Hands up how many of you see yourselves as in a sales role? I bet the majority of us don’t see “sales” as part of our job specs. We might work in the IT department or be back office support and have a sales team to do sales. However, have a think. Do you come in contact with people on a daily basis either professionally or personally?
I am sure you do. This means that, without realising it, you are inadvertently in sales and are part of your organisations brand. I’ll tell you what I mean.
After a session in the gym this morning, I got talking to someone I haven’t met before in the changing room. He asked me what I did so I told him about my company Bath Marketing Consultancy, what we do and with who. I wasn’t “selling” as such, but I was making conversation about business. If I made a good impression he may remember me if the subject of marketing comes up at his place of work. Similarly, he may well say to someone he knows personally that he met me thus putting me and my company on more radars. I also found out that he was in finance, specifically pensions and have since looked up their company website – they need some serious SEO work done!
This situation is common and don’t underestimate the importance of this type of marketing. If you work for a company as an employee at whatever level, do you know exactly what your company does and with who? Are you kept up to date with internal news such as new client wins, new joiners etc? Does the CEO communicate what the “brand” stands for?
To me, Sales and Branding are not just words thrown about by the communications industry to baffle the consumer. They are the key to consistency and one can facilitate the other. We all have a role to play in our business lives and a thorough knowledge of your business is very powerful. It’s not just about an organisation running an external marketing campaign with nice advert designs in magazines or running ads on Facebook, it’s about communication and this starts internally. Do you and everyone you work with know what’s happening at your company and why?
For example, the person who answers the phone can be the first point of contact for clients and prospects and hence, needs to know exactly how to answer the phone and be kept up to date with events and updates for the company he/she works at. He/she is the initial voice of the company and is vital as this could be the start of the sales process.
When I meet new people in business, I always say that they should be able to sum up their brand in 3 words. They also should be able to do the Richard Branson “elevator pitch” where they can sum up their business or the business they work for in 30 seconds as if going up in an elevator with Richard Branson. But it’s not just the people at the top that need to be able to do this. In my opinion, everyone within an organisation should be able to do it. This means that everyone is consistent so that when they come into contact with people, they are able to present the company effectively and communicate what it stands for, who it works with and why.
This is the start of an effective sales strategy and we’re all a part of it!
Marketing Advice from Bath Marketing Consultancy 