Jani KahukiwaSales frustrations: it happens to the best businesses unless you’ve found the golden egg, and in that case, well done to you.
Consider how easy it is for a client to push sales difficulties back onto the marketer. The idea that a client pays a marketing company to be its whipping boy is no solution.
Our question to businesses: How much responsibility for sales depends on the client and how much accountability should a marketing team take on?
Let’s dive into it with the team at Solutions 8.
What Every Business Faces (With Very Few Exceptions)
Every business faces adversity. It might happen just as the company is getting started, or perhaps, it can occur to an established business with years of experience backing it.
No one enjoys facing the rocky terrain of 21st-century commerce, but sooner or later, it happens. No one can control everything all of the time. Changes in the competition, the macroeconomic environment, fashions and trends, and changes in legislation are external factors that impact sales.
When sales are down or the needle is simply not moving, there’s a great deal of stress for both the client and the marketer. A business owner wants to maximize sales, increase turnover, and improve profitability.
If that’s not happening, it’s stressful for the client. This is one’s livelihood, one’s baby, and sometimes even, the essence of one’s being. It makes sense that a client is going to fight tooth and nail to make sure their business is not losing.
Slightly less stressful, but stressful nonetheless, a marketing team must deal with the frustration a client feels when business is not doing well. Client management requires a deft touch, clear boundaries, and a whole lotta effective communication.
And this is the heart of the matter. How does an agency explain to its clients the importance of upgrading its sales approach?
Client Reactions
There are usually two reactions from clients, and we’re sure it’s not difficult to guess which ones. Both are understandable, but only one can reach a positive outcome.
The first is to have the client ask open-ended questions about where to improve their business. By gently addressing areas for improvement, the client can reach conclusions and come up with viable solutions to the age-old problem: How do I maximize sales?
The second reaction usually involves a client who goes into panic mode and pushes this back onto the ad agency. If a business is not selling, it would be easy to blame the marketer.
This is where the clients must take a good hard look at themselves and ask those difficult questions: Does my business have a defined sales process? Is it able to close a sale successfully?
It’s a difficult conversation to have: to make a client understand that it might be their side that needs improving. It is not the job of a marketing specialist to improve a sales process.
Getting the client out of the mindset of ‘it’s not my fault’ can be awkward. This is where clear, open communication can turn a dire situation into a success story.
Client Actions + Marketer Actions = Success
How should a client take action in the event of sales frustrations? A proactive client evaluates their team’s ability to handle sales inquiries. Are they equipped to manage high-quality lead flow? What is their lead progression and quality like? Can you track the leads that are converting and identify the characteristics of high-value prospects?
How can we do better? This isn’t good enough. We need more leads. All of these are great starting points. As soon as a business owner considers these factors, a marketing team can run with it and optimize the campaign.
Before looking into the areas of a sales funnel from the client’s point of view, we should step up and make known to our client what we, as a marketer, are doing.
Firstly, we should take note of the quality of leads sent to the business and show the client. Demonstrate search terms of the last 30 days and point out the metrics. ROAS can be improved by lowering costs per click, but that would compromise quality. Clients want to know about this stuff!
What other actions might we take to get the sales needle moving again?
- Find out customers’ business drivers and conduct qualitative research into their key challenges
- Gain valuable insights into your customers’ activities using market segmentation, surveys, feedback, and innovation strategies
- Set goals
- Increase click-through rates
- Override product titles
- Monitor AOV
- Check out conversion rates linked to website quality
Resistance … Or Not?
The biggest difficulty is to get on the same page as the sales team. Not all clients are going to want to follow your advice. Sometimes it’s up to the marketing agency to coach a client to show them how to get the most out of sales. And there are moments when a marketer must save a client from themselves.
The bottom line is this: You don’t want clients driving the strategy. A marketing agency is not adding value to a business where the client is making all the decisions.
When a marketing team sends more traffic to a website and generates more leads, how does a company sales team deal with it? Unfortunately, it is no longer within the marketers’ control.
That is why it is essential to take steps toward making your business as proactive as possible. Check out this client who made solid changes that improved the sales process with impressive results.
Building Trust
Gaining trust is significant and must be done within the first month. A marketing company should be driving the campaign. It is much easier to drive a campaign if you are in the driver’s seat. It’s impossible to wrestle control away from a client if they tell you how to run the show!
Letting the client know you are working hard on their behalf also has its merits. Show your client you are working behind the scenes. Clients need and deserve that reassurance.
Under-promise and over-perform are two ways of keeping client expectations in check. We can’t always predict the future accurately. As a marketer, it is your job to use your skills, experience, and expert knowledge of a platform to get results.
In the event a campaign is not working, it’s of the utmost importance to take accountability for that IF factors are within your control. And even better, tell your client WHY something didn’t work. They will appreciate your honesty and likely trust you more.
Match your clients’ energy! If they are upset, you should be upset FOR them. If clients are emailing you three times a day, email them four times a day. CLIENTS NEED TO KNOW YOU CARE!
That strategy helps with the hard conversations that come up later on: This isn’t working, you need to do this. The client is more open to cooperating because you are both on the same page.
VALUE YOUR CLIENT
Turn your collaboration into a powerhouse of productivity and results will naturally follow. For more on how we work, check out our Solutions 8 digital marketing services and change the way you navigate digital platforms!
“Glad to have met the team at Solutions 8. Their creative minds have really given our business the competitive edge we needed through digital marketing. I highly recommend Solutions 8 for their creativity and personal attention, I can’t say enough about how EXCELLENT Soultions 8 is!”
Tim Lyons
Founder || ProFit Marketing Solutions
Two-time “Two Comma Club Award” Recipient
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