Digital Marketing Agencies Who Master the Meeting Sell More

Marketing agencies focus most of their own marketing efforts on generating leads as the engine that will consistently grow their businesses. The rise of professional social media platforms, email marketing software, and other inbound marketing tactics provide seemingly endless possibilities to creatively and cost-effectively generate leads. Converting leads into sales, however, poses a challenge for agencies that don’t have a plan in place to engage prospective clients from the lead to the sale. At the end of the day, digital marketing agencies that master the meeting and follow up process with potential customers sell more. Here are some best practices that help your marketing agency close more sales.

Before the Sales Meeting

Increase your chances of nailing a sales meeting by preparing thoroughly. Before the meeting, research and get to know more about the point-of-contact and company. Develop a strong understanding of the organization’s marketing strengths and weaknesses. Come prepared with a plan to address them.

1. Review the organization’s website: Visit the company’s “About” page to learn about their history and information about the company’s leadership team.
2. Review social media: Review social media profiles and pages for clues about the company’s audience, culture, and overall marketing strategy.
3. Leverage LinkedIn: Connect with your contacts on LinkedIn. Check out their employment history, current position, and professional interests. Marketing agency sales require establishing a personal connection and cultural fit with clients, so building rapport is essential. It’s easier to accomplish when you know what makes your prospects tick.

As you research company and become more attuned to its character and focus, start identifying its digital marketing pain points. Note deficiencies in any aspect of marketing, while focusing most of your time analyzing the portion of their marketing you hope to help them address. Visit the website and evaluate navigability, messaging, SEO, and placement of Call to Actions. Prepare an actionable analysis of a company’s digital presence. If appropriate, call upon it during your meeting to demonstrate your expertise. Show specific examples of how you will benefit the company and generate results that help it meet its business objectives.

During the Sales Meeting 

Even if you prepare properly, making novice mistakes during your presentation can prevent your marketing agency from closing sales you otherwise would have won. The most common error that amateur salespeople make is talking too much. In reality, you should allow the client to do most of the speaking while you take on the role of an active listener. This ensures that the meeting is client-focused and gives you the opportunity to learn about your prospect and the company’s products, services, needs of the company from an insider.

Make physical and mental notes about any specific concerns mentioned as well as the language used by the person you are speaking with. Do not let your mind wander to what you are planning to say next. Remain focused on the speaker until he or she is finished. This way, you can adjust your approach accordingly and guarantee that it is hyper-targeted to the prospect’s needs. Finally, make sure that the meeting ends with clarity on both ends regarding next steps. This could include setting a time to connect again or committing to send a proposal by a particular date.

After the Sales Meeting 

In order to maintain the momentum of the sales meeting, you want to follow-up promptly. First, and perhaps most importantly, thank everyone for their time and thoughtful consideration of your services. Build on the rapport you established in the initial meeting. Regardless of the outcome of the meeting, expressing your appreciation helps sustain a positive business reputation.

Next, review the action items you promised during the meeting and follow through as quickly as possible. If you don’t use them already, consider developing proposal templates or investing in a proposal management system. These tools can help reduce post-meeting turnaround time without sacrificing proposal quality. Schedule a reminder to follow up with your prospects to keep things moving along until they accept your proposal or tell you they are moving in a different direction.

Each step of the selling process plays a crucial role in closing a marketing agency sale. The masters of turning prospective customers into clients understand that every interaction is an opportunity to help and share knowledge while building rapport. For more tips to keep you grow agency revenue, subscribe to our newsletter!