{"id":6032,"date":"2022-09-21T13:45:21","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T13:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/"},"modified":"2022-09-21T13:45:21","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T13:45:21","slug":"why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Why sales needs SEO more than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sales always has a voice. Revenues have to grow, and anything else is a failure.<\/p>\n<p>But now, many companies have a near-death experience because the sales landscape has radically changed.<\/p>\n<p>Years ago, a salesperson had a valuable Rolodex. The salesperson nurtured the relationships it represented with calls, visits and likely more. They met up at conferences, happy hours and golf outings. The biggest clients would even get invited to company parties and perhaps retreats.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the Rolodex has evolved into CRMs and the like. But now, it\u2019s just not as useful. The value of a salesperson\u2019s list of names is fundamentally gone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/#What_changed\" >What changed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/#Whos_to_blame\" >Who\u2019s to blame?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/#What_to_do\" >What to do?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever\/#The_most_valuable_salesperson\" >The most valuable salesperson<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_changed\"><\/span>What changed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly forced salespeople to shift their behavior. They could not meet with clients in person anymore. They found that clients working remotely no longer have a receptionist who can personally hand them a message. <\/p>\n<p>The names they carefully gathered no longer answer their phones. But people respond to email and voicemail messages infrequently. <\/p>\n<p>Reaching someone is basically a game of tag until they quit or surrender.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, relationships have often come to a screeching halt. <\/p>\n<p>Sales networking just isn\u2019t as valuable as it once was.<\/p>\n<p>So a salesperson who used to depend on relationships, meetings, conferences and calls is suffering. And where salespeople still have a loud voice, that voice is now grumbling. The lead sources have dried up and their income is taking a beating.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whos_to_blame\"><\/span>Who\u2019s to blame?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If sales can\u2019t meet their numbers, everyone in the company is impacted. So Management looks to Sales and demands an explanation.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it is Marketing\u2019s fault. Their job is to provide leads.<\/p>\n<p>Or it\u2019s Management\u2019s fault. The company should have seen it coming. <\/p>\n<p>Sales executives should have known that their outside sales force was going to suffer, and the company should have invested more heavily in digital lead management. They should have had a survival plan to target new prospects. They should have taken their website to new heights instead of relying on something about to die.<\/p>\n<p>Most salespeople cannot spell SEO or PPC. They have never written content. So regarding the company website, they often have a \u201cbuild it and they will come\u201d expectation (after all, the internet is free, right?).<\/p>\n<p>In their defense, for a long time, an outside sales force could be relied upon to grow revenues. The sales processes got results. Therefore, the \u201cif it isn\u2019t broken then don\u2019t fix it\u201d approach to marketing used to work.<\/p>\n<p>They simply did not know.<\/p>\n<p>So, surprise \u2013 your outside sales team is no longer effective.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They may be going to conferences, but attendance at events is still down by 75%. And the prospects who do attend are not decision-makers.<\/li>\n<li>They may still be calling their (now old) contacts. More likely than not, these people have changed jobs. In any case, the contacts do not answer their calls.<\/li>\n<li>Reaching out to former client companies doesn\u2019t pan out either. The next regime has no idea who you are and certainly has no brand loyalty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And so the business is suffering.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\" type=\"submit\" name=\"submit_button\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_do\"><\/span>What to do?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>How do you solve the drying up of sales? The answer will vary. Or in the mantra of SEO, \u201cIt depends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Somehow you need to generate leads for your sales team. This takes sharpshooter precision, and you have many options depending on your budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/what-is-paid-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">buy ads (PPC)<\/a> and maybe earn some quick wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can buy into the \u201cflood the web with content\u201d approach, with or without a boost from <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/ensure-influencers-help-seo-campaigns-385186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">influencers<\/a> (it may not help, but hey, you have to do something).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You could buy links (but steer clear of this \u2013 it\u2019s the kiss of death). You could accept placed-elsewhere content as sold by snake oil SEOs.<\/p>\n<p>Or you can decide that your survival depends upon doing it right.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_valuable_salesperson\"><\/span>The most valuable salesperson<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So far, it is clear that the world is slow to recover from the impacts of the last few years. The remote work paradigm is not going away, and sales must adapt. Change is needed.<\/p>\n<p>It is also clear that a cheap solution is money wasted. And in some industries, the outside salesperson is doomed if you cannot provide leads.<\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s sales reality, <strong>your company website is your most important salesperson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do SEO as if your survival depends upon it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And whatever you do, do not hire the cheapest solution, thinking there is no difference. <strong>There is a difference<\/strong> if you want to rank on the first page out of 10 million competitors for any keyword that matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here is my favorite analogy for generating leads:<em> <\/em>If you want to catch fish, you must use the bait the fish are biting and fish where the fish are. In practical terms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Define the ideal fish \u2013 a suitable large-fish client, not always a whale.<\/li>\n<li>Find a desired outcome that the ideal fish has been looking to solve.<\/li>\n<li>Build a program that delivers those specific results for that ideal fish.<\/li>\n<li>Find out where the ideal fish are hanging out and put an offer in front of them.<\/li>\n<li>Convert the fish with a pressure-free, trusted expertise sales approach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sounds simple, right? <\/p>\n<p>What is simple is not always easy. An expert SEO consulting services company may be needed to help you get that message to a lot of fish.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then target others, rinse and repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line, if you find that your leads are diminishing, it is likely because your website traffic is suffering. And that is best addressed with SEO.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/why-sales-needs-seo-more-than-ever-388066\" target=\"_blank\">Why sales needs SEO more than ever<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sales always has a voice. Revenues have to grow, and anything else is a failure. But now, many companies have a near-death experience because the sales landscape has radically changed. Years ago, a salesperson had a valuable Rolodex. The salesperson nurtured the relationships it represented with calls, visits and likely more. They met up at conferences, happy hours and golf outings. The biggest clients would even get invited to company parties and perhaps retreats. Of course, the Rolodex has evolved into CRMs and the like. But [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6032\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}