Finally, a content management tool for sales- not marketing! (?)
If you are unfamiliar with what I am passionate about, it’s customer experience. I grew up in a family of generational entrepreneurs, from custom iron work for commercial properties, to real estate, to a winery- there is not much the members of my family have not done, or tried, as entrepreneurs. And despite the many different ventures, types of entrepreneurs, decade, geographic location, or target customer, there is one thing they all had it common (at least from my observations)
When it comes to your target customer, you better believe it is personal- to them. If they are not happy and delighted, you will have problems. Big problems. And it starts with the initial interaction, or sales approach, or as they say in plain English: the first impression.
If you are in sales, you know this (or you should). You also know how much time it takes to send individual, personal follow up emails that include links to content, or sales sheets, or videos- whatever it was that you talked about in your conversation and promised to send.
The last thing you want is for marketing to send one of their cutesy, automated lead nurturing emails to the prospect you just spent a few hours developing a personal relationship with. You are the customer experience for them.
What does Postwire tool have to do with customer experience? And why should sales people care?
Postwire allows sales people to send custom, visual, and collaborate email follow-ups. It can save sales people time, lost (or ignored) emails. It can tell you who opened, what they looked at, what comments they made. It helps you to get virtually engaged and stand out from every other sales email follow up that floods decision makers inboxes.
It can help you make the customer experience personal to your prospect, lead, client or customer. You stand out.
For a brief summary of the Postwire tool, check out this TechCrunch soundbite from their Disrupt conference in NYC.
Sign up for a Postwire account, you can get one for free. Cliff and Craig are keen for feedback as they build more and more functionality into the product.
One piece of advice, and this applies to any new technology that you might expose prospects to- give them a heads up first. Never assume they will know what to do, otherwise you are leaving their customer experience in the hands of someone else. Ask them, do you prefer the standard text email, or a personalized web page for you and your co-workers? Let them know they will need to sign in, but the info is secure, their comments are protected, and it will take less than 30 seconds.
When it comes to tools, or technology, if you don’t understand the
concept that it is all about your customer’s experience, you are dead in
the water. Floating around the ocean in a raft without a paddle, map,
or food, simply tossed about with the latest trend in the current.
If you are an entrepreneur who knows that the best way to grow a business is through word of mouth, you might be an inbound networker.
If you are wishing you had more people to send follow-up emails to in the first place so that you could use a cool tool like Postwire, then get on Rick’s calendar, he will know what to do.
For more about me, check out my musings on the Smarketing blog, watch my ADHD in real time on Twitter, or visit me on LinkedIn. Or if you prefer to speak, select a time on my calendar, I will do the rest.
Photo credit: creativereview.co.uk
RainMakers & Sales Rock Stars 