Overhaul your Sales Support Process

Jesse Hopps

Many organizations suffer from a lack of alignment between Sales and Marketing. Part of the problem is that most marketing departments don't view sales support as one of their most important functions. Be proactive in your effort to work with Sales. Start by opening Demand Metric's downloadable Sales Support Checklist to identify where your gaps are. Following is list of 16 tools and templates that you can use to overhaul or create an effective sales support process.

Key Sales Support Tools:

  • Sales Support Effectiveness Survey - this brief questionnaire documents strengths and weaknesses in the following areas: CRM, Demand Generation, Lead Management, Product & Company Training, Marketing Collateral, Partnership Management, and Brand Awareness.
  • Marketing Collateral - provide corporate brochures, product sheets, pricing sheets, Case Studies, whitepapers, FAQ, and other related collateral.
  • Standardized Job Descriptions - clearly define the roles & responsibilities of your Account Executive and Director of Sales Support.
  • Sales Training Manual - a formal sales training manual will ensure that all new recruits have a fundamental understanding of the sales process.
  • Sales Skills Assessment - evaluate the skills of each sales representative and compare them to the department average and top representative.
  • Competitive Map & Matrix - help your team speak intelligently about the competition and be able to communicate your competitive advantages.
  • Individual Goals Template - it is essential that salespeople have goals.
  • Key Account Planning Tool - what is your action plan for driving revenue?
  • Sales Script - provide an example of what a successful sales call looks like.
  • Feature, Advantage, Benefit Tool - analyze your product to determine how to relate advantages to customer needs to create a perceived benefit.
  • SPIN Selling Question Tool - use Neil Rackham's wildly popular method to develop Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff probing questions.
  • Objection Responses Tool - document how top representatives deal with common objections and provide a reference tool for new sales staff.
  • Sales Proposal Template - standardize sales proposals to ensure that your brand is maintained through the most important aspect of the sales cycle.
  • Sales Presentation Template - ensure sales put their best foot forward when presenting your solution. Create a standardized sales presentation.
  • Opportunity Pipeline Tool - track and manage sales opportunities with an opportunity pipeline-reporting tool.

Action Plan:

    1. Prioritize Tasks - consult Demand Metric's downloadable Sales Support Effectiveness Survey to gather requirements and priorities from Sales. Using a democratic process will increase adoption for the tools you create.
    2. Work from a Checklist - use Demand Metric's downloadable Sales Support Checklist to keep this initiative organized and on-track.
  1. Customize Tools & Templates - use the tools and templates provided to help you customize a sales support toolset for your organization.
  2. Make Resources Available - once your tools are developed, communicate their purpose with the sales team and make them easy to find. Consider deploying a Sales portal for document management and version control.
  3. Monitor Usage - ensure that all representatives are using your materials and interview select sales representatives to get candid feedback on how the sales support toolset can be augmented and improved.

Bottom-Line:

In an ideal world, sales and marketing would work harmoniously together. In the real world, every effort needs to be made to proactively provide the tools and resources required to close business. Work closely with sales to get the job done.

Sales