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We’ve all spent countless hours discussing processes and strategies. Businesses run better when methods are standardized; it guarantees that your team completes each sales process step.
Warren Buffet said, “An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan,” and this is an excellent way to think about pitches to potential clients.
A neat and thoughtful process can weigh heavily on the outcome of a proposal. A road map highlights each stage of the sale, relevant documents, and potential approaches.
Having a process in place shows expertise, consistency, and reliability.
Prospecting: Who are you talking to?
When speaking to a pool of people, a good strategy offers a suitable filter to narrow down potential long-term customers.
Prospecting comes down to asking the right questions. Our sales team shared some of their go-to’s when meeting with potential clients:
- Is the client the right fit for paid advertising?
- Can this client afford the service?
- Is it a lead generation client or an e-commerce client? (This will determine your approach.)
- What is their industry or vertical?
- Is this client’s focus local or nationwide?
How are you contacting leads?
Far too often, our agendas dictate the conversations. We arrive at a meeting ready to throw our ideas on someone. So, what’s wrong with that, you may ask. Well, without really understanding someone’s needs, it may all be in vain.
More often than not, a link is lost because we are over-eager to start our side of the conversation.
If you’ve already made a connection, you’ll want to nurture it. You can do this by learning more about the client, their position, and needs. This clarity helps you cut through the fat and provide solutions to their concerns without offering up a whole “pitch.”
- Tell me a bit of your business
- What is your primary service?
- What areas do you service?
- Revenue and profit margins
- Who are your main competitors?
- What are some of your current challenges?
- How can we help you achieve your objectives?
Documentation
Just as every client has different needs, each will require documentation depending on their accounts. To save time, you need to have a set of them prepared for this occasion.
The content you provide to your potential clients should inform them of your product or services. Standardization ensures an experience that is informative, intentional, and professional.
That said, what are the documents that you should prepare for PPC prospects? Below is a list of documents that are common:
Google/Microsoft
- Google Analytics
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Ads account
- Microsoft Ads account
- Backend access to the website (If tracking needs to be installed)
- Google Merchant Center (For e-commerce)
- Website shopping cart (For e-commerce)
- Facebook Page
- Business Manager
- Ad account
- Facebook Pixel
Objections
How do you handle objections? Addressing objections and negotiating is the key to closing deals. Your ability to manage concerns and doubts that a client brings to the business relationship to move forward.
Objections are a little trickier. You won’t be able to standardize this as a process, but you can determine the possible approaches as a team depending on your reasoning.
Pricing: Paying for management services and advertising budgets can be a challenge for some businesses. Find out where their concerns lie. Providing a work plan can give them a better idea of what they will get for their requested service.
TIP: Prospecting is a way to prevent this from being an issue later in the sales process.
Budgets: Your potential client will know how much he was to work with and what they hope to achieve with that. Inform them of what is possible. If the industry is too competitive, mention these points. Discuss what strategies can help lower cost so that the prospect or client can achieve their goals within their budget.
Service: Discussing your services in detail is essential. Take this burden and tackle it early on. Issues may arise because of a lack of clarity or simply because the potential client is new to the industry.
Walk clients through a detailed list of services you will provide. Don’t just label things; explain them.
Different packages mean different services: review communication style, reporting, optimizations, and meetings in detail to avoid miscommunication. Proactively create expectations for the campaign goals and your work together.
Closing Deals
The main driver to closing deals is communicating the solutions that you will provide your client. Below are different ways of doing this with potential clients.
Solution selling is a sales approach that is problem-led (rather than product-led). You connect their needs to your capabilities and explain how it works.
The buddy approach relies on the idea that people want to do business with people they like. This technical industry is tricky and someone who is sincere and friendly can help clients feel good about their investment. Because this is deeply rapport becased, follow up is important to maintain a connection.
Consultative selling is an approach that builds credibility through your expert understanding, knowledge, and experience. After you’ve had all your discussions and analyzed the customer’s problems, you offer the appropriate recommendation.
Try different approaches, find out what feels most organic with your clients and which they respond best to.
Consulting Experts
As PPC veterans, we often run into clients on the cusp of some outstanding work. They have each of the above elements but haven’t connected them, so they work together.
We work closely with digital marketing agencies that are eager to get rid of these hiccups. Contact our team for one-on-one consultations. Together, you’ll walk through stages to flag where delays arise. Find out what you could be doing differently and start the 2022 year by closing those deals on your desk.
