To Sell Your Brand,Equip Your Sales Team...If You Know,You Know!

Think about it, whether it’s B2B, B2C or even B2G, your sales guy is basically the front-line of your business. These guys are in the battlefield day in-day out; shoving and boxing competition out of the way so as to sell your company’s goods and services in a very crowded space. I’ve been in sales for a while, majority of the time selling media space (Airtime) and I think I can say 1 or 2 things about the craft.

When a member of the sales team is out there cold calling, prospecting and making that final pitch to the client, they are not just selling that product, they are selling the companies entire reputation. That, and all the tangible and intangible assets that goes with your company; this guy is out there selling your brand. So by all means, equip them. Not just to make that quick sale, but equip them with knowledge, confidence and belief in the brand so that they put out a good name to last a lifetime. Transform your team into being your top brand ambassadors.

At this point, I beg to digress slightly.

How much is a brand worth?

To paraphrase Robert Greene’s law number 5 in his 48 laws of power, I will say-“So much depends on the brand, guard it with your life.” That sum of all tangible and intangible assets that a company uses to woo customers and distinguish itself from competition counts for a lot. According to 2017/2018 Brand Africa 100; Africa’s Best Brands report, Safaricom was ranked the fourth most valuable brand in Africa.

Wait, I’ll scratch that; I don’t think you heard me right- “fourth most valuable brand in Africa!” Repetition is for emphasis.

Folks, Africa is one huge market. With a current estimated population of billion+ people according to Worldometers you can see why that’s a big deal. The only other Kenyan brand that featured at number 9 was Tusker. Now, imagine if an unknown company tried to sell these two brands, will it generate similar traction as compared to the two? Probably not.

This shows the importance of brand value. A study done by Circle Research (a global market research firm) shows that 77% of marketers agree that branding is critical to the growth of an organization. Just to let that sink.

Back to the sales guy working as brand ambassadors…

If you are at this stage of the article and you still have doubt as to why your sales guy needs much more training, much more personalized attention and much more budget allocation to make all these happen, then goodbye!-this is where we part ways. But wait, maybe you should stay on so that we get to a point of mutual understanding. But seriously, too much is at stake when your sales team is out there putting a pretty face for your company to send them out half baked; worse still with no sense of brand ownership. A good sales team does more than just sell the product. In an increasingly crowded marketplace and with the ever discerning consumer, the sales team is selling much more:

i. The company’s story

For those who know me closely, they will give testimony as to how I always take up whatever role handed to me with a lot of seriousness.  My first order of business is to always do extensive research about the company, culture and products to elevate me to a place of self-belief. As a rule, I always engage in this process neither for the company’s nor the customer’s sake but for my own sake. I do this as a cardinal rule believing in that ol’ skool mentality that you cannot sell what you don’t know; for even if you tried, you would fail and fail miserably. Now for those who are not like me, the company should undertake the duty of instilling all this. Every brand has a narrative, and the interface to your customers should as a matter of do or die, own that story. If they are to carry the trust of the potential clientele out there, then this point is non-debatable. Remember, people will only buy from those they trust.

ii. Clear Value Proposition

Just like you will be sure to receive a whooped battalion when you send out poorly equipped soldiers for battle, so will you receive ZERO with non-equipped sales team. Companies need to invest in their sales teams, cannot emphasize this enough. Take them trough ideal customer profiles, teach them how to listen to client needs, teach them how to position your product as the one thing that will solve the customers’ problems, teach them how to quantify value, how to create differentiation from competition and how to eventually get them to sign the dotted line. This is value, teach them this and you would have taught them a good thing.

iii. Relationships founded on Trust

Plain and simple, are you believable? As a sales person, have you invested enough into cultivating solid relationships aimed at easing the sales process? Maybe a better question is, has your organization trained and put emphasis on the value of relationships in the sales process? While at it, did they tell you that being a good listener pays off? Basically, just try to be yourself as you seek to build relationships and hopefully that works out well for you as it does with a lot of the old hands.

iv. Selling Yourself

Without putting too much pressure on companies, there’s always something you can do for yourself. Don’t get too caught up in book A said this and marketer X said that, remember to invest in yourself. Spend time and invest in your grooming, prepare before hand and get your messaging right, communicate effectively, engage thoughtfully, cultivate self-confidence, walk like a winner, talk like one too, research and ask the right questions and command respect. Do all this but remember, it’s a very fine line between confidence and corky. Whereas one would earn you a sale, the other will see you go home broke, minus commission and with a bad industry reputation.

v. Truth

Are you in a company that’s in the culture of selling honesty and truth? If you are, count yourself lucky. Have you ever met a client who has a distribution or a product problem but insists that you did not market him properly? Whatever industry you’re working in, a corporate culture that advocates for truth will always stand the test of time. Despite the monthly target pressure, the need to make that commission and the company’s focus on growing its bottom-line, truth in engaging the client will always make for a lasting impact.

So ladies and gentlemen, it’s clear to see, sales is serious business, in fact it’s the only business that keeps businesses going. Everyone, either personally or through an organization is at one point or another involved directly or indirectly in a selling process of some sort.

This piece is however, more-so dedicated to those in the corner offices wielding power and influence over the sales teams’.

Invest in your brand, invest in your sales team as critical stewards of the brand and always keep pressing the reset button as you continuously equip your soldier in the front-line.