeople know that personal connection is key <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no secret that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.kissmetrics.com\/6-email-personalization-techniques\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">personalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rules the marketing roost. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally speaking, the more personalized the prospect\u2019s experience, the more likely they are to purchase from you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, it\u2019s really that simple. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When people feel welcomed by your company, they engage more, share your company with their friends, and buy your product. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which is probably why personalization is one of the top 3 priorities for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/what-is-digital-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">digital marketers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13324\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image7-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"565\" height=\"605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image7-1.png 565w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image7-1-280x300.png 280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 565px) 100vw, 565px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thefinancialbrand.com\/63985\/digital-marketing-trends-strategies\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the benefit that personalization offers is not an easy thing for marketers to tackle. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With their high-level focus, they tend to make the mistake of using a shotgun approach instead of a highly-targeted and personalized approach. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leveraging the knowledge of your salespeople.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than likely, your salespeople spend a massive amount of time on the telephone with your clients and prospects. It is, after all, the most effective sales method.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13326\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image9-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"674\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image9-1.png 674w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image9-1-300x136.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means two things. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, it further emphasizes your prospect\u2019s desire for personal contact. If you offer phone calls, you\u2019ll increase the likelihood that they\u2019ll purchase from you; it\u2019s one of the most personal forms of communication in today\u2019s digital world. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second, it means that your salespeople understand the importance of building a connection with prospects in order to make a sale. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But they don\u2019t just understand its importance. They also understand <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to do it<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They understand what it takes to immediately build trust with the person on the other end of the phone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s valuable knowledge that would benefit your marketing team. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, salespeople often get bogged down by menial tasks. 32% of salespeople spend 30 minutes to an hour every day entering data or doing other manual tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13322\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image5-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1290\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image5-1.png 1290w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image5-1-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image5-1-1024x608.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image5-1-768x456.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider freeing up some of that time for your salespeople by semi-automating data entry or paying someone else to do it. That way, salespeople can spend more time on the phone with potential customers and clients and, in their free time, offer opinions to the marketing team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of those phone calls have dumped a massive amount of knowledge into your salesperson\u2019s head. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In particular, your salespeople know why personalization is important and how catering to prospects individually is so powerful. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers would benefit from being reminded of that lesson. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2. Salespeople understand your ideal client better than anyone else <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ducttapemarketing.com\/how-to-discover-your-perfect-target-customer-in-5-steps\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ideal client<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is critical for your marketing strategy. Because if you don\u2019t know your ideal client, you\u2019ll quickly put your prospects to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yaron Tal of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/6scan.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6scan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesmate.io\/blog\/9-tips-pitch-startup-investors-successfully\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this to say<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter that you think your idea is the next big thing. If your pitch is dull, unattractive, with only dry details, you\u2019ll fail to catch the [prospect\u2019s] attention. He\u2019ll lose focus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While marketers generally have a good idea of who they <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">think <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your ideal client is, salespeople actually know. So much so that they can put a name and a face to your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer avatar<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13319\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image2-1.png 960w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image2-1-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image2-1-768x594.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mlmcoachsystems.com\/create-your-first-ideal-customer-avatar\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, they can help define your ideal client so that the marketing team can target them better. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, no one understands your ideal client better than the person who spends all day talking to them on the phone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salespeople deal with <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer obj<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ctions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all day long. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They understand your ideal client\u2019s concerns and questions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They understand how your ideal client thinks and what consistently gets them to go from thinking about purchasing to opening their wallets. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But they don\u2019t just understand who your ideal client is. They also understand who your ideal client <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">isn\u2019t<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which is equally important for your marketing strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last thing you want is to pour <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing cash<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into a strategy that targets the wrong people. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your sales team can help you make sure that doesn\u2019t happen. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t believe me, just consider this. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The primary source of leads that turn into sales for businesses come from the sales team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13325\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image8-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1402\" height=\"616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image8-1.png 1402w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image8-1-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image8-1-1024x450.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image8-1-768x337.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1402px) 100vw, 1402px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proof is in the pudding. And the pudding says that salespeople generate qualified leads better than the marketing team. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That might be a hard pill to swallow. But it\u2019s true. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salespeople know who your ideal client is better than anyone else because of their low-level, one-on-one focus. They talk to your ideal client all day long. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leveraging that knowledge will help your marketing team ensure that they\u2019re targeting the right people. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-cta-section\">\n<p class=\"blog-cta-heading\">Want to Increase Leads For Your Business?<\/p>\n<p class=\"blog-cta-text\">We would love to take a look at your current search engine positioning and analyze the growth potential within your industry!<\/p>\n<p class=\"blog-cta\">\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>3. Salespeople are familiar with the negative effects of a dismal conversion rate<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the end, all that you care about is the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business\u2019s revenue<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You want to know if the marketing team and the sales team, whether together or apart, are bringing in additional cold, hard cash that your business wouldn\u2019t generate without them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way to say that, though, is that all you care about is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, leads take your revenue numbers absolutely nowhere on there own. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ideally, leads will turn into conversions. But if they don\u2019t, your business is no better off. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckily, your sales team is acutely aware of the importance of generating conversions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just think about a salesperson&#8217;s average day. They spend most of their time on the phone trying to turn cold leads into warm conversions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that they know a thing or two about the importance of conversion and what it takes to convert your ideal client. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mostly, that\u2019s because sales is traditionally a bottom-of-the-funnel strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13318\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image1-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"940\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image1-1.png 940w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image1-1-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image1-1-768x431.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/landerapp.com\/blog\/wanted-inbound-marketing-metrics-can-help-sales-funnel\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So most sales teams won\u2019t even talk to prospects unless they are a pre-qualified lead. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, they spend their days trying to convert your ideal client. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The top <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing priority<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for businesses is to turn more leads into customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13329\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image12-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1332\" height=\"1486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image12-1.png 1332w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image12-1-269x300.png 269w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image12-1-918x1024.png 918w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image12-1-768x857.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1332px) 100vw, 1332px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the same is true for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales priorities<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13327\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1666\" height=\"752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1.png 1666w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1-300x135.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1-1024x462.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1-768x347.png 768w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image10-1-1536x693.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1666px) 100vw, 1666px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/53\/assets\/soi\/2017\/global\/State%20of%20Inbound%202017.pdf?t=1509479658940&amp;__hstc=20629287.260fd6d00dff6155837514c630b30e74.1495661654425.1509386231815.1509476869381.81&amp;__hssc=20629287.4.1509476869381&amp;__hsfp=2953860325\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s because your business relies on income, which relies on conversions, which relies on salespeople who know how your ideal client thinks. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers sometimes get overly focused on bringing in leads, but sales and conversion is where the real magic happens. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>4. Salespeople know the power of upselling <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high-level focus of marketers has them thinking about lead generation and customer acquisition. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often times (and unfortunately), marketers do very little to leverage the benefits of already existing customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, they throw out <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social media advertising<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PPC<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> strategies that build business awareness. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But here\u2019s a question to think about: What good is awareness of your business if your current customers aren\u2019t heavily integrated?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, if the people inside your business haven\u2019t been tapped out, what is the point of looking to find more business?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, it\u2019s far easier to sell to an existing customer than it is a new customer. There is also a direct correlation between customer retention and an increase in profit, and loyal customers are worth far more money than newbies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13321\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image4-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1162\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image4-1.png 1162w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image4-1-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image4-1-1024x486.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image4-1-768x365.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1162px) 100vw, 1162px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.business2community.com\/marketing\/9-key-customer-lifecycle-stats-2017-01736233#BmCDC2wul6HJuhxl.97\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes. Your business will need more customers at some point. It won\u2019t be able to survive and thrive forever on a small customer base. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, by now, it should be common knowledge that treating your current customers well \u2014 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer retention<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 and upselling those customers isn\u2019t just a strategy for leveraging existing assets. It\u2019s a strategy for generating new customers in and of itself. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because when you treat customers well and they love your product, who do you think they\u2019re going to tell about your business? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are they going to immediately forget about you when they\u2019re at work, at a coffee shop, or at home? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019re going to tell their friends, family, and co-workers about the awesome new business they discovered. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as you know, word of mouth has always been the most powerful marketing strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salespeople are well-acquainted with the buying habits of your existing customers because of all the time they spend trying to upsell customers to the next product. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use that knowledge to focus your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing strategy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the people who matter most: your existing customer. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5. Salespeople understand how a client moves through the purchasing process<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people will tell you that the sales funnel is a clean, linear, and obvious process. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something where people move from awareness to engagement to consideration to purchase. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13320\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image3-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image3-1.png 600w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image3-1-300x273.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/searchsalesforce.techtarget.com\/definition\/sales-funnel\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But that funnel is increasingly outdated with the way shopping happens on the internet. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People jump from one website to another via a search engine without thinking twice, and they generally trust most websites that look reliable. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which means that they purchase from the place with the best price, the fastest delivery, or the product they want without ever seeing an advertisement that increased their awareness of the company. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The traditional marketing and sales funnel is slow, linear, and overly simplistic. Today\u2019s buying process is difficult to predict, and customers arrive on your website and purchase your product from a variety of different avenues. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how can you possibly determine the sales funnel that best applies to your business? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, your salespeople should have a lot of knowledge to contribute to your musings. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding your sales funnel is important because satisfied customers tell an average of 9 people about their experience, but dissatisfied customers tell an average of 22 people about their experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13330\" src=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image13-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1138\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image13-1.png 1138w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image13-1-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image13-1-1024x504.png 1024w, https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2017\/11\/image13-1-768x378.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1138px) 100vw, 1138px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.business2community.com\/marketing\/9-key-customer-lifecycle-stats-2017-01736233#BmCDC2wul6HJuhxl.97\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And a smooth funnel makes for a smooth customer experience, while a rickety one makes for a rigid and unpleasant experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salespeople understand your business\u2019s funnel better than anyone else because they spend their days selling your product to real people with real concerns and a real voice. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They know how people think about your products, the questions they consistently ask, the concerns they have, and the objections that have the potential to destroy a sale. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your marketing team, on the other hand, is functioning via theories. They try this and that without ever actually talking to customers because their efforts are high-level and often impersonal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But salespeople can help your marketing team make the most of their efforts and target the prospects who have a high chance of converting. It&#8217;s just a matter of getting the knowledge from the brains of your salespeople into the brains of your marketers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salespeople know how your customers think. You can leverage that with your marketing strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you tired of your undefined marketing efforts not producing the results you expected? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you sick of trying to get your marketing team to create processes around their efforts and be more strategic? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, it\u2019s not really their fault. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers are usually expected to have a high-level focus instead of a low-level, personal focus. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019re not expected to convert a few qualified leads. They&#8217;re supposed to generate leads from the masses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the problem is that they don\u2019t fully understand who the ideal client is and how to best market to them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because they don\u2019t spend any time with that person. All of their communication with real people is artificial. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They struggle to put a face to their ideal client and really nail down exactly who their target market is. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is often based on theory. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But sales&#8230; well, sales is based on practice. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, because of all that time spent interacting with your prospects and customers, your salespeople understand the power of personal connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They know who your ideal client is. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are familiar with the impact of high or low conversion rates. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They know the importance of upselling existing customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And they understand how a client moves through your business&#8217;s sales funnel. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s why sales reps are your savviest marketers. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crappy in-house marketers are expensive. They charge you more money than they should, and they bring in fewer clients than<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":13331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[74,127,163],"class_list":["post-13317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perspectives","tag-b2b","tag-marketing","tag-sales"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Sales Reps are Your Smartest Marketers | Directive Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marketers focus on theory, while sales reps learn from real experience. 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