It’s true that there’s a distinction between sales and marketing (well nailed by the folks at Crispin & Porter Advertising Agency), but they ultimately have the same goal: Grow the business.
The prospects, leads, and customers that the sales team interacts with each day are – or, at least, should be – the same people that the marketers are targeting.
That means the conversations that the sales team is having could provide valuable insight into how marketing should be positioning the product or service.
4 Reasons Marketers Should Spend Time Doing Sales
There are at least 4 reasons that marketers should spend some time doing sales:
1. To Hear How People Talk About The Product Or Service
Speaking with customers allows marketers to hear the words that they use to describe their pain points, hopes, and ambitions. This allows the marketer to adapt design, copywriting, and advertising to reflect the reality of the customer. Which helps increase sales for the company.
2. To Get Objections (And Rejections)
Equally important to the feedback about a business’ value are the objections and rejections that customers provide.
It’s true that hearing objections (and being rejected) suck. But, the information is really valuable because it can help uncover weaknesses in the product or communication strategy that need to be addressed.
It also provides valuable insight about the how the company is actually positioned (rather than how it’s perceived internally).
3. To Get Clear On The Value-Add & Value Gaps
Listening to how leads, prospects, and customers talk about – or interact with – the product or service can provide valuable insight into what customers actually think about the business. It also aids in uncovering the real value of the business.
At the same time, by listening to objections & rejections, crafty marketers can uncover value gaps – opportunities where either the product or messaging is failing to win new business.
4. To Market The Company Better
The result of this experience is clarity about reality.
And, with clarity comes the opportunity to better position the company by confronting its strengths and weaknesses on it’s customers’ terms.
Despite the initial discomfort, doing sales work will actually make the marketer’s job easier in the long run – customers provide a goldmine of information that, when understood and reflected upon, can catapult a company forward quickly.
There is no substitute for customer interaction.
So, if you’re a marketer, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call some customers.
Everyone will be better for it.
