Did you know that almost 60% of the sales process is over before your prospect speaks to a sales representative? People are looking at what your company has to offer before you realize they’re interested. Brands struggle to generate awareness about the products or services they offer, but with a little bit of helpful insight, you can drive bigger brand awareness while also taking some of the burden away from your sales team. Here’s how.
Anticipate the Customer Buying Lifecycle
Every customer goes through a decision process before buying something. Whether it’s bananas or a new car, your customer needs to think first about the pros and cons. This process often becomes cluttered with questions, doubt, and concern. By anticipating the customer buying lifecycle, you can answer the concerns before they turn potential buyers away. Here are a few ways you can learn more about what your customer goes through when trying to decide whether or not to buy.
- Send a survey by email.
- Analyze your website to see where people arrive and where they leave.
- Dig into the trends and insights found through your CRM.
Answer Customer Questions in a Series on Your Blog
Once you know the customer’s buying lifecycle, you’ll be able to anticipate the types of questions she has that could stop her from buying your product. Chances are, these questions won’t be asked of your sales team. Instead, your customer will be researching these on her own, without you knowing she’s looking. Put together a series on your blog where you openly answer the anticipated questions. When your customer types her concern into the search engine, your blog and website is more likely to appear at the top. You’ll offer the help she’s looking for, winning her over and increasing your chances of making a sale – all without the help of a sales professional.
Host a Weekly Video Q&A Session on Facebook
People love videos. They also love getting their questions answered via video. With video, you can get more across in a shorter amount of time. Try this on your Facebook page and see how it works for you. Ask your audience to submit questions and then post a short one to five minute video each week answering one of the top questions. Your videos might get shared, helping you drum up more brand awareness. You’ll also make the lives of your prospects (and sales team) easier.
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn. Analyze your prospects questions or concerns and then fill in any gaps through your marketing. You’ll generate more brand awareness by being helpful and take a load off your sales team’s shoulders in the process.