Whether you want your sales campaign to reach the top management of companies or an average buyer, it all comes down to getting the messaging right!
How you describe your products (or services) will determine whether you’ll close the deal.
But what is sales messaging, what does it entail, and how does it differ from other forms of business messaging?
Let’s explore this in detail below.
But could your messaging be so excessively salesy that it puts off your clients? Book a discovery call with me, Nora Sudduth, for one-on-one support on crafting sales messages that inform your audience about your products in a way that engages them.
What is Sales Messaging?
Simply put, sales messaging involves delivering the right message in the right format to the right audience.
A sales message communicates what your product offers to address customers’ pain points. It can be the catalyst for converting your customer leads into a sale.
Take the example of two companies selling point-of-sale (POS) software.
- Company A: We offer an all-in-one POS system for retail businesses.
- Company B: Get our easy-to-use POS system to streamline your sales, inventory, and customer records. Let us do the heavy lifting (data entry and management) so you can focus on keeping your clients happy.
Which company has a more compelling message? Company B’s, of course.
What is Sales Ready Messaging?
Sales-ready messaging involves sending specific, focused messages that appeal to your ideal customer profile.
Your message might be well-crafted but ineffective if delivered to the wrong audience. Similarly, your message might be right, and so may the audience, but your efforts might be void if the format is wrong.
Let’s keep the example of POS systems.
A sales-ready message explains how the POS system solves each sector’s pain points as opposed to being a generic message.
- A travel agency might use its POS system to track scheduled appointments, booked vacation packages, canceled orders, and pending payments.
- In contrast, warehouses use POS systems primarily to track their inventory.
Sales Messaging vs. Brand Messaging: What’s the Difference?
Sales messaging and brand messaging are closely related but differ in use and application.
Here’s how they differ:
- Sales Messaging: Well-defined sales messages shape conversations about a product and ultimately transform leads into actual sales.
Your company should use sales messages to communicate its products’ unique features and benefits to its markets.
Overall, an effective sales message helps you convert potential leads into actual sales.
- Brand Messaging: Brand messaging is how your company communicates with your customers.
Your business should leverage branded messages to communicate what you stand for and curate the emotions people should associate your brands with.
A brand message is the overall story that your company aims to share with its clients. It also includes your brand’s style and tone when telling its story.
Remember, you must first lay out your brand messaging strategy to guide your messaging and all other communications with clients, even when pitching products.
Sales Messaging Examples
Let’s explore two real-world examples of companies that have used effective messaging.
Apple’s “Pay the Apple Way”
Apple launched an exciting campaign to show the simplicity and convenience of using Apple Pay.
The company used relatable pain points to appeal to its target audience. The highlighted challenges included:
- Long checkout queues
- Card payment issues
- Repeat CAPTCHA codes
The ad uses a relatable pain point to appeal to its target audience.
Uber Reserve
Uber came up with a creative way to sell convenience to its clients.
The campaign’s message was simple: Plan what you can.
Uber understood that customers often got frustrated while waiting for their cabs to arrive. As such, the company saw an opportunity to address its clients’ pain points and differentiate its product from its competitors.
Other ride-hailing apps have since introduced the reserve feature. However, Uber’s effective messaging has helped it maintain its year-over-year growth in rideshare sales.
Curious how your business can benefit from effective sales messaging? Sign up for a FiniSprint with me for personalized, on-demand coaching and support to help you learn exactly what you need to get the business results you desire.
Components of a Sales Messaging Framework
A messaging framework, or a messaging matrix, is the best way to communicate consistently and effectively.
Let’s discuss the 8 main components below:
- Target Persona: Research your target audience’s demographics, buyer behaviors, beliefs, and psychographics to help you curate messages that resonate with your clients.
- Value Proposition: A common question in your customers’ minds is often — why should I care?
A messaging framework highlights what value clients should expect from your product (or a service).
- Pain Points: Identify persona-specific challenges and obstacles to ensure the final message is sales-ready.
- Differentiators: Always highlight what sets your products apart from your competitors. It may include unique features and proprietary technology exclusive to your products.
You may also highlight differentiators like shorter turnaround times and superior customer service, which impact customer satisfaction.
- Social Proof: Help your audience make the purchase decision by building trust and credibility around your product(s) and brand.
Some effective strategies include quoting testimonials, case studies, and endorsements from reputable clients.
- Objection Handling: Always anticipate and address potential client concerns about your product.
For instance, stating that software supports major operating system platforms addresses concerns about compatibility with Windows or macOS.
- Key Benefits: Focus on the expected positive outcomes of using your product. The benefits can be functional, social, or emotional but must align with your target audience’s needs.
- Call to Action: A well-defined call to action (CTA) prompts customers to take the next step, like ordering a product or service.
How to Write Effective Sales Messages
There are no mandatory steps to follow when writing sales messages.
At the very least, include these six tips to write winning sales messages:
1. Use a Conversational Tone
What better way to personalize your sales messages than to use a conversational tone?
Ask yourself — would I say this to a client when one-on-one? Your answer should tell you whether to reframe your message or keep it as it is.
2. Create Memorable Messaging
Do not rush to include a long list of benefits, hoping to convince clients that your products are the best.
Instead, use storytelling to highlight your customers’ challenges and describe how your product features might help them.
3. Stick to Facts
Though sensational messages are attention grabbers, they might water down your intended impact. Instead, use realistic statements.
An example of an effective message would be:
“Our POS system will improve how you track pending, ongoing, and completed orders, reducing incidents of unfulfilled requests.”
4. Include an Intriguing CTA
Craft a clear and action-oriented CTA to prompt your target audience to make their buyer decision.
Should they call your sales representative? Do you require clients to schedule appointments, or do you accommodate walk-ins?
Always include the next step of action for interested clients.
5. Customize the Content
Tailor the sales messages to match the format and tone of your selected communication channel.
For instance, a casual tone and visuals like images and videos are ideal for Instagram and TikTok. In contrast, a sales message formatted as a whitepaper will be better suited for LinkedIn.
6. Test and Refine Your Message
Crafting sales messages is not a one-time thing. Review the messages regularly to adapt to changing client needs and expectations.
Pro Tip: Work with a brand strategist to ensure your sales messages align with your goals.
How to Build a Sales Messaging Strategy
Writing messages is just one part of the job! You’ll need a practical roadmap to guide your sales team.
Here are 6 steps to achieve a well-crafted messaging strategy.
1. Research and Understand Your Audience
Understanding your target customers is the first step to writing an effective messaging strategy.
You can divide the market into segments based on demographics, industry, company size, or other data relevant to your market. This should help you build a comprehensive target customer profile.
2. Develop Your Unique Selling Points
Clearly articulate what your product offers and why the target audience should care. Your selling points should include how your product differs from others in the market.
For example, your unique selling points could be:
- Competitive prices
- Proprietary technologies
- Green energy solutions
Well-defined selling points will nudge customers to buy your offerings.
3. Choose Relevant Communication Channels
When it comes to sales communication, one size does not fit all.
Once you have identified your market segments and unique selling points, you should determine the best communication channels for each market segment.
Some audiences prefer traditional channels, whereas others prefer digital platforms. Sometimes, you may need to use a multi-platform approach for effective communication.
4. Develop the Key Messages
Next, come up with the main points you want your audience to understand and remember about your brand. Choose distinct words and phrases that align with your unique selling points and business goals. Use:
- Simple and easy-to-understand language
- Include a data-backed insight or social proof statement
- Highlight a quantified pain point
When discussing the main messages, a practical tip is to quantify the expected positive outcomes. Use statements like — reduce your turnaround times by up to 30%.
5. Test, Refine, and Optimize the Strategy
Like other master plans, you must regularly monitor your strategy’s performance. Otherwise, it may become ineffective over time because of changes in customer behaviors or market trends.
For instance, TikTok and Snapchat have emerged as popular social media platforms among the younger population.
So, businesses targeting this demographic must adapt their messages to suit these platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below, I’ve answered some of the commonly asked questions about messaging.
How Do You Leverage Automation and AI Tools To Improve Sales Messages
Here is how you can leverage AI and automation tools in messaging.
- Evaluate how adopting AI and automation tools aligns with your sales messaging strategy and overall business goals.
- Evaluate your current systems for AI integration opportunities, including identifying possible barriers to effective AI adoption.
- Acquire the best-fit AI tools and empower your sales team to use them.
- Use the tools to implement sequential messaging for improving customer engagement.
- Use customer feedback to optimize the automation tools for more impactful messaging.
What is Value Framework in Sales Messaging?
Simply put, a value framework is a guideline for communicating a product’s unique value to customers.
It helps you to communicate a product’s key benefits, social proof, and differentiators in a way that resonates with your audience. Lastly, a value framework ties a product’s value to the identified pain points and client expectations.
Conclusion
You could be losing clients because your messages go unnoticed.
To write compelling messages that convert leads into sales, you must create a messaging strategy to guide all your communication. You could also book a consultation with me to ensure your messaging aligns with your business goals.
Not sure where to start?
I can help your business stand out from the crowd by creating sales messages that appeal to your clients.
Book a discovery call today, and let’s create or refine your sales messaging strategy to suit the current market dynamics.
