Introduction to Sales Kit

A sales kit is a collection of product/service-related documents, used by the sales teams to navigate the buyer across the sales cycle. The content of the sales kit can vary according to the stage of the buyer or the situation the sales rep finds themselves in.

 

Sales teams are the driving force for businesses. It is important to ensure that the sales team has the know-how to help the buyer navigate through the buying process.  

 

Meet Tom, a diligent sales rep in a dilemma

Tom is a goal-oriented, empathetic sales person who strives to be customer-first in every interaction. In every sales call, he strives to explain how his product will help solve problems for his buyer with delicate care. He tries to understand the personal needs of the customer and does his best to cater to them. 

 

A charming voice with confident delivery, he hardly stutters. 

 

His buyers seem to like him and listen to him. Despite these efforts, his sales conversion continues to be a challenge and he can’t seem to figure how to improve his conversion rates.

 

Soon, Tom is able to see a pattern. 

 

He makes a call, charms the potential buyer and intrigues them, explains the basics of the service his company provides, goes on to ask their needs, and soon finds himself struggling while handling objections. Tom tries his best but knows deep down that it could have been handled much better. 

 

Handling objections and tricky competitor-related questions are not uncommon. 

 

Yet, most often sales reps get caught off-guard. 

 

In such scenarios, sales reps like Tom are doing three things — Searching, Selecting, Selling.

 

This multitasking takes their focus away from listening and coming up with ideas and questions that can engage clients with the product.

 

The primary task of selling gets pushed to the last. 

 

What is a sales kit?

While deciding on a sales content management strategy, the sales kit is often given the least amount of attention. However, the sales kit is  a versatile enabler for sales teams, who can respond to buyers with confidence armed with all the information they need. 

 

 

To keep the focus on selling, a sales rep needs their sales kit. A sales kit, simply put, is a collection of all information related to the company’s products and services, in any format, at a single place.

 

A sales kit guides and empowers the sales rep, taking the hassle of multitasking and spot-curating during sales pitches. If Tom is presented with the information he needs during and after a sales pitch, then he needn’t wrack his head while convincing the client. In B2B contexts such as conferences and in-person meetings, a sales rep can use a B2B sales kit to proactively demonstrate the product. 
 

If Tom were a painter, then the sales kit would not only be his easel, but also the brush, the paintboxes, and the palette. A professional toolkit that facilitates his profession.

 

Components of a Sales Kit

A sales kit can contain, but is not limited to, the following:

• Call Scripts - These are written with logical aids to maintain the sales rep’s focus on the content and consistency between calls.

 

• Battle cards - Battle cards are ammunition that sway the client from a contender, like comparative charts on pricing and features.

 

• Sales literature - Encompasses all possible written content about the product and services. Brochures, flyers, spec sheets, etc.

 

• Leave-behinds - They are branded items that can be left behind at a prospect’s place that would later remind them of you. Physical items like these make your brand tangible, memorable, and recognizable— especially if the leave-behind is designed to be reminiscent of your products. Leave-behinds are a must in a B2B sales kit. 

 

• FAQs - From common objections that clients generally pose, to explaining the basics of the products.

 

• Email templates - Follow-up emails have the same goals every time, like telling them how the call was valuable to you or asking when the client can be called again. Such content can be automated by following a common script for the emails.

 

• Samples - There is nothing that can hook a customer’s interest better than a demonstration of what your product is capable of. They get to see the real-time application of it, enabling them to envision how they would use it. Samples are a no-brainer inclusion for your B2B sales kit. 

 

Why should businesses build A sales kit?

• Because a sales kit help the conversation to be continuous

A well-designed sales kit gives the framework and tools to your sales representatives to form strategies when they present the product to a potential buyer. A sales kit works intuitively while enabling a continuous conversation.

 

If Tom works at a furniture company and the customer tells him that they have a large living room, then Tom could either spend the next valuable moments to scramble the living room images.

 

Or, he could simply look through his sales kit, and showcase live images specifically designed for living rooms and continue the conversation forward.

 

• Because sometimes things fall out of our heads. 

Even though your sales reps know the product in its entirety, they could miss out on details that could immediately fixate the customer during the conversation. It happens to the best of us.

 

Having a complete checklist that explains the specifics of the solution, in brief, is handy. Such a list with approaches to talking with new customers is usually laid down in call scripts. 

 

• Because the basic questions are the same. 

A product generally has several features. If your product is new or targets a niche market, it is likely that the customer is not entirely aware of those features or has doubts about them. Neither the features change nor do the doubts. 

 

Tom’s inability to answer immediately was a pattern, and the customer’s queries have a similar pattern. These queries generally focus on the key features or the basic functionalities of your product. A sales kit with an FAQ addressing those client-queries would make the sales calls easier. For example, does your furniture company ship the products? Do you send executives to help with the assembling? What is your warranty period?
 

• Onboarding can be eased with a sales kit

Companies cannot afford to lose business due to mistakes that could be resolved through training. The sales kit ensures that the new members of a sales team get oriented faster than they normally would.

 

Alongside their basic training, giving new sales reps a comprehensive sales kit — that has brochures, FAQs, call scripts — would help them in many ways. They can learn about the company and the product faster. Having more confidence, they'd communicate information more swiftly to clients. Arming sales reps with the B2B sales kit during events, trade shows, and conferences ensures that they are prepared to answer all queries during presentations. 

 

Sales KIT: Conclusion

The sales kit plays an essential role in enabling sales teams and driving them ahead. With the proper optimization, sales reps like Tom can seamlessly match the problems of the customer with your products that solve them. The next blog in this series will discuss the various ways a sales kit can be optimized to fit the buyer’s journey.