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 sales 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:
- 34 percent said they have no structured process to ensure adoption
- 27 percent said salespeople are encouraged to practice messages, but aren’t held accountable for proper delivery
- 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 effective sales 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:
- Twice or once a year – 32 percent
- Every month or every other month – 19 percent
- Quarterly – 18 percent Coaching sessions and commitment by frontline managers is essential for greater adoption, reinforcing messaging and maintaining message consistency over time.
“This quarter’s 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 company’s 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 salespeople’s 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.