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Content is not solely a marketing thing. While it’s true that marketing teams are typically responsible for creating and managing content, the reality is that your content is not confined within the bounds of the marketing department; it’s a resource used to answer your buyer’s questions, and it shouldn’t be seen as belonging to just one department. In fact, if content is left to marketing without the influence of your sales team, your content marketing efforts may fail.
Here’s the thing – the primary purpose of Content Marketing is to build trust with your buyers, and the way you do that is by answering their questions through content.
But when you think of content as only part of the marketing department, you might find it difficult to find out what questions your buyers are asking.
Think about it.
Your sales team is on the front line with real prospects every single day. They hear all of their questions and concerns. Who is better to get content ideas from other than the sales team?
And when you do this, you add value to your buyers by answering their questions before they jump on a sales call. This helps your buyer but also helps your sales team because they can spend less time on answering questions and more time selling.
So, how do you do it?
It all starts with the sales team.
Forming a Revenue Team
Rather than considering content creation as the sole responsibility of the marketing team, imagine it as a collective effort involving everyone, including your sales team, customer service teams, and subject matter experts.
When you adopt this mindset, you’ll start reaping the benefits of authentic, buyer-focused content, skillfully crafted by your marketing team and enriched with insights from your knowledgeable colleagues.
But how can you make this shift effectively?
The answer is to form a Revenue Team.
A Revenue Team is a combination of your sales and marketing teams and is made up of key players from both sales and marketing. All activities, regardless of individual roles, are focused on the shared goal of increasing company revenue.
How does a Revenue Team operationally work?
Well, in summary:
- The Revenue Team meets weekly or fortnightly to discuss the questions that buyers are asking in the sales cycle. This process is a part of a framework known as They Ask, You Answer, which helps businesses increase traffic, leads, and sales
- Marketing produces content that customers are already asking sales reps in sales calls
- Sales team members use marketing content in the sales process by assigning “homework” to the prospect in the form of educational blog articles or videos anytime during the sales cycle. This process, known as Assignment Selling, is also a big part of They Ask, You Answer
In our experience, creating a formal Revenue Team is the best way to align these two important but often working in silo departments.
However, you might find that there’s some resistance from the sales team to being part of the content production process. So, how can you overcome their objections to have an operationally effective Revenue Team?
Overcoming Sales Objections
To involve your sales team in content production, you need to address their valid concerns. Salespeople are busy individuals, focused on meeting quotas and booking meetings. They may be initially hesitant to allocate time for what they perceive as a marketing-related task.
Here are some common objections and effective responses:
- Objection: “I don’t have the time.”
- Response: We respect your valuable time. We only need 30 minutes every two weeks and can work around your schedule
- Objection: “It’s not my job.”
- Response: When a buyer encounters conflicting information between what they read online and what they hear from you, it creates a jarring experience. Aligning your insights with our marketing efforts ensures a consistent and enhanced customer experience
- Objection: “Helping with content won’t help me sell more.”
- Response: By sharing your expertise, we can produce better content that leads to improved sales interactions. This will boost your close rate and reduce your sales cycle length, helping you meet quotas and earn a better commission
- Objection: “I’ve never done this before, and I’ve done well.”
- Response: Embracing new approaches has been part of your journey, such as adapting to using a CRM and selling on Zoom. Engaging in content creation is another step in your professional growth, and we believe it will benefit you and our organisation.
So, What’s Next?
As you’ve learned, content is not solely a marketing endeavour; it’s a collective effort that involves your entire organisation.
Your sales team, with their firsthand knowledge of buyers, plays a crucial role in enhancing your content’s effectiveness. By involving them in the process, you’ll create a unified and customer-focused content strategy that benefits everyone.
And the first step is to get them on board by tackling their objections.
But what’s the next step after that?
- Establish fortnightly sales and marketing content meetings: These short meetings, lasting 30 minutes to an hour, serve to connect your sales team with ongoing content production. It breaks down silos and fosters collaboration between marketing and sales
- Let your sales team vote on what content gets produced: Use a collaborative tool that allows sales team members to prioritise content topics. This empowers them to have a say in content production, making them feel more involved in the entire process
- Allow your sales team to review content before it goes live: Create a feedback loop where sales representatives can provide input on content drafts and videos. This process ensures that content aligns with their insights and experience
Once you’ve formed your Revenue Team, you’ll want to learn to run an effective content brainstorming session with your sales and marketing teams.
