Send Me Something
Develop a full set of materials for the selling cycle

It is a common pitfall in selling to underestimate the length of time it takes to close a sale. There is something about human nature that causes people to delay making a decision until they have spent some time asking questions and thinking it over.

Check with your sales team members. They’ll confirm this observation. They’ll tell you they hear the same request from prospects during the early phases of the selling cycle: “Send me something.” This request indicates interest, so you’ll want to respond with materials that are thoughtful, thorough and compelling. Perhaps you already have a standard package of materials you send to prospects.

But you probably need several sets of materials for sales that take longer to close. Check again with your sales team members. They’ll tell you they are often unsure how to follow up after they have sent the “standard package” and their prospects have not responded—or the sale is not yet closed.

Salespeople need a reason to make their second, third and fourth contacts with prospects, and they can’t keep sending the same materials time after time.

Plan ahead to develop a fuller set of materials to meet prospects’ first request for information—and plan ahead for follow up contacts.

Make a plan. Prepare a step by step approach for sharing information with prospects. Develop a range of materials that give your team members the flexibility they need to customize their packages to fit a longer selling cycle and a variety of selling situations.

Involve the team. Get direct input from team members that are responsible for contacting prospects and managing customers. Use their first hand experiences to identify design considerations and set priorities.

Analyze the selling cycle. Remember the principle that form follows function. Consider the types of tools that work best in each selling situation. Decide what media and messages are best for first contacts and follow up contacts.

Go beyond the standard package. Develop materials to cover the full range of follow up contacts required to close the sale. Prepare a variety of sizes and types of materials that can be deployed across a range of media.

It is also a good idea to plan ahead for how new customers will be welcomed and brought on board. Consider how your organization will handle the transition from prospect to customer. You may need a package of welcome materials or a customer orientation package.

Crawford/Mikus offers a full range of marketing, sales and communication services, from brand execution to selling tools, and we implement end-to-end solutions across all media-from concept to execution. We’ll help define your visual voice, and we’ll convert your business goals into solutions that deliver bottom line results. Click on the Contact Us button to the left or call 404.875.7753 to speak directly with Scott Mikus.