Congratulations! You’ve identified a juicy new market segment ripe for the picking! But before your sales team charges into battle, make sure they’re ready. Are they properly equipped with the training, weapons, and battle plan needed to conquer new territories? If not, chaos will surely ensue.
As a B2B sales and marketing expert, I have seen B2B companies stumble entering new markets because they don’t provide their sales team with the holistic framework needed to succeed. The good news? Failure is entirely avoidable.
Success in new market segments hinges on empowering your team with three crucial resources: compelling content, effective tools, and robust training. Let’s break this down by clarifying each resource, why it matters, and how to get started embedding these resources into your sales process.
1. CONTENT | Tell the Story That Sells
Imagine your sales team is trying to sell new cars without showing pictures, describing important features, or demonstrating how the car will improve the buyer’s life. Would you buy a car under these circumstances? I wouldn’t. Yet many companies attempt to break into new markets and connect with new prospects without the right content or messaging.
- What Content Is
Content is the story you tell about your product or service. It is tailored to address the new segment’s specific needs using language that aligns with their business or industry. The best content shows insight into the prospect’s pain points and articulates how your solution adds value by solving critical business issues. Content is everywhere… from your website and social media posts to case studies, white papers, blog posts, and email campaigns. - Why Content Matters
Content often reaches prospects well before they connect with your sales team. It must therefore demonstrate a deep understanding of the market’s unique challenges and priorities, and translate your value proposition into the new segment’s language. It is especially important that your content consistently conveys the same message across all media. This overarching content is then reinforced by the sales team, allowing them to focus subsequent conversations on the prospect’s particular issues and goals. - Content That Works
Creating targeted, effective content requires research, research, research! Dive deep into understanding all aspects of the new market. What are their biggest challenges? What are their goals? What are the latest trends and how do they impact your value proposition? It’s also helpful to conduct in-person research. Consider attending industry events and talking to the leading companies in this space, including those using a competitor’s solution.
Armed with these insights, you can create compelling and relatable content that helps close more deals. For example, if you sell project management software to construction companies, your content should highlight how your software helps manage complex projects, track materials, and stay on budget — all within the context of the construction industry.
2. TOOLS | Equip Your Team for Victory
Content provides the message, and tools empower your sales team to deliver it effectively. Without a hammer or saw, a carpenter wouldn’t get very far. Likewise, your sales team.
- What Tools Are
Tools are practical resources that streamline internal processes, boost efficiency, and empower the sales team to discover, communicate with, and move prospects through the sales cycle. These advantages are often facilitated by CRM systems that are tailored to track interactions with prospects in the new segment and competitive battle cards to help sales reps decisively respond to objections.
Successful organizations also include personalized value selling tools than can fill your pipeline, qualify your leads, differentiate your offering, and ultimately, close more deals. - Why Tools Matter
Tools provide structure, consistency, and scalability. They help sales reps stay organized, track progress, and personalize their approach to selling in a new market. Including value selling tools also helps identify your best new prospects and allows the sales team to build compelling value-based business cases that resonate with potential customers. - Tools That Work
Analyze your current sales process and identify areas for improvement. What are the biggest hurdles your team faces when selling to this new segment? Then, invest in new and improved tools that address these challenges. This might involve customizing your CRM system and implementing sales enablement software.
Identify the value selling tools that best convey the value of your offering and for optimum success, embed them in key marketing and sales activities and across multiple media (website, trade shows, email campaigns, etc.).
3. TRAINING | Build a Team of Experts
Content and tools are essential, but they’re useless without a skilled sales team to wield them. Training is the bridge that connects your resources to your results.
- What Training Is
Training equips your sales team with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively sell to a new market. It likely includes product training specific to the new segment’s use cases, sales training focused on addressing their unique needs, market-specific training to better understand the industry landscape, and guidance on how and when to use value selling tools to seal the deal. - Why Training Matters
Even the best content and tools won’t magically close deals. Your sales team needs to understand the new market, know how to position your product or service within that market, and be confident in addressing any objections. Training empowers them to become trusted advisors to potential customers. - Training That Works
Develop a comprehensive training program that covers all aspects of selling to the new market, including content, messaging, and tools. Effective training often includes role-playing, case studies, and exploring real-world scenarios to ensure your team is prepared for any challenge. Depending on your organization’s structure, training might involve online courses, in-person workshops, or even shadowing experienced sales reps.
Conclusion
Conquering new markets isn’t about diving in and hoping for the best. It’s about providing your sales team with the holistic framework they need to succeed: compelling content, effective tools, and robust training. By investing in these three resources, you will increase your chances of gaining market share and empower your sales team to become true market experts. That’s a win-win for everyone!
Resources
Connect with David Svigel on LinkedIn.
Join the Value Selling for B2B Marketing and Sales Leaders LinkedIn Group.
Visit the ROI Selling Resource Center.