Changing your entire sales approach can seem intimidating, but inbound marketing is well worth the time and energy it takes to set up.

Looking back on my career in outbound marketing…

When it comes to sales, I've tried it all. I've spent countless nights shaking sweaty hands and drinking warm beer, waiting for the right person to take my business card. I've built out presentations and spreadsheets and demonstrations to show potential clients the value of marketing. I still do those things, if the client wants them. But on the whole, I've come to realize that approach is broken.

Don't be that guy

No one likes that guy. The guy who calls them incessantly even though they aren't interested in the least. The guy who sends cheesy emails with the recipient's name plugged in a couple of key places. Those tactics aren't working anymore. Today's consumers are smarter than ever. They know exactly what they want, and they are actively online, looking for it. All you have to do is connect with them.

The difference is in the approach

The inbound approach attracts buyers instead of interrupting them and causing them to view your company as an annoyance. Taking an inbound approach to marketing means transforming your website into a lead magnet that attracts customers to you.

Inbound marketing is structured around a three pronged approach to getting customers:

• Attract: The first step of the process requires the most work up front. This is where you load your website up with blog posts, e-books, infographics, video pieces, and other types of content that will attract prospective clients. The good news is, once the creation and setup of these assets is done, they will continue to attract leads for months and years to come.
• Convert: Follow up on the initial interest your prospects have shown by offering them new material during this stage. This helps create a stronger bond between these people and your brand, and identify the potential buyers that are serious prospects.
• Delight: Close your sale by using the information your prospects have shared with you to offer them what they really need, instead of a one size fits all sales pitch.

Marketing automation and the Inbound Approach

I've talked to business people from large and small businesses about marketing automation, what it is and how it can help their business. More often than not, they've heard the term, but think it's a complex process they can't begin to understand. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Marketing automation is simply setting up all of your marketing tasks to happen without any intervention from you or your sales team. When your prospective leads do one of a set of actions, like read a blog post, download a checklist or sign up to join your website's mailing list, your marketing automation platform will perform the task you've specified, like send them a thank you email or a special offer.

At DiscoverTec, we are a Hubspot partner agency. Hubspot offers our clients a marketing automation platform along with a client relationship management side to make marketing easier than ever. All we do is guide our clients to the best ways to use Hubspot to strengthen their relationships with potential customers. Trust me, it's a lot easier than handing out business cards.

Want to find out more about whether or not marketing automation is right for your business? Contact me to get an expert perspective on how inbound marketing can revolutionize your sales process.