I remember how a few days ago I talked to you about the transition from traditional marketing to new forms of marketing, about how companies have been feeling the need to renew their strategies. We made a kind of review of this evolution, so today we want to add one more ingredient to this process. We are going to tell you about the new ways of buying and selling, because, as companies, it is important that you have this knowledge fresh in your mind.
what are its pillars, how do consumers choose products or services, where do companies focus when selling, what changes have they undergone? The answers are below.
We keep learning, we keep growing.
why have the ways of selling changed?
The Internet has a lot to do with this. 20 years ago, this network of networks was not what it is today. The ways of communicating have also changed. The social networks we used back then have hardly any similarities with the ones we use today. Do any of you doubt the possibility of sending an email from anywhere? We carry the Internet in our hands, in our pockets, and even in front of our eyes. So, how could the ways of selling not change?
We are immersed in an Information Age that is revolutionising the world. Digitalisation is beginning and the alternatives for searching for any type of information are increasing. The Internet is flooded with blogs, forums, social networks, websites and other spaces in which to publish all kinds of content. As a result, users are looking for all kinds of questions and answers, information and data on products and services. They have before their eyes a range of opportunities in which to decide and buy.
Companies are no longer the sole advisors and informers of customers, because a decade ago, if you had a question you asked the companies. They were the ones who had the power. However, things have changed. The ways of buying were changing and, consequently, so were the ways of selling. Companies are still looking for the best way to adapt to changes, but not doing so at the speed of the transformation of consumer habits can affect them.
who doesn't have a smartphone at hand, who doesn't look for information on the internet when they need a product or service, who goes to companies without having previously informed themselves with the data that comes from the online world? So, to the question 'why the ways of selling have transformed', our best answer can only be: because the ways of buying have also done so. We just have to adapt.
How the ways of selling have changed
In order for you to understand us, we would like to show you a table with some of the main differences between traditional marketing and Inbound Marketing. This is how the ways of selling have changed:
|
BEFORE |
NOW |
|
Traditional Marketing: Searching for potential customers and cold calling them to offer them our products/services. |
Inbound Marketing: Placing the customer at the centre of the strategy and making them come to us naturally. |
|
Strategy based on intrusive advertising methods that do not provide any value. |
Strategy focused on offering content of specific value to our potential customers. |
|
Little measurable, no analysis of the efforts invested. Everything is based on experience and common sense. |
We can establish analytics, metrics and KPIs with which to measure the efforts invested and the results obtained. It allows us to identify the points where we can improve and channel it through ROI. |
|
Less communication and little interaction, in addition to making cold calls. |
Increased communication channels that increase interaction, allowing us to learn about our customers' problems and find ways to help them. |
|
Intrusive marketing is very costly and the benefits cannot be studied in detail. |
We spend the effort, time and money to focus on proven strategies that drive sales. |
|
Contact channels are not used to build trust, so opportunities are missed. |
Contact channels are not used to their best advantage. |
|
The soul is intrusion. |
Soul is attraction. |
how do companies deal with this process of change?
They start with a process of awareness, i.e. they think, observe and act sensibly. Companies are feeling the effects of change. They have seen that traditional marketing methods no longer give them the expected results. They are therefore asking themselves how they can change. This is why the Inbound methodology has become a decisive factor in tackling the process, because this is where the new ways of selling are to be found.
are companies adapting fast enough? The future may be now.
