In an age where we're still recovering from the uncertainty of the pandemics' effects on the economy, businesses need to shift their selling model to meet the current needs of their customers.
In fact, according to research by HubSpot, customers are researching brands at a much higher rate online than they have in the past, taking the initiative to reach out vs. the old model of a sales executive making the first move.
As we continue to navigate this post-pandemic landscape, here are four ways that companies have started to shift their views to sell smarter.
Unsurprisingly, many companies are cutting costs where they can—reducing staff if they need to, scrapping projects that aren't yielding the desired ROI, eliminating programs that might not make sense at the moment.
Share insights of programs with long-lasting ROI—batch direct mail campaigns that allow for customization down the road, mail tracking to measure customer engagement, even ways to save on postage while still offering a personal touch.
With more and more customers online, offering free resources to educate and help them make informed decisions on where and how to spend marketing dollars is crucial.
An easy way to do this and shorten the sales cycle is to enroll customers into an email sequence. HubSpot noted that roughly 80% of marketers saw a significant increase in email engagement over the past 12 months.
Send targeted and informative email communications that only offer one sales pitch, if any. Your main goal should be to educate and humanize your brand—not promote conditional content.
Now more than ever, it's essential to ensure that your customers are happy with the products and services that they're receiving.
Work with your customers directly to determine how you can continue working together, whether that means bundled products and services, discounts on specific quantities, or referral programs.
We're all in this together—each of us has been affected by this global crisis somehow.
When reaching out to your clients, ask how they're doing before you start selling. By coming from a place of empathy and compassion, you'll be better able to determine what your clients need, and you'll have a better understanding of where they're coming from as well.
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