If a business doesn’t grow, all it can do is fail. It’s a terse old statement, but it’s true.

Investing in the sales process feels like a gamble for a business of any size. Sluggish sales cycles or a delay in the sales process can have a devastating impact on cash flow. A proactive team can alleviate many of these issues, but ultimately it’s in the hands of potential clients.

Strip away the sales strategies and all that’s left between a company and a lead is trust. When a client hesitates, it’s due to a lack of trust. Building that relationship requires a combination of education and information, both of which are best served through quality content.

Sales teams can use well-made content to reduce delays throughout the sales process or prevent them before they arise, turning that initial gamble into a fast and profitable ROI.

Faster Sales by Building Awareness

The first bottleneck a sales team is likely to encounter is at the top of the funnel: awareness. This broad step encompasses outreach and lead generation, taking a business from an unknown entity to an established and trustworthy resource.

Building awareness is often a combination of networking and social media efforts. This can be an effective method of increasing recognition, but it does little for establishing a business as an authority.

Good quality content can shorten this step by providing leads with ready-made examples of a company’s best work. These can include introductory videos, case studies, blog posts, or informative pieces about the industry. By showcasing quality content as early in the sales process as possible, a firm foundation of trust can be built before first contact is even made.

Nearly a fourth of all buyers are unsure what their business needs from a new relationship. Good content can tell them what’s missing and provide a viable solution in a single stroke.

Proactively Address Concerns

Sales interactions come with their fair share of concerns from prospective clients. Good sales reps can curb these fears before they turn troublesome, but a more effective strategy is to solve issues before they arise.

One of the most frequent concerns from potential clients is price. People care about money, and no matter how valuable a service may be, there is such a thing as too high of a price tag.

Through content, a business can explain its pricing structure and succinctly communicate the value of its service right up front. Potentials spend less time worrying about their budget and more time evaluating the usefulness of a fresh partnership.

Providing white papers, blog posts, videos, or e-books that address common concerns is a great way to use content to speed up sales. Buyers research companies on their own before engaging in a sales call. If well-made content answers their initial questions, they’ll be more receptive to sales pitches, making for a faster conversion from lead to client.

Timely and Valuable Content

The marketing and sales process can be a stop-and-go affair. Leads are contacted, then the sales reps wait for a response. Prospects are presented with solutions, then the reps wait again. This adds up to frustrating delays that cost a business time, money, and clients.

Proactive communication by the sales team can alleviate these bottlenecks, but not without risk. Nearly a third of all customers describe “excessive contact” as the most destructive element of a sales relationship. Nudge too gently and the reps border on indifference. Push too hard and the client will likely never come back.

Communication delays are largely on the client’s side, but the sales team doesn’t have to sit idly by. Introducing quality content at this point in the sales process can revive the relationship and communicate value to an unhurried lead.

This tactic adds value from the client’s perspective while minimizing the risk of excessive contact frustration. If a business delivers something genuinely worthwhile to a client, nothing else matters. The sales process can continue without delay.

Reach the Decision Makers

A sales team’s goal is to reach decision makers as quickly as possible. Working up from the bottom takes time. If one pitch to the right person can make a sale, why not aim for the top right away?

A single piece of good content can be a team’s ticket to success. Contact a company CEO or decision maker and send them a video, article, or other piece of personalized content. By capturing the decision maker’s attention, sales can skip the back-and-forth and move to the more profitable side of the sales circle.

The key here is quality. Generic content won’t do, the piece has to be customized for the intended audience, sculpted to address their needs while presenting the perfect solutions.

The Power of Good Content

A B2B medical client was struggling with growth issues. Part of the cause was an 18 month sales cycle that consistently failed to convert leads. After analyzing their systems from beginning to end, the team realized the missing piece of the puzzle was good content.

After implementing some of the above content strategies, the business signed the largest deal in its history. And it only took four months from contact to contract.

Smart, well-crafted content can invigorate an established organization’s sales or help startups create a strong foundation. Good content can be a reminder to lethargic prospects, it can stimulate lapsed leads, add credibility, and demonstrate value to new clients.

But most of all, good content builds trust. This is the most reliable way to speed up and maximize a sales investment, and it can be the only difference between a thriving business and a failing one.

High-quality customized content can help your business grow. Contact us today to learn more!