About this Episode
Before the internet, buying was different. When I was younger, I remember whenever my family would get a new car: we’d head down to the dealership, walk through the showroom, and talk to the salesperson. We’d leave with brochures and spec sheets. Then, we’d come back and my dad would test drive one or two. Then, we’d return again and make a final decision.
This was normal for the time. In the 1990s, on average, car buyers visited the dealership more than four times for a new car purchase. Today it’s usually done in a single visit.
And this is by no means isolated to car buying
The internet has allowed buyers to be better informed than ever before. So, by the time we reach out to a company, we’re pretty close to making our decision.
Marcus Sheridan, author of They Ask, You Answer, often cites a statistic that your customers are 80% of the way through their buying journey before they reach out to you. This means that marketing — with its website content, videos, and buyer’s guides — has a bigger hand in sales than ever before.
This dramatic shift in buyer behavior requires us to shift the way we think about marketing and sales.
If sales and marketing teams aren’t working in lock-step, the customer experience will be jarring and unpleasant.
Instead, Marcus says, companies should bring these two teams together. Sales should help marketing understand their customers better. This way, marketing materials will better speak to buyer needs.
In fact, Marcus advises combining sales and marketing into a single ‘revenue team’ that has shared meeting times and full visibility into the metrics that matter.
This kind of structure sets your team up to meet the needs of the modern buyer: The marketing team produces educational content that helps guide the prospect forward. Then, when they’re ready to talk to a salesperson, they’re 80% of the way there — courtesy of your marketing materials.
At the same time, sales shares its in-depth customer knowledge to make sure that marketing’s work is on target.
This means better messaging, an end to sales and marketing friction, and a more tailored experience for your buyers. Everybody wins.
Connect with Marcus
Marcus Sheridan is a writer, speaker, and business expert who’s worked with companies all over the world. Marcus is the author of They Ask, You Answer and co-author of The Visual Sale.
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