Sales Support
Always start with why.
When working with sales, Simon Sinek. Not because I need inspiration but because I always want to start with your business ambition. Where are going? My high school yearbook quote was “if you don’t change directions, you’ll probably end up where you’re headed.” So, let’s make sure we are all moving in the same direction and supporting the right segments to hit our targets.
When you understand your business ambition, differentiated products and clear messaging, your sales teams needs the tools for the job. Marketing and sales work better when we are telling each other want we want to do and not what to do. That allows your marketing team to proactive build tools to help sales win.
Fanning the Flames.
To drive over 1,000 weddings in one year at Bold Catering & Design we captured potential brides during the “dream” phase of wedding planning with strategic AdWords campaigns, elevated social media content support and enhanced online portfolio highlighting events from key growth, high-margin segments.
In addition to finding customers early in their journey, it is also important to understand your business and focus on the big rocks – your key ambition driving programs. At Fifth Group, that meant a program that included web lead generation, loyalty program expansion, life-cycle email marketing, gift card programs, private dining sales lead generation and enhanced catering and event design sales tools.
Stoking the Coals.
Our multi-pronged, consistent approach supported the growth of the sales team and led to multiple “best years ever” for key revenue driving sales program, the results don’t lie. In 2019, private dining sales were up 26%, gift card sales were up 6% and both of these programs were coming off best year ever 2018 campaigns. Continuing to fan the flames on these key marketing programs helped Fifth Group beat our 2019 EBITDA targets by over 70%!
Fanning the flames always comes first, but every sales person can tell you that prospecting is always going to be a part of the job.
Messaging Leadership.
Everyone seems to be in love with automation and offshoring when it comes to lead generation or content creation and that is surely one way to deliver results. But the first step in your process is still making sure you and your sales team know what you are selling, the reasons to believe the brand promise and competitive tools to drive online and offline engagement. Even in the most automated environment, nothing breaks through like targeted, differentiated (it also helps to have a superior offering!).
Take a look at the MBIKES Social Media engagement strategy and the Crowne Plaza B2B sales kit as good examples of sales messaging support. Fifth Group Restaurants private dining sales sheets served as tactical tools that supported our brands very specific sales need and helped our team close additional high margin sales.