Why are sales people spending as much as 40 hours per month creating their own collateral and presentations?

Stats from the American Marketing Association reveal that 90% of the materials marketing creates are not perceived as useful….and that tell me there’s a big problem going unsolved in business today.

In a new webinar, Tim Riesterer, CMO and SVP of Consulting for Corporate Visions, contends we could address this problem if we stopped thinking in terms of collateral creation and started thinking about how to be successful at various “moments of truth” in the “customer buying cycle.”

First, it’s critical to recognize that it’s a “buying cycle” and not a “selling cycle.” Customers move at their own pace and have their own set of demanding decisions to address before moving forward at any stage in a larger purchasing process. The key is to have the right conversations and deploy the right sales enablement tools at each stage.

Second, it’s important to clarify and define these moments of truth.   Riesterer observes that companies tend to focus their time, effort and resources on the latter stages of a buying cycle — after a decision is made to proceed and begin comparing vendors.

At this point, the opportunity to help identify a business problem and frame a potential solution already has been lost. It’s too late to become the prospect’s “trusted advisor.” You are, at this stage, merely another hapless contestant in a vendor “bake off.”

Finally, it’s vital to tell  a compelling story. At each stage of the buying process, you are challenged to create not only compelling messages but compelling tools – website content, marketing campaigns, appointment setting guides, call prompters, solution presentations, confirmation letters, value-driven proposals. Each stage is a moment of truth. Your challenge is to tell a story in these moments — one that makes the customer the hero and addresses the questions that are now front and center. In some form or fashion, you must contribute to a narrative that addresses a difficult challenge and leads to impressive outcomes. But messages must be incorporated into actionable tools.

The question for us is:  What is the appropriate tool for the moment? What will help sales professionals provide valuable guidance? What will help buyers make smart decisions that propel them forward in the buying cycle? “Tools must be relevant to the task at hand,”  says Riesterer.

So what will it be? Bakeoffs or Big Numbers? This is your moment of truth.