4-Minute Read
Being proactive versus reactive is key to a more successful sales strategy. According to HubSpot, “Taking a proactive approach to each prospect you engage can help you connect with prospects in a way that leads to more closed-won deals. Why? Potential customers want to know that they can trust you and the business you represent.”
It’s important to think about ways to proactively engage prospects as they start coming in. However, you could also take it a step further and start being proactive even before your first connection. Here are a few ways.
Identify Your Ideal Customer
If your business has clearly and definitively outlined who you should be reaching out to, you’re at an advantage. But, if you haven’t quite narrowed down who your ideal customer is, consider this a nudge to do so. It can seem overwhelming but once you identify exactly who needs, wants, and is willing to purchase your product or service, the more successful your outreach can be.
There’s a lot that goes into identifying your ideal audience and doing it right can take awhile. While it’s extremely beneficial to do a deep dive at some point, we’ve got a near-term solution. First, identify your top 20 accounts based on things like revenue, easiest to work with, power users, etc. Then, ask yourself:
- Who are they (age, job title, industry, etc.)
- What do they value (cost, quality, speed of implementation, etc.)
- What motivates them (money, efficiency, growth, etc.
There will likely be some differentiation but you should start seeing some similarities. Try to bucket these as best you can to get started. Though it may seem like marketing to everyone is the way to go, identifying 3-5 really successful categories will be more beneficial in the long run.
Rely on AI to Help Tighten Up Messaging
Now that you know who you want to attract, you can customize your messaging to their specific needs. It can be tempting to use the same message across the board but using language that resonates is worth the time it takes to get it right.
There are a number of tools available that can help you perfect your messaging, including our recently launched DIGIDECK AI Assist. This generative AI tool allows users to create new or modify existing content, and/or summarize talking points in DIGIDECK.
- New content ideas can be hard to come by, especially when you’re targeting an unfamiliar industry or persona. Using AI to help generate headlines that’ll stand out in a busy inbox or copy that speaks their language will emphasize that you’ve done your homework on their company
- Modifying an existing message helps you get the most out of your ideas. Sometimes, all it takes is switching a few words or changing the tone to put a fresh spin on things.
- Sales teams especially love using DIGIDECK AI Assist to summarize meeting notes and Zoom transcripts into clear, concise talking points. This simple task allows them to follow-up much quicker but with the same level of care and attention to detail.
Achieve Faster Follow-ups
Speaking of faster follow-ups, what systems or processes do you have in place to handle inquiries? Studies show that businesses that respond to an inquiry within 5 minutes with personalized, relevant content are 21x more likely to convert that lead to an opportunity. Having a sales team available 24/7 isn’t a great option so what is?
Auto-reply emails are a very basic first step. They can be as simple as “Thank you for your inquiry. Someone will be in touch with you within the next 48 hours.” However, if you’ve taken the time to craft messaging based on different audiences, it’s worth it to take it a step further and apply that here as well.
You could also rely on automated outreach solutions such as DIGIDECK Capture. DIGIDECK Capture uses an online form to record and deliver relevant content based on selected answers. Almost instantly after submitting, your prospect will receive a presentation customized with information based on their answers, giving them what they need right away. Your sales team can then use the information they provided to craft personalized follow-ups, yet again providing an extra level of care and attention to detail.
The Perfect Outreach
By identifying your ideal customer, using their specific preferences and attributes to craft the perfect message, then providing them with the exact information they need right off the bat, you’ve already done more to benefit their buyer journey than they know. Not only is this approach more proactive than researching them after they express interest, it’s also given you a huge step up in how to proceed. Using the information they provided, you can clearly and pointedly address their concerns in a much more timely manner than they’re probably used to, giving you yet another step up.
If you’d like to learn more about how DIGIDECK helps our partners be more proactive, schedule some time with us.
