From a guest writter: Mandy Wittschen, Haley Marketing
For years, content marketing has been a popular marketing strategy for staffing firms to:
generate organic traffic
drive qualified inbound sales leads
educate staffing decision-makers and influencers
build authority
advance sales and generate more orders
But there's another powerful (and underutilized) way for your staffing firm to use content in the sales process:
Assignment Selling.
What is assignment selling?
Assignment selling is the process of using your content (e.g., blog posts, videos, eBooks) strategically in advance of sales calls to:
proactively address prospects' concerns
answer decision-makers biggest questions
better prepare prospects for sales calls
and ultimately, accelerate the sales cycle and increase close rates
Will assignment selling scare staffing prospects away?
Logically, account managers may have reservations about educating prospects too much in advance of a sales call. After all, providing detailed information about your workforce solutions, recruiting process, or how your firm stacks up against competitors may make some prospects realize you're not a good fit for their needs.
But if you're not the right solution for an employer, isn't it better to determine that early in the process - before your account manager invests tons of time and energy trying to close them?
How can your staffing firm start using assignment selling?
If your staffing firm has a blog, resource center, eBook library, company newsletter or any other types of content, you already have the building blocks in place. Here are a few steps you can take to give assignment selling a try:
Make a list of your ideal customers' biggest questions. Gather your sales team and find out the most common questions they hear from clients and prospects.
Inventory your content library. Determine if you already have content to address your audience's top questions. If not, add it to your content calendar immediately.
Make your content searchable and easily accessible. Create a repository (e.g., a database or spreadsheet) account managers can use to easily find and share the content you need.
Encourage your sales team to share content both proactively and retroactively. While every account manager sells differently, train them to use your educational resources both before and after sales calls. Personal messages with a piece or two of educational content are a great way to try out this technique.
Want to learn more about assignment selling - or need help building out your content library?
Connect with a marketing educator to get started!
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