One of the major keys to success for any small or big business is sales care. To care about your prospects and customers helps you build a brand image that wins their hearts. By refreshing your way of solving their problems and giving them the better chance to trust you for the services [or products], you are allowing them to simply yet effectively position your brand in their minds. Now, with technological advancements, it has become highly significant to automate sales care. But do you know why?

Why Should Sales Care About Marketing Automation?

Your VP of sales probably is not thinking about marketing automation. They have not followed the development of this relatively new concept in the SaaS industry, and they are focused on closing deals with their existing internal database. That is why it is up to you to explain what marketing automation is, its value, and how it can help your team win more business.

Let us tell you how it would immensely help your company and scale its profits;

1. Show your sales team how marketing automation works

Don't be intimidated by the prospect of your sales reps learning what marketing automation is and how it can help them. You probably already know that they are tech-savvy, so show them some examples on their own turf: social media posts and emails. 

Have a few of your most tech-inclined salespeople try creating a lead nurturing email and/or a targeted social post using HubSpot's Marketing Automation system. This way, you will get an understanding of what information helps or hinders their efforts, and you will build trust with your team as you walk through the setup process together.
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2. Create custom content for each stage in the buyer journey
As soon as you are able to show your team what marketing automation is and how it works, you will want to start getting creative. Map out the buyer journey so that each stage of your sales process best matches a corresponding marketing funnel. For example, if a responsive contact has downloaded a whitepaper from your website but has not reached out for a demo yet, they should be considered a "new" lead.
Once they have requested more information on the product or contacted one of your reps for assistance with something else related to the company, they can fall into the "qualified" category.
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Once you have got the basic structure mapped out in your CRM (we recommend HubSpot), create custom content for each stage in the buyer journey that is customized according to the response. For example, if a product-related lead has downloaded several company-branded documents, they should receive an email asking which types of content they are interested in (e.g., case studies vs. client testimonials). The goal here is to get more out of your existing database by creating highly personalized experiences for prospects during every stage in the journey to becoming a customer.
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3. Make it easy for reps to find what they need when responding to leads

If you have given your reps access to Marketing Automation and allowed them the ability to use it themselves, make sure that there is never any confusion about where or how each tool can be used. It's one thing if someone wants to upload their own pre-existing contacts list; however, it's another if reps have no idea where leads come from and end up duplicating leads that already exist. They might even be having two contacts with the same company name.
In addition to providing a reference guide for your team, create an easy-to-navigate knowledge base that helps them answer common questions about lead sources and how specific tasks can be completed through one particular service.
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4. Keep Marketing Automation a part of every rep's job!
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When you put a new tool in front of someone, there is always going to be a bit of hesitation about how it works, if it should be used at all, and what value it brings to the table. Once your marketing automation system is integrated into your CRM, consider making sure that reps can see information about each lead as it is created. Why?
Because seeing metrics and results helps sell your team on the value and necessity of your marketing automation solution (and any other new system you may bring onboard). Seeing the numbers behind each action will inspire them to push their own leads even further because they will know what kind of traction those efforts are bringing in.
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5. Use Marketing Automation as a training tool
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Here is how you can use your marketing automation platform as an onboarding resource. When a new prospect is added to the database, make sure that every rep receives an email notification with that prospect's contact information and specific actions that need to be taken. Thus, there is no guesswork or "figuring out" who the lead is. Immediately upon receiving an email with a new prospect's details, everyone in your organization should know exactly what to do next based on what stage in the pipeline they are.
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6. Don't just put marketing & sales into silos
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While mapping out the buyer journey with your team is important, it can be even more helpful if you bring cross-functional teams together for these discussions. So that everyone has visibility into how each department works with one another. Whether you are having someone from finance or customer service involved with this exercise, make sure that reps understand how their work ties back to key company milestones. Especially if their role is not outwardly "sales" focused. When Marketing and Sales are working together, everyone wins.
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Sales teams will be armed with information about which messages are getting the best responses from prospects at each stage in the journey. Marketing can get real-time feedback on what is working and what is not; and executives will finally understand how their departments interact with one another to create value for customers (and, more importantly, repeat customers).
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7. Use Marketing Automation to set realistic expectations
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Last but not least, do not forget that you need to drive home why your marketing automation platform is so key to your success. Make sure that reps know exactly how many leads they should be bringing in on a weekly basis (this number should take into account your cycle times). How long will it take for them to become qualified leads (you should have clear definitions of what a lead is) and how many qualified leads will be considered "touched" by reps each week. This defines your cycle time, or how long it takes you to move a person from one stage of the buyer's journey to another.
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Once your sales care team is good at marketing automation and its ability to help them and their interests, content relevant to better nurture leads and drive revenue, they will want to know: How exactly can they begin using it? We have got some suggestions for you!
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Here are 02 reasons why sales must care about marketing automation:

• Improve Lead Quality

Marketing has always been responsible for generating leads - but until recently, no one had a process for tracking them all the way through the sales cycle. Well-defined processes have allowed companies like HubSpot to cut lead quality issues by over 50%. HubSpot realized that marketing had to play a bigger role in the sales process, and have started to "own" their prospect's journey. That means making decisions about whether or not your prospects are ready for purchase (and if not, where they should be handed off to).

• Move Prospects Through the Marketing and Sales Funnel

Traditionally, people would purchase through an inside or outside vendor - both of which were responsible for helping make sure the customer was satisfied. Today's customers don't see value in that approach anymore (which is why you are here now!). The modern consumer wants everything customized exactly to their specifications. If marketers create content relevant to each stage of the buying process, then sales can care to focus on closing deals.

If you run a business, your sales care would most likely be in such a way that approaches customers through marketing and sales. By understanding how to work with each, and what needs to be done before moving on to the next stage of the customer journey. You will find that your products or services are reaching more people and that there is ultimately more profit for your company at the end of the process.
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How Sales Care Would Help Businesses Scale Up?
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However, many businesses struggle with this concept when it comes down to actually putting their plan into practice. Whether they are making mistakes while attempting to engage with potential clients using social media platforms. Simply applying poor methods to gain new contacts, or failing completely by picking up bad habits, there are plenty of areas where small businesses can get stuck. 

With this in mind, here are some of the most common mistakes that businesses make when it comes to marketing and sales, as well as some tips on how you can avoid them. And that is where your “sales care” come into picturization here;

1. Marketing Before Sales
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‍Businesses often fall into the trap of marketing first, with the aim of gaining more customers for future sales. While this method is not always a complete failure, it is less effective than developing your existing customers first before bringing in new ones. By focusing on getting individuals who have already expressed interest in your business through buying previous products or engaging with previous campaigns, you will find your sales figures growing exponentially rather than simply adding another 1000 people to your database. As this might not result in any extra profit for your company!

2 . Selling to Your Existing Customers
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‍This is often a very efficient way of achieving sales, however, this is not always the case. By constantly trying to up-sell existing customers on new products and services, they can become dissatisfied with your company and lose interest in what you have to offer in the future.
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3. Using Social Media Platforms Just for Marketing
‍Many businesses make the mistake of using social media platforms as a direct line from which they market their products or services. While these websites are perfect for building brand awareness, if done incorrectly it can lead to customers decreasing trust in you rather than increasing it. In order to avoid this, your sales must care about using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter purely for engaging with your target audience. To provide them with useful information about the industry they are interested in without trying to sell them anything. Only once you have established a positive relationship should you begin posting adverts for your business, as this will make them more likely to take notice.
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4. The Use of Hard Sales Methods
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‍Although it is important that businesses use persuasive sales tactics in order to convince potential customers to buy their products or services. There is a thin line between convincing and pressuring. By applying constant hard-sell techniques which do not allow the customer time to think or try before they buy, they may feel uncomfortable and attempt to leave the situation before making any purchase at all. This can lead to future problems with gaining repeat business if this happens too often. By using softer tactics such as allowing them to try before they buy, you are encouraging the customer to make their own mind up about what you have to offer rather than forcing your opinion on them.
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5. Changing Sales Tactics Too Often
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While it is important that marketing methods are updated periodically in order to reach new potential customers or keep existing ones engaged. It can be actually more detrimental if done too often. By changing the way in which you approach your product or service frequently, can cause confusion amongst already established customer groups who may become less interested. As a result of not being able to understand how the business works or what benefits they should expect from using it. This can also leave room for competitors to take advantage of any uncertainty surrounding your company and ultimately gain better exposure at your expense.
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6 . The Wrong Sales Pitch
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When businesses are first starting out, they may not have the finances to invest in expensive marketing teams or sales consultants or have the best sales care team! That will help them reach their target market. While this can be an issue, it does not mean that the business should begin offering every individual product which you do not think will suit them to simply increase your sales figures. By doing this, customers will often feel unsatisfied with what you have to offer and avoid using your company again in the future as a result of having wasted their time during their initial visit. As well as this, focusing on trying to sell individuals products that you know they cannot afford or would never use just for commission purposes can lead to legal issues if done too often.
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7. Poor After-Sales Service

Once a business has finally managed to convince customers to make a purchase, it is important that they are provided with the best after-sales service. It should be so good that it helps maintain your customer's future interest. By taking too long to answer their queries or allowing mistakes to happen frequently when supplying them with orders, can often lead them to an unpleasant experience which they will never want to repeat again. If your company makes promises of providing excellent service but continues acting in this way regardless, customers will lose trust in you. And this would put them off from returning for any further purchases regardless of what was offered previously. Now, your sales care team or reps need to know how to offer a better experience to each of your customers!
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Create a Personalized Experience
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Marketing automation allows you to track your prospects' behavior, measure their engagement with your brand, and deliver relevant (and timely) messages that guide them toward conversion. By understanding personas at a deeper level than ever before, sales reps can know exactly who they are talking to - so their conversations are more effective.

The sales team needs to remember that no two people are alike. That is why everyone has different needs and expectations when engaging with brands. And it is also why today more than ever, companies need to employ strategies that ensure they deliver optimal brand experiences by catering to individual preferences. A new report from BI Intelligence finds that consumers' expectation for personalization is impacting spending behavior, as well as how businesses engage with their customers.

As a result, companies need creative ways of mining the big data they collect on consumer preferences to create targeted marketing campaigns. So those campaigns resonate with their audience. Members of the BI Intelligence consumer panel were asked - When making purchases online or offline do you prefer companies use recommendations? The answer was a direct yes!
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Other notable findings include:

• 67% of those surveyed said they would want incentives for sharing relevant data about themselves with a company.

• More than half (62%) said they would be willing to share demographic information in order to receive targeted ads and offers. As long as it did not include name, address details and some sensitive information. 

• The majority of Americans, Asians & Europeans consisting of 63% are more concerned about sharing personal data online than offline. Still, 65% say that any personal information shared with them is kept secure and nearly three out of four feel their data is only shared with companies if necessary.

In Conclusion
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It is highly recommended for all the sales care personnel to remember - better sales care leads to increased productivity and closes more deals! Hence, with marketing automation, sales have more time to create relationships with prospects instead of manually entering data for every new opportunity. That means they can spend more time on the phone with qualified leads, which is where they are most effective! Not only that - they are able to close deals nearly twice as fast when using this technology.