Supporting the Soft Sale With the SMS Touch

Consumers highly prize their time, so executing any strategy which delivers content too often and across too many digital channels risks losing goodwill which could trigger a crisis. Variety is […]

Consumers highly prize their time, so executing any strategy which delivers content too often and across too many digital channels risks losing goodwill which could trigger a crisis.

Variety is indeed the spice of life. Thankfully we are not all alike. We hear some of you now saying how much easier life would be if everybody was like you, but that’s the point of life. It’s not always easy.

For example, the measure of confidence in an extrovert can be great but overdo it, and things may not play out as one would expect. Not everybody can be the life of the party and for many, just the thought of (for example) walking into a new car showroom is enough to give them the jitters. Push this person too hard, they will surely tune out. Rightly or wrongly, certain industries have the reputation of applying the hard sell but thankfully the consultative sales approach is becoming more appreciated and adopted by industries globally – including our very own CPaaS and business messaging.

The world of e-commerce and online in general has been a godsend for untold millions of people globally who (even if they were allowed free rein to travel and purchase goods and services anywhere they wanted – days we long for ourselves) would far prefer to minimize physical interaction with those they are not already very familiar with. This does not mean that lessons learned in the ‘real’ brick and mortar world can simply be ignored when it comes to the digital playground.

Resist the hard sell and build trust

Digital transformation for many has had to come at breakneck speed this year for rather obvious reasons. Brands are starting to find that customer loyalty isn’t what it once was. So many people have quite literally been forced online, millions with zero previous online experience. Catapulted into this, they find the online world has opened up a plethora of new choices for them.

Any company could be excused for reacting in a bit of a knee-jerk manner with a sheen of desperation when faced with what is out there today. Sure, you need to stand out from the crowd. But consumers highly prize their time, so executing any strategy which delivers content too often and across too many digital channels at the same time risks losing goodwill which could trigger a crisis. And of course, content perceived as offering little value won’t improve the situation either…

Right now, enterprises need to ensure clients are particularly engaged. Keeping this up without being obtrusive and annoying, or re-energizing relationships with those who have not purchased for a long time, is challenging. Striking the right balance between getting one’s point across and not backing a prospect into a corner can be tricky at the best of times.

Undue pressure placed on clients alone is enough to kill a business. Pressure needs to be removed, which often requires a change in mindset. It is more effective to work your sales process until it’s time to close and this requires a genuine conversation with your prospect.

Building trust is the only game in town and this means showing up consistently with a purposeful marketing, transactional and informative content strategy play that both surprises and delights in equal measure. CPaaS and omnichannel, weaving two-way channels such as SMS and WhatsApp Business seamlessly into client interactions, lend themselves perfectly to this.

Craft your story

Distilled down, so much in life comes down to education: If your brand can continually educate your audience, then asking for the sale comes that bit easier. Think of your SMS strategy as telling a story, and with 98% open rates, it’s clear that society doesn’t find these business messages to be too pushy. Look at the 2% effectiveness of a cold call, the 15% open rate of a business e-mail — we can surmise that SMS marketing is 209 times more effective than either platform.

Establishing that deep connection, connectivity, and awareness of what your audience really wants and needs humanizes your brand. And with Mitto’s comprehensive suite of mobile engagement solutions in your corner to help drive all these elements smartly will enable you to better sell – and all without your customers feeling pressured.