Sales Success Starts with A Winning Pre-Sales Strategy

A strong marketing services business requires a well-oiled pre-sales process to ensure all stakeholders have the necessary information to deliver a successful program. No organization will be effective in selling marketing services without good communication between the sales and delivery teams. And as a sales lead at Informa, you’ll play a key role in this process.

The more information you gather during the pre-sales stage, the better equipped your Informa Engage delivery experts will be able to help you with scoping, timelines, deliverables, KPI’s, and all the important variables needed to execute your deal. This information can be beneficial for sellers because it creates a feedback loop that will help you understand how to best position or price a product when developing a proposal that best addresses your customer’s challenge. It also serves to establish mutually agreed-upon expectations with your client, so all sides are clear on what’s been purchased, what it entails, and how a successful ROI will be defined.

Ultimately, a strong pre-sales process when selling marketing services programs creates a culture of collaboration that will lead to higher revenue, client satisfaction, and increased renewals.

Informa Engage Best Practices for the Pre-Sales Process

As a sales leader, when you identify and communicate the following details to your delivery counterparts during the pre-sales process, you’ll ensure your campaign is set up for a smooth delivery transition and successful sales outcome. Here are five questions that you should strive to identify for every program before closing the deal.

1. WHO is the target audience your client wants to reach? 
   1. Example: job titles, industry, location, etc. 

1. WHAT is the client’s objective for the program? 
   1. Example: are they looking to capture leads, drive awareness, increase content engagement, boost traffic, etc.

1. HOW will the client measure the program to determine success?
   1. Example: What are the metrics or specific KPI’s we need to be aware of to execute the program?

1. WHEN does the client want the final product delivered? 
   1. Example: Does the client’s desired launch date align with the timeframe needed to develop and/or market the program?

1. WHERE will the client’s program live and be promoted?
   1. Example: Does the client want Informa to host and promote the content to our audience, or will the content live on the client’s site?