In the first two parts of this article we discussed how to convert salespeople into Web marketers. In this article, we will discuss how to recruit and train salespeople to excel as Web marketers and drive leads.
Hiring is the greatest challenge in developing an effective sales team. Finding a rep with online marketing skills makes hiring a greater challenge. However, finding a sales person with those skills is a real benefit to the company and the sales rep. The organization gets more sales and leads, and the sales rep gets more enjoyment from their work. The challenge is to find salespeople with those skills or convert current sales team members into Web marketers by providing access to online marketing job functions or training.
Hiring and Training Recommendations
Here are a few suggestions for hiring and training salespeople that can market online.
- Look for salespeople that are very comfortable on the Web. People that have attempted to build a Website or frequently use Facebook and other social media sites are good candidates and will naturally want to learn more about Web marketing.
- These salespeople should have a high comfort level with technology and a passion for the Internet and Web marketing knowledge. Without this passion, there may be little incentive to learn and practice online marketing skills.
- Encourage Web marketing learning from proven Web resources. You can find nearly unlimited resources on the Internet and make time for salespeople to try out what they learn and convert natural selling skills to Web marketing. Set-up Web stats and ROI tracking to measure their performance.
- It is important to modify incentive and rewards systems around Web marketing skills that include lead creation, online conversions, an understanding of Web stats, email marketing and more.
Some of the best candidates for Web marketing positions may already be a part of your current sales team. Do some internal investigating and see if you come across the skill sets that can go beyond traditional selling and into a more effective Web marketing approach to drive leads. Watch out for non-technical salespeople because they will find it more difficult over time to generate leads and close sales.
Action Plan
Here is an action plan to get you started.
- Interview the sales team for Web interests, skills and passion.
- Send sales team members to www.FourStepProcess.com.
- Develop a list of Web marketing resources for training.
- Set time aside each day to read and learn about Web marketing.
- Subscribe to at least five great Web marketing newsletters.
- Visit www.IntuitiveWebsites.com for more resources.
- Read part four of this article coming soon titled “Follow-Up and Stay-in-Touch Programs for Web-Based Sales.”
Learning Resources
- FourStepProcess.com
- IntuitiveWebsites.com (see the resources section)
- HubSpot.com
- Shop.org (great email newsletter)
- Google (click on business solutions)
- SethGodin.com
- Don’t Make Me Think (a book by Steve Krug)
- Hundreds of additional resources can be found online.
