When buyers make purchasing decisions—whether it be for data center services or new computer equipment—they prefer dealing with experts. They want a vendor with a proven solution for their needs and who understands what they want. For the sales team, that means gaining more leverage in the sales process by:
- Positioning themselves as experts in their field
- Making it clear that they understand their buyer’s problem and know how to correct it
For many companies, this requires them to transform how they position themselves. However, such changes are necessary to remain competitive in today’s marketplace. Every data center must establish its brand as the primary choice for buyers seeking its services.
Understanding Prospects
Research by Forrester suggests 76% of prospects have no desire to meet a sales representative because they do not believe a salesperson understands their role and responsibilities.
Sales teams can counter this problem by creating buyer personas, helping them better understand their target audiences. These personas underline their prospect’s goals, problems, and pain points and allow sales teams to speak the prospects’ language with fluency, inspiring confidence and revenue.
Become a Thought Leader
People are no longer interested in talking with a sales representative about their company’s products or services. They want to talk to an expert about a solution to their problem.
Research suggests 92% of prospective buyers will engage if their salesperson is known as a thought leader in their field.
The best way to become a thought leader? Provide excellent, relevant content.
Content is Key
Sales representatives sharing engaging and valuable content on their social media channels are viewed as authoritative figures by potential buyers, who will be more willing to engage with them.
When creating content, it is important to note that content should not exclusively focus on the offered product or service. White papers, blog posts, and social media comments should focus on problems prospects typically experience and solutions the company offers.
Sustaining Relationships
Once a sales prospect expresses interest in a data center’s offering, the sales team needs to cultivate the lead by checking in regularly with helpful information and guiding the person with their purchase decision. Certain services require the prospective client to get buy-in from their supervisors and upper management, which can take a while; letting them fall off the radar is tantamount to losing a sale.
Sending webinar invitations, free eBooks, and informative how-tos will prevent a data center’s offering from being put on the back burner or gradually forgotten.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to remember to leverage when positioning yourself in the sales process is to focus on establishing authority in your field and cultivating a level of trust that will make prospects want to work with you. Without trust, even the most sophisticated marketing campaigns will ring hollow.
How does your data center sales team establish trust and authority with prospective clients? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
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