Results Also Show Only 22 Percent of B2B Companies Have a Structured
Approach
for Ensuring Sales Messaging Adoption and Proficiency
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. April 30, 2013 Corporate Visions, Inc., the
leading sales and marketing messaging company, today announced the results
of its first quarter survey on sales and marketing alignment, which focused
on product launch messaging. The survey polled approximately 400
business-to-business (B2B) salespeople and marketers worldwide, and revealed
that nearly 60 percent of companies believe less than half of salespeople
are delivering new product messages the way they were intended.
The purpose of the survey was to understand how marketing teams equip and
enable sales teams regarding new product launch messaging. Corporate Visions
asked questions to see if and how organizations conduct training, what tools
are used most often, how proficiently messages are delivered, whether
messages are being delivered as intended, and how often coaching sessions
are used to reinforce proper message delivery. Other notable findings
include:
Not enough formal training is offered Only 38 percent of respondents
said they offer formal training to salespeople for new product launches 75
to 100 percent of the time. Because of this, most salespeople learn the
material themselves through the use of static marketing collateral such as
PowerPoint presentations, data sheets, phone scripts and other documents. It
is left to chance that they will commit to understanding and properly
adopting the content.
Virtual training is the most frequently used tool Survey respondents
were asked what training tool is most often used to aid salespeople in
delivering new product messages. The top tools were virtual training, which
represented 41 percent of the responses, and collateral, which represented
32 percent. Whiteboarding and role-playing sessions only accounted for three
percent of the responses, revealing that training is not as interactive as
it should be in order for salespeople to be fully engaged and retain the
messages they are given by marketing teams.
Proof of message proficiency is missing A mere 22 percent of respondents
said salespeople are required to demonstrate proficiency in proper message
delivery. Furthermore:
o 34 percent said they have no structured process to ensure adoption
o 27 percent said salespeople are encouraged to practice messages, but
arent held accountable for proper delivery
o 17 percent did not know if there was a process for message adoption
Message proficiency ensures that salespeople are delivering messages the way
marketing teams intended them to be delivered, and when proficiency is not
assessed, it puts messaging consistency in jeopardy.
Lack of coaching sessions to reinforce proper message delivery
Surprisingly, 31 percent of respondents said coaching sessions are never
offered to reinforce proper delivery of new product messages. Additional
responses detailing how often coaching sessions are offered were as follows:
o Twice or once a year 32 percent
o Every month or every other month 19 percent
o Quarterly 18 percent
Coaching sessions and commitment by frontline managers is essential for
greater adoption, reinforcing messaging and maintaining message consistency
over time.
This quarters survey results reveal a critical gap where marketing and
sales teams need to come together to find a way to roll out new product
messaging so it gets the necessary uptake in the field, said Tim Riesterer,
chief strategy and marketing officer, Corporate Visions. Product launch
success is critical to a companys success, and sales conversations are the
key to making that happen in the market. Both sides need a sense of urgency
around making sure that training, role-playing and coaching sessions take
place to enable salespeoples proficiency in delivering the messages in a
confident and compelling way.
For more details on the survey findings, watch this short video:
http://bit.ly/12daie4.
About Corporate Visions, Inc.
Corporate Visions, Inc. helps global business-to-business companies create
more sales opportunities, win more deals and increase sales profitability by
improving the conversations salespeople have with customers. Companies
engage Corporate Visions in three key areas:
Developing differentiated messages that concentrate on customer needs
Deploying tools that support critical steps in the buying cycle
Delivering sales skills training that enables salespeople to create and
capture more value
Corporate Visions helps clients such as ADP, Motorola, Philips and SAP align
marketing and sales with a repeatable approach for creating and delivering
winning customer conversations. For more information about Corporate Visions
visit www.corporatevisions.com or call 775-831-1322 or 800-360-SELL.
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