Sales Strategy: Focus On The Process

Successful sales strategies require high-impact marketing and communications content to differentiate products and services. You probably face competitors with similar offerings and a similar collection of glowing client testimonials. With everything looking so similar, clients end up choosing based on price. We’ve found that you can successfully change the conversation by incorporating your unique process into your sales strategy. Don’t just tout your company’s victories and great results, show how your organization’s unique process made it easier to get to the final product.

The process of showing your process

The key to a process-focused sales strategy is to get your audience to imagine themselves working with you. Here are a few steps to do just that.

• Make it visual

First off, you need people to understand how your underlying process works. Your process is much better shown than told, so the first step is creating a visual process flow that aligns with your brand. Think about how you you take clients from start to finish on every single project, and then put that in visual terms. They will remember your images longer and more clearly than the conversation.

• Make it real

As your audience learns about working with you, you’ll earn their trust by approaching any issues head-on. If everything seems too perfect or if they discover any unaddressed issues on their own, they will lose trust in you. But if you aren’t afraid to be honest, they are more likely to rely on you as a trusted advisor.

• Make it simple

When your audience imagines working with you, they should imagine a stress-free experience. Resist the urge to get ahead of yourself and explain every last detail. If your process description is hard to follow, they’ll assume that the process itself will be messy and complicated. An infographic, like the one below, is a great example of using visuals to represent the different phases of a complex process.

Here is an example created for the Emergency Management Assistance Compact:

Click here for another process flow sample.

• Make it relevant

One process depiction may not fit all of your audiences. For example, if you are marketing a new software product, the end users will need a very different version than the IT department, even at the same company. Each variation you create should be all about making it easier for everyone see how your process will help them.

• Prove it works

Do your case studies sell your process or your final product? If they go straight from the client’s problem to your solution, you’re only showing the final product and missing the fun part! Make it clear that the great final product is a direct result of the process you bring to every project. Even if a particular case study isn’t the best fit, they will see how the same process will help them achieve an equally unique and successful solution.

Read more:

• If You Aspire to Excellence Focus on Process