Since the dawn of time, as a man has gazed up into the stars late at night, one question has remained ever-present and heavy on his heart - “How can I make my sales process more efficient?”

Okay...maybe it’s not that deep, but as a professional that considers themselves a salesperson at heart, I know it is a question that I have asked myself multiple times in my career. One that after much trial and error, I was happy to find a solution too and one that actually sparked my urge to start my agency and consulting firm. A solution that I want to share with you, so you don’t have to waste time and make the same costly mistakes that I have made. A solution and methodology that can support your current sales process, but make it more efficient and powerful. And if you’ve read our last two posts on “effortlessly attracting leads,” and using digital content “as your sales ally,” you probably already know what I’m going to purpose: Inbound.

For Asset Managers  who have been more hesitant to use digital marketing tactics in your sales process, I encourage you to reconsider, because with the advent of technology sales have evolved. And to survive, so must Asset Managers. They are no longer in a position of power where they can afford to “talk at,” a prospect and hope to close them. They have to shift themselves into a role as a guide and educate their prospect along that client’s buyer's journey. As always, I know new ways of thinking and change can feel uncomfortable, but I want to encourage you to stay open-minded and want to provide concrete examples on how you can use Inbound Marketing to improve Sales Enablement.

Example 1: “95% of buyers buy from someone who educated them with content at each stage of the buying process (journey).”

Incredible right? If you’re still a skeptic on why content is king, check out our previous post here. Inbound marketing is built on the premise that you nurture a relationship with a prospect until they are ready to make a decision. And there is no better way to nurture a relationship with them then through creating educational content. Be their advisor, resource, and subject matter expect throughout their journey and position yourself as the right choice to reach their goal or aspiration.

Example 2: “Up to 70% of product information found online, not through sales reps.”

Is your website the jewel of your marketing mix? Do you have concise website copy that conveys your firm in unique and compelling ways? Do you provide educational and entertaining content in the way of video, blogs, or resource pages that helps your prospect solve a problem and educate themselves on a solution? Are you active on Social Media? Keeping the conversation about your firm going and helping your prospect gain awareness to lead them into the top of your funnel? If you have a hard time answering any of those questions, it’s time to take an honest look at what is and isn’t working in your sales process. The prospect is in a position of power and instead of fighting it, position yourself as a trusted guide to win.

Example 3: “Salespeople who seek out and use referrals have 4-5x more sales.”

Your day is packed and since you can’t sprout another pair of arms, let  marketing automation help you keep front of mind with your clients, who can also be your greatest source of referrals for new leads. An audience that is warm and willing to evangelize you can be your greatest asset. For example, you could create and launch a personalized email sequence through your CRM (like HubSpot) that allows you to keep a conversation going without you overburdening yourself with extra work.

Now that we’ve looked at some examples, I hope it has inspired you to try something different and adapt new methodologies to improve sales enablement at your firm. And for those who still feel a sense of hesitancy, I’ll leave you with this: At the end of the day, 40,000 searches are done every second and 3.5 billion are done every day in Google Search alone. Is your firm part of the conversation?