People from all walks of life were left scrambling to adjust to working remotely when coronavirus hit the United States like a Mike Tyson left hook. Six months later, only 26% of the U.S. labor force is working on their business premises according to Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom.
For some sectors of the economy, like information technology, finance, and insurance, working from home is second nature. For others where a physical presence is part of the process, like manufacturing, the transition has presented a different set of challenges.
Managers and engineers continue to play an integral role in maintaining efficient operations on the shop floor through remote monitoring tools. What about the sales and marketing teams that support customers and drive new business for industrial companies? It’s as easy as learning your ABC’s.
Alignment is more critical than ever
Getting sales and marketing on the same page is proven to increase revenue. Why then does 65% of market-produced content go unused by a company’s sales team? Because salespeople want to sell and marketers want to create “cool stuff”. In a pandemic where every dollar is precious, VP’s of sales and marketing tend to gravitate towards their sales hat and neglect freshening up their marketing message. Winning teams align around the common goal of creating the tools needed to sell. That means updated presentations decks, product demonstration videos, and sales emails to name a few.
Brand messaging is key
If you’re a marketing manager, you probably haven’t had time to catch your breath since the pandemic, let alone take a critical look at your marketing. However, now is the perfect time to audit your brand. Are your website, social media, and literature still on point today? Are you consistently delivering the same message across all mediums? Does your pitch speak to your customer’s point of view? What problems are your customers facing in the COVID economy? Once you confirm your message is on point, leverage success stories using video, photos, and written testimonials. By making the customer the hero of your story, you’ll sell more products and transcend from a vendor to a true business partner.
Centralize your marketing material
Working remotely is nothing new for direct salespeople, manufacturers’ reps, and distributors. Unfortunately, many sales teams aren’t singing from the same songbook due to outdated marketing material collecting dust in the literature room. Assembling a remote sales kit and making it accessible via your company CRM or cloud-based solution will equip your team with the ammunition they need to sell in the new economy.
Want to learn more about developing your own remote sales kit? Check out our guide.
