Update your Sales Strategy for a Modern Audience
We recently interviewed author and speaker Marcus Sheridan of Priceguide.ai about his thoughts on the current struggles of the construction industry with lead generation and the ever-evolving state of SEO.
If Marcus’s name sounds familiar, you may have heard of his book, They Ask You Answer, which proposes a unique method of transparency and straightforwardness for sales. After successfully rescuing his failing pool business with this method, Marcus explores it in his book and references it in our interview.
A single quote stuck with us after the interview ended, and it merits exploring further.
When prompted to answer the concern of giving away too much information early in the sales process, Marcus said, “What we know today is that the average buyer is 80% through the buyer’s journey before they reach out to a company.”
Compare this statement for a moment with your own experiences. Have you noticed an upward trend of well-informed or ready-to-buy customers approaching your team?
We’ve certainly seen more customers with an understanding of metal roofing and their options when they reach out to us. Truthfully, there’s one major force behind this trend: the ease of finding relevant information on the Internet. As Marcus put it, “We can get whatever we want whenever we want it, and we want that information upfront as much as possible.”
Consider your own habits. Many of us Google a question or ask Siri/Alexa for things as simple as the weather or as specific as a metal roofing installer near us. Marcus said, “This is only going to grow, especially with AI and the immediacy of answers and information.” And it’s true, with AI popping up in devices, websites, and nearly everywhere you can find it. Like it or not, AI and information overload are here to stay.
So how can you stay relevant online? How can you tailor your web presence to snag leads and provide an outlet for those invested prospects?
The good news is that Google still highly values quality, relevant web content. Frequently producing new content and updating old content to show up on Google searches goes a long way.
They Ask You Answer is about embracing radical honesty and openness with prospects so they can find the information they want and feel confident reaching out.
Marcus says your goal has to be “becoming the most known and trusted while they’re vetting and researching online, whether it’s with AI, Google, or their friends, whatever it is, I need to become that voice of trust and get recommended by that friend, by that Google, by that AI so that they come to us.”
Ultimately, any prospect this far into the buyer’s journey approaching your company is likely ready to buy. They’ve scouted their local options and decided to talk with you based on your site, social media, and reviews. This preparedness means that you’ll have to change your sales strategy. You might follow a set sales presentation that goes in-depth on product offerings and attempts to convince the prospect to move forward. This new subset of prospects requires a different approach that acknowledges their time investment.
It might feel like a relief to skip past the exposition phase of selling, where you explain basic information about metal roofing, your company’s offerings, and what they can expect. From a customer’s point of view, Marcus said, “Because we’re doing so much legwork, by the time we actually talk to a salesperson, we’re most of the way home.”
However, don’t mistake this as a done deal. Closing a deal may be quicker from this point, but it still requires you to follow through and deliver an experience consistent with your website and promises. Invest in your site and appeal to those potential customers who are hungry for information.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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