5 Types of Sales Content You Need to Close More Deals
A robust sales content repository can help any sales professional turn a curious prospect into a paying customer. It's a mission-critical toolset for salespeople and one they need to utilize frequently.
As the sales process becomes lengthier and more educational, sales reps need to equip prospects with content that will help them understand the product and make an informed decision.
In today's digital, self-serve world, it's all about sales and buyer enablement - giving prospects the resources to feel as if they own the purchasing process.
Because not every stakeholder may be involved in each meeting, giving your "champion" the collateral they need to rally the troops is essential.
If there's a lack of content, there can be a disconnect between what the prospect needs to know and what a salesperson presents. Sales-supporting material bridges that gap, making it easier for reps to build trust with prospects and ultimately close more deals.
So, what types of sales content can help sales reps boost their chances of a successful close?
Case studies
Case studies provide prospects with tangible evidence of how the product has benefited other customers. It's a form of social proof that clearly outlines and showcases its value, making it easier for prospects to see themselves achieving success with your solution.
Giving customers real-world examples of how the product was used in their industry and the outcome that resulted has lasting effects. 79% of B2B buyers said they referenced case studies as part of their buying research, and 42% of customers in both mid-to-late stages of the buying process find them valuable.
As a best practice, sales reps can use case studies to introduce the solution's ROI and success rates during a meeting and as a powerful leave-behind for the customer to share with other stakeholders in the organization.
Testimonials
Another proven form of social proof is the customer testimonial. Sales reps can use these to showcase their customers' positive feedback and the great experiences they've had with their offerings.
Having a similar effect to case studies, 92% of customers read online reviews before buying, and 72% say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business.
Testimonials are influential because they come directly from existing customers. They are curated in video testimonials, written reviews, or in-person interviews highlighting how the product improved the customer's business.
A well-crafted testimonial should be customer-focused and provide unique insights from their point of view, giving prospects an inside look at how the product works in practice.
Sales and marketing teams should use this content throughout their presentations, emails, and website copy to reinforce the value of their product and build brand credibility.
Pricing Decks
Just as important as showcasing a product's value, customers also want to understand its cost. Salespeople should be armed with pricing decks that concisely outline what each tier or package includes and how much it costs.
Rather than overwhelming your prospect by listing your product's features and prices, use visuals to show what's included in each package and how features vary between tiers.
By offering customers different packages, sales reps can tailor the pricing deck to best fit a particular customer's needs and budget. Salespeople should also be prepared to answer any questions that may arise around pricing decks, such as any discounts or payment plans offered.
Pricing decks make the company feel more transparent, increasing rapport and trust any brand needs when moving a prospect through the sales cycle.
Marketing collateral
Marketing collateral, such as blogs, infographics, product brochures, one-pagers, explainer videos, whitepapers, and more, are a must to win deals today. Such material helps prospects understand the product and why it’s the best solution for them.
When making a decision, each prospect may have their preferences on the type of collateral they want to see. Sales teams should be ready to provide different kinds of content depending on the individual's needs. Some may prefer visual content, while others prefer reading more in-depth articles.
By offering prospects multiple ways to learn about their product, sales reps have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the solution and build the trust of a prospect to close the deal.
Unfortunately, marketing collateral is often saved on a sales reps' desktop and emailed to their prospects. Marketing teams are spending so much time and effort, and prospects could be sent out-of-date content.
Using a collaborate deal room with prospects would ensure all marketing collateral is up-to-date in a consolidated organized way.
Sales collateral
The difference between sales content and marketing collateral is in its purpose. Sales content focuses on the customer's unique needs and is tailored to their specific situation, while marketing collateral is more general and broad.
Sales content helps you stand out from the competition by providing prospects with custom-made materials that are relevant to their business challenges.
It typically includes buyers' guides, product demo recordings, proposal templates, product pitch decks, and emails tailored to specific customer needs. By sharing this with prospects, salespeople can better explain the value of their product and how it will solve their customer’s problems.
Sales content allows sales reps to give prospects a personalized experience which is often crucial for winning them over. Sales teams should strive to create content that educates and informs prospects, helping them make informed decisions.
Keeping your sales content organized
It's never easy to centralize all of the content mentioned above. To be effective, you need one centralized location to maintain all of your updated information and material that can be shared.
An effective way for an organization to consolidate this sales content is through a resource hub. Customer-collaborative sales platforms offer a digital workspace to store, organize and share all types of sales content throughout the entire sales process while seeing what is being viewed, shared, and used by prospects and customers.
It's no longer enough to just have sales content. Salespeople also need to make sure that their material is up-to-date and readily available for prospects. Having a resource hub allows sales teams to keep track of the latest version of their content and quickly share it with prospects when needed.
To recap
Building a winning sales process requires more than just a good product. Sales teams need to be armed with the right sales content in order to effectively communicate the value of their product and stand out from competitors.
By utilizing the five types of sales content– case studies, testimonials, pricing decks, marketing collateral, and sales content – sales teams can provide prospects with the information they need to make an informed decision.
Looking for an easy solution to manage and share your updated sales content with your sales team and customers?
Recapped's customer-collaboration platform offers one central platform to manage your entire sales process - giving your team one location to share content, communicate, track activities, and more. Request your personalized demo today.