Consider these facts:
- Response rates for “cold” emails are plummeting
- Prospecting direct mail is failing to produce results
- It’s taking upward of 10 calls to get through to targeted prospects via telephone
- Trade publications and trade shows are shrinking
Not only that, but a recent Marketing Sherpa study of B2B customers and marketers showed that 8 out of 10 closed deals were the result of the customer finding the seller, not as the result of any sales or marketing outreach.
Clearly it’s time to rethink our conception of the sales process. Prospects are waiting for us to reach out to them. They’re looking for us and we need to be there, providing the right content when and where they need it. That means making the most of SEO so prospects can find us. It means offering a compelling experience once they do find us. And it means being part of the many, many conversations being held every day about us, our products and services.
And what about the sales teams? Happily for most sales folks, the days of cold calling are just about over, freeing sales people to take on a much greater and valuable role in nurturing prospects who identify themselves, negotiating and closing deals, acting as a trusted advisor, and extracting the most value out of current customers.