New products and services are the lifeblood of organizations. The sales force eagerly awaits their arrival, hoping for a short-term competitive edge in a cutthroat market. Yet most new products fail to achieve the desired results in the vital first months after their introduction. When launching new products or services, here are five things your marketing team can do to ensure the sales force is successful.
1. Provide a strong value proposition
Weak value propositions are a leading cause of new product failures. Customers don't buy phrases such as "increased productivity," "more robust" or "reduced cost." Quantification of the value gained is essential in today's market. Be explicit. How much money is saved? What additional efficiencies are gained? Specificity sells. Use beta tests to learn this information, then make sure to write it up in case studies.
2. Deliver insightful competitive information
Salespeople need much more than a features comparison to be successful. They need to understand the competitor's go-to-market strategy, their financial condition and any other newsworthy information. They want to know how their peers "won" the business when up against the primary competitors and the selling strategy their competitors employed. They need to know about losses too. Don't just deliver competitive information at launch time - provide it for three to six months after you've introduced your new offering.
3. Create diagnostic sales tools
Research into product launches shows that sellers are much more likely to "pitch" then than at any other time. Providing diagnostic assessment tools to salespeople helps them uncover customer problems and understand the related issues more deeply. The audit process itself builds the relationship and keeps the focus where it belongs - on your customer, not your product or service.
4. Develop proposal/presentation templates
Preparing customizable proposal and presentation templates for your salespeople at launch time is an invaluable gift. For many sellers, creating these documents takes an inordinate amount of time and quality is often mediocre. Additionally, if these templates are totally focused around customers' needs, you can help your salespeople be more effective and most importantly you ensure the consistency of your message.
5. Facilitate "how-to-sell" training
Most launch meetings are totally centered on the new offering - its capabilities, ordering processes, support. Certainly this information is needed, but don't let salespeople leave the kick-off meeting yet. Facilitate discussions around how customers do things without your offering. Explore the difficulties caused by the current method and the business impact of these problems. Talk about positioning, questions they should ask and the logical next steps in the sales process. Salespeople desperately need this type of training before they make calls.
Successful new product introductions require sales and marketing to work together prior to launch. Involve top sellers into beta-site interviews to strengthen your value proposition. Get their input on what to include in diagnostic tools, the best structure for your templates and defining good selling processes. Invite all salespeople to contribute competitive information and quickly disseminate it to others.
This is what salespeople really need from marketing. It's what makes all the difference between a new product's smashing success and its descent into obscurity. Take the extra time to do it right and reap the benefits.
Jill Konrath, president of LEAPFROG Strategies, is an expert in new product launches in the B2B market. She works on the critical hand-off from Marketing to Sales to maximize sales success. Visit her website at http://www.leapfrog-strategies.com for more articles on product launches. For information on speaking, consulting or training, contact Jill at 651-429-1922 or jill@leapfrog-strategies.com.
