Good marketing doesn't necessarily bring sales – and vice versa. (Photo: Unsplash)
Yoav Levy. (Photo: Orel Levy)
Salespeople and marketers have many points of contact, saysYoav Levy, pre-sales engineer at Cervello: "The sales role is a kind of link between different departments in the organization, such as the development department and the marketing department - we provide the development department with feedback (very positive, by the way) and requests received directly from customers, and work together with the marketing department to sharpen the marketing messages and creative ideas that will advance us another step forward.
Anthony Demsky. (Photo: Artlist)
Anthony Demsky, Director of Sales at Artlist, adds, "The marketing department is responsible for bringing relevant companies to our sales process and also investing in our branding as a leader in the field. We work with them on the right investment in certain industries or countries and in connecting the right content, while showcasing the relevant value we can provide. In addition, there is a lot of work to be done in supporting conferences all over the world in order to reach the relevant companies and establish the right connections in the industry."
Hadar Azoval. (Photo: Elpc networks)
Hadar Azobel, Business and Strategic Customer Relations Manager, Elpc Networks: "A marketing department that does its work faithfully will know how to bring quality leads, a relevant target audience, information on the networks and a representative reflection of the company's work with customers, at conferences and events. When the inquiries that come in match the requirements and solutions, it is reflected in a high success rate."
More in Walla!
KKL-JNF encourages climate studies through scholarships for young students
In cooperation with KKL-JNF
If marketing works well, what do you need salespeople for?
Asher Sagittarius. (Photo: Amit Eldad)
Asher Keshet, VP Sales at Rain Holdings, which operates in the real estate field: "A salesperson at a real estate developer is at the forefront of the entire system. After many years of entrepreneurship, planning and execution - finally comes the moment when the entrepreneur wants to start reaping the fruits of his investment. The salesperson who reaches this point carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. The challenge begins with an in-depth study of the project: he must know by heart all the components of the project inside and out, the technical specifications, the environment and the competitors. Any question that may come from the customer should have a ready-made answer - from how to enter the parking lot to where to throw garbage. The salesperson must have complete control over the information and must not stutter during the meeting."
Levy reinforces: "The sales role is based on the ability to create personal relationships with people, with the understanding that these are connections that will accompany both sides over time. We must demonstrate professionalism, creativity and understanding of content at a high level, and prepare for fascinating and especially non-monotonous work in which every day looks different, because there are many meetings, conversations, craftsmanship and strategy, online meetings and flights of course."
"As a salesperson, I invest a lot of time in getting to know the customer and believe that the characterization stage is the most important and critical stage for the success of the process," says Azoval. "I often come across customers and friends who ask me why I'm so technically in sales. That's because I believe in learning deeply, researching and learning from anyone, so my knowledge helps me and my clients reach large and complex projects together."
Roy Yarkoni, Sales Director at Similarweb, manages three sales teams: "I function as a sales director in the Israel office as part of a team responsible for the European and Middle East market. The main requirement of a salesperson is to know how to understand in depth the needs of companies and what value they can derive from our data. We believe in processes that put the customer at the center, with the aim of helping them solve difficulties in market analysis and develop long-term relationships with them. It requires curiosity, honesty, emotional intelligence and an understanding of marketing and analytical terms."
Yarkoni relates to the challenges in his role: "The challenge is to understand the client's internal processes and what exactly the pain we are trying to solve. We have a broad and amazing product that can help a number of needs, which requires us to be very precise in understanding the customer."
Good sign wave. (Photo: Abba Hatov)
Even when it comes to direct-to-consumer sales, it turns out that there is no substitute for a private conversation. Gal Siman Tov, Sales Department Manager at Abba Tov: "Our sales people are motivated by our mission to change lives for people who want to lose weight once and for all. The vast majority of them have also passed the program and as a result they can convey their own feelings to those who are interested. The job is mostly about providing advice, guidance and sales to those interested who leave details (and there are many). The work is very intense because each interested person has taken the first step towards the big change for him. As part of the sales process, the salesperson must deeply understand the customer's needs, understand the customer's pains and want to create real change for him."
So which is better - sell online or face-to-face?
"Online selling, like regular sales, must first of all answer all the customer's questions. It doesn't matter if the client physically came to the office or came over the Internet. The better the salesperson has the ability to visualize the customer online, the more he will be able to move towards closing even without a physical meeting." Keshet says, adding, "It is important to have digital tools to show the details of the apartment, simulations or photos, technical specifications and an overview of the entire environment from above in order to illustrate the location. Only when the customer feels confident that everything is clear to him will he be able to move on to the purchase stage."
Yarkoni claims that "in the world of online we have to know who is standing in front of us because we don't have many meetings or time with the customer, so it's critical to be prepared and precise. The advantage is that it is possible to manage processes with several parties in the client and even with several offices around the world at the same time, presenting our product live which is already 100% digital."
Azoval, on the other hand, says she doesn't believe in online sales: "They don't convey my value and the company's value in any way, something there is missed and doesn't contribute in any way in the long term with the customers. It's important for me to meet people face to face in order to feel the energies, to know who is really standing in front of me and where we can go together. There's a big wow when a new customer comes into our service, you feel us and our human capital."
Levy concludes: "The fact that an essential part of the meetings take place online is both an opportunity and a challenge. On the one hand, you can meet people from 3 different continents in one day, on the other hand, there is no substitute for interpersonal meetings that give much more than professional relationships."
- Marketing & Digital
- Knowledge Bank
Tags
- sales
- marketing
- Salespeople
- Marketers