Even though we always say marketing and sales are two different departments, we’re seeing the sales world getting turned upside down as many companies shift from the traditional sales-led approach to a more complex, content-driven approach. This move isn’t just about strategy and tactics being altered; it’s also about the overcoming of the major objections within the sales cycle. The most common objection is the trust barrier. The question comes in, should customers trust that you will deliver on your promises? Well, the answer sits in the power of content marketing!
The Trust Barrier
We’ve written about the customer journey and how it’s changing. Regardless of the changes, we know trust is a major barrier when it comes to the final decision. When businesses put focus into their pipelines, customer journeys, what have you, they have to overcome this and assure potential customers of their capabilities. Sometimes, a lack of content can show a lack of evidence, which in turn leaves a prospect wondering if they can truly rely on your promises. On the flip side, having a ton of content, which is also rich in education and relatability, serves as tangible evidence of your expertise, commitment, and value you plan to offer. One thing to remember is that it’s all about showing rather than telling; demonstrating rather than asserting.
Content Creation
The more content you’re pumping out, the thicker this trust bridge becomes. Not only does this help with prospects, but even with your current audience. The bridge does more than just connecting with customers; it also acts as a solid foundation from which deals can be closed with less hesitation from the prospect. You don’t have to convince the customer that you can assist them. Instead, your content does this, attracting prospects who are looking for solutions to their problems.
The Shift to a Marketing-Led Organization
When companies make the shift from being sales-led to being marketing-led they typically see a rise in inbound appointments, a rise in referrals, and higher conversion rates at every stage of the sales funnel. The reason? Trust is there, and the need for hard sale tactics fizzle out.
The benefits of this transition is also beyond the improved sales metrics. Customer satisfaction also increases due to your company now spending less time trying to persuade people to buy and more time enhancing the solutions you put in front of them. At the same time, it creates a virtuous cycle: resources saved on the front end are reinvested into creating more content (the back end). In turn, all of these newly established efforts leads to more leads that are standing on a strong trust-foundation with content at their fingertips.
The Long-Term Impact: A Trust-Built Ecosystem
When you continue to build content over a set amount of time it leads to a self-sustaining ecosystem. Buyers come in with confidence, armed with the knowledge and assurance they’ve gained from your content. With this, you’ll have a deeper connection with your audience and prospective buyers.
Overcoming the trust barrier using content is a shift many companies need to make. By investing in the content and scaling the content, companies can turn prospects' skepticisms into confidence leading up to the initial contact. The path to sales success is and always will be paved with content, and those utilizing this will close more deals and build better relationships.
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