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INTERVIEW WITH

Sidi Saliu

Head of Marketing

B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing

The businesses that have proved successful in the digital world are those that realise the value of aligning their sales and marketing teams.

How did the global pandemic impact sales and marketing?

Although the rise of digital in sales and marketing has been happening for a while, the global pandemic accelerated adoption of a ‘digital first’ mindset in many businesses. But because so many companies put a greater emphasis on digital at the same time, the amount of noise to cut through increased significantly and has remained high ever since. If your digital content is not engaging or insightful, it gets ignored.

The businesses that have proved successful in the digital world are those that realise the value of aligning their sales and marketing teams. Sales teams have traditionally been very used to just picking up the phone and starting conversations, but this approach is no longer relevant in the digital world. Prospects want to undertake their own research and not be influenced by a salesperson early in their buying journey. But when marketing teams can work with their sales colleagues and show them the value of promoting their content digitally, it opens new opportunities for the sales team to engage with their customers.

The key to positive virtual sales experiences is giving your prospect the power to choose when and how they want to engage with you.

Should businesses invest in virtual sales experiences?

Salespeople love to meet their prospects in person; there’s no secret or surprise there. Being able to read their body language and build a relationship is a key tool for salespeople. But as many buyers now work hybrid or remote patterns, this physical face-to-face time is becoming increasingly hard to secure. Therefore, sales teams must invest in the right tools for virtual sales experiences.

The key to positive virtual sales experiences is giving your prospect the power to choose when and how they want to engage with you. Some people work better at night, so how can they engage with you even if your main sales team is offline? Chatbots are a great solution here and give people, at any time of day or night, the power to ask quick questions without committing to a full sales call. Your content should also be freely available for them to access without restrictions. Only lock down key pieces, ensuring blogs and other easily accessible pieces of content are highly informative which will encourage buyers to want to give their details.

Great marketing teams not only help prospects along their buying journey but also help to move existing customers up the ladder of loyalty and retain them as customers.

SIDI SALIU

Head of Marketing

LEYTON

What can marketing teams do to build customer loyalty?

Great marketing teams not only help prospects along their buying journey but also help to move existing customers up the ladder of loyalty and retain them as customers. One of the most powerful ways marketing teams can help build customer loyalty is to help the customers build their own social capital. This makes the relationship more of a partnership and far less transactional, ultimately making it easier for the business to retain that customer.

Great examples of building the social capital of your customers include asking them to speak at your events and sharing their perspectives on what is currently happening in the industry. The authenticity and credibility of the customer are strengthened by being able to say that they’ve spoken at a professional level, plus you will hear directly from the customer about the challenges and opportunities they currently face. This valuable insight can then be applied to your other customers when pitching for new business. Another great example is to enter your customers into relevant industry awards. The press coverage received by all parties helps to elevate their business and personal credibility which help form deeper relationships, making it well worth the extra effort.