That’s why the SCCM (Sales-Centred-Content-Maturity) model focuses on how marketing can support sales when it comes to enabling them to complete all stages of the sales cycle.
Often a marketing-qualified lead can go over to sales and the success or otherwise of that hard work is down to the salesperson and how well-armed they are with the right tools at the right time. This model therefore looks at the maturity between your marketing function and sales and gives some pointers as to the key areas of where you should establish your benchmarks and your focus on time and budget.
Initially look and evaluate your approach to sales enablement when it comes to content and map yourself against the maturity. Then take the headings from the stages above and consider how you might move forward. There’s lots of other research and resources with Propolis or support including some award-winning campaigns from other organizations that might give some clues as to where the content and the tools that can enable sales can be best placed and best and best harnessed.
The key to using any model like this is to be honest – look at where you are now, rather than where you want to be. Then plot your path and tasks that will enable you to reach that destination.
Critical for success in this area is a good relationship between sales and marketing. Initially gathering the insight into what they’ve already got, what format it’s in, its use and consistency or otherwise, and therefore where the gaps might be. Talk to sales about what their issues are, where they’re handling (or not) handling objections, and what they’re seeing in the market from competitors.
All of this work helps you to first map where content is and how it lays down against their sales cycle. This will help you understand the gaps that you can start to fill. Once you’ve gathered the insight that tells you what it is what’s needed in those gaps.
Once you start this process, you want to be able to measure success. Initially, that may be quite specific to things like consumption, which content is being read, downloaded, viewed, etc. But over time, you should start to be able to establish what content is doing for you when it comes to directly supporting sales converting leads and opportunities which is delivering the bottom line.
Check out this Propolis exclusive graph to unlock the secrets to success.
This is one of eight models and guides produced every quarter by the Propolis Experts, each designed to help develop knowledge and drive efficiencies across your marketing campaigns. The full set of models and guides is available exclusively to Propolis members.
