Unified Sales and Marketing

What Is Inbound Sales In A Unified Sales And Marketing System [Ebook]

Table of Contents

Do You Remember the First Time You Closed a Deal? 

 

Did You Get a Rush From It? 

 

Well, I remember my first small sale; an old jeep top, but not the rush. 

 

Unifying_Your_Sales__Marketing.jpg

 

The first sales where I remember the "rush" was when I was there for a million dollar plus SAP license sale for a phone company in the Middle East. 

Now, many closed deals later, approaching a very significant total dollar volume, I still get the rush, but now I also want to make sure the whole sales and marketing team share in the rush of the experience.

 

And I want it to work ever better!  That's why I've adopted the Inbound Sales Process for my Marketing and Sales Agency as core competency.

 

Advanced Inbound Sales Strategy

 

Discover What is Inbound Sales and Marketing Using Our Experience in the Enterprise Sales Space and SME space Using Inbound Marketing and Inbound and Outbound Sales Processes.

 

Unifying Sales and MarketingSales and Marketing Must Work as a Team!

Inbound Sales Methodology

There are all kinds of sales and marketing processes, and frankly, some work better than others.

 

What is the Inbound Sales Methodology?

 

The Inbound Sales Methodology is a strategic approach that involves attracting and engaging potential customers through valuable content and interactions, rather than interruptive tactics.

This methodology includes four stages:

 

  • Attract
  • Convert
  • Close
  • Delight

The attract stage involves creating and sharing compelling content to attract prospects to your website. The convert stage involves converting visitors into leads by offering them something of value in exchange for their contact information. The close stage involves nurturing leads and turning them into customers by providing personalized solutions to their problems. The delight stage involves providing exceptional customer service to turn customers into promoters of your brand. This methodology is best applied in industries where the buying process is complex and requires a high level of trust and expertise, such as software and consulting services. However, it may not be a good fit for industries where the buying process is straightforward and transactional, such as retail or fast food.


Inbound Sales Strategy and Inbound Sales Process

A Target Account Based Model

My particular sales expertise happens to be in the enterprise software and services sales arena that combines an Inbound Sales Strategy and a sophisticated Outbound Sales Strategy.  I wanted to share some of the lessons I’ve learned having run what is admittedly a complex sales process, which spans Marketing, Consulting, Training, Support, Pre-sales and of course, Sales.

 

I’ll also provide a link at the end of this blog that will give you an eBook that has some excellent advice from one of the fastest growing inbound marketing system firms in the world, Hubspot, which also combines some of our insights into the process of unifying sales and marketing.

 

Advice For Inbound Sales Reps

 

The keys to successfully integrating the sales and marketing process that I believe are most important include:

 

  • There is a time to close and time to keep selling when you are executing a outbound sales process

    It takes experience to know when, but data can help both your sales and marketing teams to know when to close.

  • The hand-off process from marketing to sales needs to be defined, seamless, complete and measured.

    This ensures that both teams are on the same page and can work together towards a common goal. Hubspot CRM can help make this process smoother by providing a platform that allows for easy communication and collaboration between sales and marketing teams. For example, once a lead reaches a certain predictive lead score threshold, it can be automatically passed on to the sales team for follow-up.

    This ensures that no leads fall through the cracks and that the sales team can focus their attention on the most promising prospects. Hubspot CRM also provides valuable data and insights that can help both teams make informed decisions about their strategies and tactics.

    By using Hubspot CRM, companies can create a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that ultimately leads to more closed deals and greater revenue.

  • Lead scoring is a great idea in practice, but some low scoring leads may actually result in valuable salesLead scoring is not an exact science, so measure the score against the closure rate and ultimate deal value.

    To maximize the effectiveness of your sales and marketing process, it is crucial to implement a lead scoring system. Lead scoring is the process of assigning a numerical value to each lead based on their behavior, demographics, and other factors to determine their level of interest and potential value as a customer. Hubspot CRM can help improve your approach to lead scoring by providing a platform for both manual and automatic lead scoring. Manual lead scoring involves assigning points to leads based on your own criteria and judgment, while automatic lead scoring uses algorithms and data to assign scores based on lead behavior and other factors. With Hubspot CRM, you can track and measure the effectiveness of your lead scoring system and adjust it over time to ensure that your sales team is focusing their efforts on the most promising leads. By integrating your sales and marketing process with Hubspot CRM, you can create a more efficient and effective process that leads to more closed deals and greater revenue.

  • Large companies have barriers to entry that largely are designed to exclude small companies from being able to do business with them.  This is information that should form part of your marketing strategy.

    One typical barrier that sales representatives from small companies face when selling into very large enterprises is the perception of being too small and not having the resources to meet the needs of a larger organization. This can lead to skepticism around the company's ability to deliver on promises and meet the demands of a complex sales process.

    To overcome this objection, sales reps should focus on demonstrating their industry expertise and deep knowledge of the customer's specific pain points.

    Additionally, leveraging customer references who have achieved success with the company's offerings can be a powerful tool in building trust and credibility with the prospect. 

    Large enterprise IT selection committees often have a highly defined decision making process, which almost always include the need to perform customer reference visits, as well reviewing vendor and 3rd party case studies.

    By emphasizing the value and benefits of the company's solutions, rather than its size, sales reps can position themselves as trusted partners who can help the enterprise achieve its goals.

  • For those companies that are small, see previous item, however,  Inbound Marketing offers the opportunity to have someone “pull” you in.

    Creating thought leadership type content can be a game-changer for small companies looking to achieve trusted advisor status and penetrate larger, more complex accounts. It is a key tool you can use to build trust.  Even more effective can arise if you are invited to present your case study at a trade show, where your target audience is often in attendance.

    By establishing themselves as experts in their industry and demonstrating deep knowledge of their customers' specific pain points, they can overcome the perception of being too small and not having the resources to meet the needs of a larger organization. This can lead to a greater level of trust and credibility, which is essential in industries where the buying process is complex and requires a high level of expertise.

    By using an integrated Inbound Sales and Marketing Process, small companies can communicate regularly with their sales and marketing teams and adjust their inbound and outbound sales strategies and tactics based on data-driven feedback.

    By leveraging customer references who have achieved success with their offerings, they can build credibility and trust with prospects and position themselves as trusted partners who can help their enterprise achieve its goals.

    In addition, inbound marketing offers the opportunity to have someone "pull" them in, making it easier to attract prospects to their website and convert them into leads.

  • You must have an integrated Inbound Sales and Marketing Process

    Sales needs to communicate regularly with marketing, and Strategy and Tactics need to be adjusted, based on the data driven feedback loop.  Inbound sales teams that use an integrated marketing and sales platform like Hubspot have a distinct competitive advantage over competitors that do not.  An inbound sales team can make more inbound sales calls that result in greater revenue per unit of time than a purely outbound sales team.  When it comes to sales performance assessment, inbound sales reps consistently deliver greater sales results.

    Inbound leads are superior to outbound sourced leads in many ways, allowing inbound sales teams to close at higher rates.

    Firstly, inbound leads are more likely to have a genuine interest in the product or service offered, as they have taken the initiative to seek out information.

    Secondly, inbound leads are typically of higher quality, as they have already been pre-qualified through their online behavior and interactions with the company.

    Finally, inbound leads are often more receptive to the sales pitch, as they have already expressed interest and are more open to learning about the product or service.

    By leveraging these characteristics, inbound sales teams can create a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that leads to more closed deals and greater revenue. An integrated inbound sales and marketing process, like that provided by Hubspot CRM, can help ensure that both teams are on the same page and can work together towards a common goal, resulting in a more seamless and successful hand-off process.

  • You need industry expertise infused throughout your sales and marketing process. 

    This may not apply to all sales and marketing processes, but for enterprise sales, this is mandatory and not cheap. Inbound sales success depends on having and demonstrating deep solution knowledge that your customer can benefit from.  It's content marketing done on a whole other level.

    SAP is a company that offers industry-focused solutions, and their approach gives them a competitive advantage in the market. An excellent example of this is their SAP IS A&D Solution, which is tailored to meet the specific needs of the Aerospace and Defense industry. By providing a solution that is specifically designed for this industry, SAP can offer a level of expertise and support that general solutions cannot match.

    This approach enables SAP to provide their customers with a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that ultimately leads to more closed deals and greater revenue.

    The integration of an Inbound Sales and Marketing Process is crucial to achieving this success, and SAP is well-equipped to deliver. By communicating the benefit of their offers to customers, both marketing and sales can work towards a common goal and help customers generate additional profit.

  • Both marketing and sales need to understand and communicate how your product or service can help your customers generate additional profit.

    When it comes to marketing and sales, it is crucial to communicate the benefit of your offers to customers. An integrated Inbound Sales and Marketing Process is necessary to achieve this. The hand-off process from marketing to sales needs to be seamless, defined, complete, and measured, ensuring that both teams work towards a common goal.

    Large enterprises often have barriers to entry that exclude small companies from doing business with them. Sales reps should focus on demonstrating their industry expertise and deep knowledge of the customer's specific pain points to overcome this objection.

    For small companies, creating thought leadership type content can help achieve trusted advisor status and penetrate larger, more complex accounts. Additionally, references are powerful tools in building credibility and trust with prospects.

    Customer references that explicitly state how much additional profit a company helped them make are some of the most powerful references you can add to your marketing mix.

    Finally, post-sales marketing is often overlooked but important for keeping a deal done and opening additional doors. By communicating the benefit of your offers to customers, businesses can create a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that ultimately leads to more closed deals and greater revenue.


  • When using a customer reference, the most effective reference is the one you get without asking for it.

    You should also always be aware of the customer reference visits that are happening without you even knowing about them.

  • Customer references that explicitly state how much additional profit you helped them make are some of the most powerful references you can add to your marketing mix.

  • Your sales process should have a specific place in the sales process design where references are used.

    When it comes to using customer references in the sales process, timing is key. It's important to have a specific place in your sales process design where references are used. This could be towards the end of the process, after you've already demonstrated your industry expertise and deep knowledge of the customer's specific pain points.  Each of your Sales Rep must be aware of your available Customer References and know when and how to present them to your customers. But the most effective reference is the one you get without asking for it. That's why it's essential to always be aware of the customer reference visits that are happening without you even knowing about them. By helping a sales representative to leverage these powerful tools in building credibility and trust with prospects, businesses can create a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that ultimately leads to more closed deals and greater revenue.

  • References, when called upon during a sales cycle, will rightly want to know what the prospect wants to know about

    Without being able to articulate this to the reference, you’re largely on a social call, ok if you like the area, but not very useful when it comes to closing the deal.

  • Post Sales Marketing is one of the most often overlooked aspects of both keeping a deal done as well as opening additional doors. 

    This is especially true in government organizations, where each department typically pursues solutions to its own problems but plenty of other organizations are trying to solve the same problem and don’t have the internal capacity to pursue complex systems.

  • Marketing is about telling a story

    In the enterprise space, the Pre-Sales Process is about telling a story tied to a specific business requirement, while focusing on the value proposition. 

    Marketing can play a key role here, in terms of providing content, space to practice, coaching, and measurement.

  • Complex sales processes mean complex marketing and pre-sales processes, and thus, increased expenses compared to typical B2C processes.

  • Successful integrated sales and marketing processes which are based on measurable feedback loops, are both necessary and difficult to do, even with today’s IT systems, such as Hubspot.  The secret to success is to measure it, improve it, rinse and repeat.

 

IntegrationIntegration Involves Numerous Processes and Links

 

I could go on, and perhaps I will in another blog post. 

Integrating Sales and Marketing Teams

Integrating sales and marketing teams can be a challenging task, but by leveraging an integrated inbound sales and marketing process, both teams can work together towards a common goal. The process involves regular communication and data-driven feedback loops, ensuring that sales tactics and strategies are adjusted accordingly. Inbound sales teams that use an integrated marketing and sales platform have a competitive advantage over those that don't, as they can make more inbound sales calls resulting in greater revenue. It's vital to have industry expertise infused throughout the sales and marketing process, especially for enterprise sales. Both marketing and sales need to understand and communicate the benefit of their offers to customers, creating a more efficient and effective sales and marketing process that leads to more closed deals and greater revenue. Post-sales marketing is often overlooked but important for keeping a deal done and opening additional doors. By integrating sales and marketing teams, businesses can achieve a successful and measurable feedback loop, ensuring continued success.

Guide To Unifying Sales and Marketing


For now, I want to leave you with our guide to unifying your sales and marketing process, which will take you much deeper into some of the most advanced, doable techniques in existence.

 

Unifying_Your_Sales__Marketing.jpg

 

 

Got some other other sales and marketing techniques you would like to share.  Leave us a comment!

 

Thanks

 

Download SAP BW Mindmap

Learn what SAP Business Warehouse is and what it does in under five minutes

Get this Mindmap

Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP

About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and remote coaching.
Balanced Scorecard Consultant

He also recently released a book "How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results", which is available on Amazon.

View All Articles by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP

The SAP Blog

Subscribe to our blog and receive SAP BW Updates, demand generation, inbound marketing, sales enablement, technology and revenue generation insights and ideas delivered right to your email.