Glossies or no glossies?

There appears to be quite a disconnect between the Sales and Marketing departments in many organizations. It appears that salespeople often blame marketing for producing artwork and collateral that the salespeople were not consulted about prior to production – and marketing often complain that salespeople are continuously demanding a massive array of disparate collateral which never seems to get used much anyway!!

(…Maybe it would be more accurate to say that there are disconnects between Salespeople and Marketing departments…? )

What on earth are you talking about Brad ?? – Company’s spend millions strategizing their marketing plans and Sales and Marketing are always a part of that process??

(A short preface or disclaimer before my response.) My answer is totally based on my personal observation through consultation, training and personal coaching engagements – I’ve not come across any surveys or empirical scientific study on the topic yet – just what I’ve observed!!

Let me start with a definition – so that we all understand what we’re talking about.

Marketing collateral is any media material used to promote a company’s products or services. This includes everything from print materials like posters and flyers to digital content like catalogues and e-magazines. Anything you can use to communicate your company’s brand message is considered marketing collateral.

OK – so I’m referring to what I call “glossies” – brochures or catalogues (often available and used in digital formats as well!) These packs of advertising, artwork and information that salespeople ply their prospects with at some point in the sales process. One of the following scenarios, generally speaking …

• They got this pack to the client prior to their meeting or call (It might very well have got them the meeting in the first place!) – or
• The salesperson hands it out to the client as the call starts – or
• The salesperson hands it out during the meeting process at some point – or
• The salesperson hands it out as they get up to leave the client!

My understanding of messaging, as it applies to sales, is very simply … What the client is hearing and understanding from your company in all its communications. Communications from the salesperson, advertising, marketing collateral as well as the customer’s personal touch points and experiences from the company i.e. customer services, admin etc etc.

SO … to my answer!!!

Before I get to content, let’s talk practicalities. ANY glossies in the client’s possession while the salesperson is trying to conduct their meeting is going to be paged through and read by the client while the salesperson is trying to connect. The client is distracted, and this makes the glossies a FOE!

By handing the pack out to the clients prior to the meeting also does not set you apart from your competition, they also handed out packs and consequently you run the risk of annoying your client before you even start! (Just go and take a look at the pile of advertising packs decision makers in your business have collected that are just lying around!) FOE!

My opinion is that the collateral is also all about …. YOUR COMPANY and not about your client! It is my deep conviction that successful salespeople place the needs and information of their customer in a position of very high priority – you really want to be hearing about your customer NOT vomiting up every last detail about yourself! FOE !

Marketing go to great lengths to put together colourful, informative, clever material in order to instruct the customer about the product and or services being offered…and I’d suggest that that is marketing’s job. No problems so far…BUT…

What we have also talked on many occasions is that fact that Salespeople tend to TALK way too much about themselves and their company – when their job is actually to ascertain what the NEEDS of the customer actually are … by asking questions! Remember…?? FOE!

Herein lies another challenge.

If the salesperson is banging away giving their best pitch (without having discovered the clients’ real needs!), unless they have learnt the marketing collateral verbatim (which never happens!) we immediately have 2 stories! Marketing’s and the Salesperson’s ! The result is a potentially confused prospect and as I’ve said before … A confused prospect will in all probability never become a client!

The salesperson’s SCHTICK must fit exactly with the collateral or else the client gets confused. Potential FOE !

Any information appearing in the pack and NOT included in the salesperson’s presentation, proposal or pitch, becomes confusion or objection fodder! FOE !

We are setting ourselves up for failure!!

Leave the marketing collateral to …. Wait for it! … Yes ! … you guessed it! … MARKETING!!

Just in case it seems that I am not a fan of marketing collateral, let me clarify! I love marketing collateral and I love marketing departments….BUT…. that’s marketing and that’s marketing’s job – Tell the world about our company! Please – Go for it ! FRIEND !

I, however, am not a marketer!! I’m a salesperson and my job is to hear from the customer first and foremost and secondly, to attempt to fulfil their needs!

Marketing – GO FOR IT!

Salespeople – GO FOR IT!