Achieving consistent and greater sales growth requires more than just a great product or service—it demands a strategic approach that aligns with building buyer interest. The solution is a Cross-Through strategy (CTS). Cross-Through offers the first comprehensive sales/buyer strategy. The strategy is designed to augment your sales efforts by integrating the three phases of sales—Presence, Presentation, and Confirmation—with the four stages of buyer interest—Awareness, Alignment, Consideration, and Decision.
Why Cross-Through?
Simply put, Cross-Through ensures that your sales strategy isn't shortsighted by focusing solely on sales efforts but includes developing buyer interest. This combination optimizes the conversion of sales potential into actual sales, from the moment a buyer becomes aware of your brand, service, or product to the decision-making phase. It doesn’t just bridge the gap between seller initiatives and buyer motivation; it creates an integrated process that is superior to a unilateral approach, driving both sales growth and customer loyalty.
Cross-Through works for virtually any business, including ecommerce, because it addresses the fundamental phases of sales and stages of buyer interest that are essential to every business – for every sale!
Why is Traditional Sales Falling Short?
Traditional sales strategies often focus on singular aspects of the sales process, such as lead generation, closing techniques, or customer relationship management. While these approaches can be effective in specific areas, they tend to overlook the value of synergy in a sales operation and the various aspects the buyer experience—from initial awareness to a final decision. Here’s how Cross-Through stands apart as a comprehensive sales strategy:
Traditional Sales:
Singular Focus: Traditional approaches often prioritize one aspect of a sales process, like generating leads or closing deals, or buyer experience.
Disjointed Experience: The buyer experience can feel fragmented as they encounter inconsistent support and messages across touchpoints in the sales process.
Reactive Approach: Traditional methods tend toward being reactive to buyers rather than proactive in guiding buyers and mindful about building their interest.
Cross-Through Strategy:
Comprehensive Approach: Cross-Through encompasses all stages of building buyer interest through the essential phases of sales work.
Seamless Experience: By maintaining consistent messaging and guiding buyers, Cross-Through promotes a comfortable, positive experience for the seller.
Proactive Engagement: Cross-Through anticipates buyer concerns and questions and proactively delivers useful information at every stage.
Here's an analogy to illustrate the difference: Imagine you're planning a dinner party. With the traditional sales approach, planning and shopping for groceries is random and led by impulses.
You might forget crucial ingredients because you're not focused on the complete recipe, considering the guests' preferences and the overall dining experience. This is similar to missing important steps in the sales process, leading to incomplete customer engagement.
You might end up with duplicate items or mismatched ingredients because you weren't considering the overall needs of the entrée. This mirrors how traditional sales strategies often lack coherence, resulting in disjointed efforts that don't align with the customer's needs.
The shopping experience is frustrating and time-consuming. You wander through aisles, backtracking for forgotten items, just as traditional sales strategies can lead to wasted time and effort without clear direction or purpose.
The Cross-Through approach, on the other hand, is like having a well-defined vision of the evening and a detailed plan for each course of the meal. Unlike the traditional, scattered sales improvement approaches, Cross-Through avoids those pitfalls. Here’s how:
First, it focuses on the complete picture—sales efforts + buyer interest. This allows you to develop strategies for each point in sales from two essential perspectives.
Next, Cross-Through promotes integration of sales efforts with regard for building buyer interest. This creates a positive and consistent experience for the buyer throughout the sales process and buyer process!
Understanding the Cross-Through Framework
Cross-Through gets its name from the intersection between the stages of conversion (how sales occur) and the development of a prospective buyer’s interest to buy. There are four phases of buyer interest that must be developed through three phases of selling a product or service.
The Four Stages of Buyer Interest
1. Awareness: Buyers need to know that a seller exists and that this awareness should inspire their interest to learn more. Effective marketing and outreach efforts are vital.
2. Alignment: This stage revolves around identification, where buyers feel understood, trust, and develop a connection with the seller. Build trust by demonstrating you understand their needs and interests, and aligning your brand values with theirs.
3. Considerations: Here, sellers address the rational side of winning buyer interest. The key involves distinguish yourself from competitors by addressing the specific interests.
4. Decision: After the Considerations phase, secure the sale by meeting buyer expectations with clear terms, support, delivery options, incentives, and an easy transaction process.
The Three Phases of Sales Efforts
Presence:
Definition: How a seller makes a brand, product, or service known to prospective buyers.
Presence is about sales exposure and the channels used—such as articles, advertisements, email campaigns, phone calls, networking, guest appearances, interviews, collaboration with partners, and work of affiliates—to connect with prospective clients or customers. Sellers must proactively reach out to prospective buyers or ensure their business is easily discoverable by the target audience.
Goal: if presence is effective, buyer awareness leads to intrigue, and interest to know more
2. Presentation:
Definition: How a seller positions (portrays and differentiates) and presents a brand, product, or service. Presentation addresses why your product or service is needed or of value and how it is placed or represented in various channels (refer to presence).
Presentation has to do with how a prospective buyer experiences your presence. Sellers must communicate the "what," "why," and "how" of their offer, targeting the right audience. Effective branding, messaging, associations, location, and presentation are aspects of Presentation.
Goal: if Presentation is effective, alignment with a buyer is achieved and their favor is gained (an emotional connection is made). Additionally, effective presentation satisfies purchase considerations and provides justification (create a connection based on rationale) to further a buyer’s perception of a seller’s value.
3. Confirmation:
Definition: How a seller processes and confirms a sale.
Every seller must have some means by which to secure sales.
Goal: if Confirmation is effective, buyers perceive benefits, (2) feel clear about what they can expect from buying, and (3) make a decision about buying.
Practical Application: Create Your Cross-Through Strategy
Now that you understand Cross-Through, let's talk about creating this comprehensive strategy for sales growth in your business!
Again, the Cross-Through strategy isn't directly about selling a product or service; it's about connecting with potential buyers in a way that drives their interest to buy from you! By refining your Cross-Through strategy, you can effectively engage buyers at each stage of their buying process. As you advance through the four stages of buyer interest (Awareness, Alignment, Consideration, Decision) with the three core phases of your sales approach (Presence, Presentation, Confirmation), your strategy will achieve four key objectives. These objectives represent the keys to reliable sales success:
Intrigue/interest: This initiates their interest in you – your brand, product, service
Win favor: Establish an emotional connection that promotes trust and likability.
Perception of offering value: This establishes a rational connection with buyers
Perception of offering benefit: This will allow you to secure sales
It's important to recognize the difference between value, which involves the evaluation of cost, and benefit, which centers on the practical advantages gained from a purchase decision. This distinction is vital in effectively communicating your overall worth to potential buyers.
The Steps:
Note: Your presence crosses-through awareness to create intrigue. Your presentation crosses-through both alignment and considerations to win favor and create a perception of value. Confirmation crosses-through decision to secure sales by creating a perception of benefit.
1. Presence + Awareness: Cross-through buyer awareness to spark intrigue. This generates buyer interest.
Test outreach and marketing messages to ensure they engage or make your brand visible to potential buyers. Your success at step One will spark buyer interest in you—your brand, product, or service.
Key aspects of Presence include:
Online visibility through social media activity, online ads, SEO, etc.
Outreach approaches such as networking, email campaigns, and initial phone calls.
Physical presence at store locations, trade shows, including greetings and processes.
Key aspects of Awareness that develop a buyer’s interest in a seller include:
Discoverability
Intrigue factor (this could involve Peripheral Selling and Gestalt strategies)
2. Presentation + Alignment: Cross-through alignment with a buyer to earn their favor. Favor follows from identifying with and having confidence in a seller.
Position yourself or your brand and offer in a way that resonates with your target audience, inspiring trust and likability. Your success at step Two will gain buyers' favor, positioning them well for step Three.
Key aspects of the Presentation stage include:
Associations, imagery, colors, video content
Value statements
Endorsements
Soundtracks
Key aspects of Alignment that develop a buyer’s interest in a seller include:
Brand identity, ethos
Associations, values, and beliefs
Reliability, reputation, and authenticity
3. Presentation + Consideration: Cross-through a buyer’s considerations to be perceived as offering value.
Communicate your offer and how you stand out from competitors. Your success at step Three will convince buyers of your value, but there's one more hurdle to cross.
Key aspects of this stage include:
Communication channels
Appeal to or identification with the target audience
Explanation of why the offer is of value and how the service or product works
Declaration of benefits, expectations, support, etc.
Key aspects of Consideration that develop a buyer’s interest in a seller include:
Price and quality
Testimonials and reviews
Comparisons with competitors: features, benefits, applications, etc.
Service and conveniences
4. Confirmation + Decision: Cross-through a buyer’s decision criteria to be perceived as offering benefit.
Provide a seamless and reassuring purchasing process, backed by strong customer service and guarantees. Success at step Four secures sales.
Key aspects of the Confirmation stage include:
Addressing concerns
Gaining buy-in
Incentivizing
Creating urgency to secure a commitment to buy
Key aspects of Decision that develop a buyer’s interest in a seller include:
Terms and conditions
Options for purchase processes (cash, check, invoice, credit card, online payment gateway)
Guarantees, warranties, returns
Customer support
Delivery timing and options
Is Cross-Through Right for You?
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you want to gain stronger connections with potential customers?
Is a more engaging offer for your target audience a priority?
Does greater discoverability of your offer interest you?
Is building trust and aligning with your audience's values important?
Do you want to stand out from the competition?
Are positive customer reviews and testimonials important?
Is a reliable sales process to secure sales important?
Do you want to showcase the clear advantages you offer over competitors?
If you answered "yes" to any of these, the Cross-Through strategy has the potential to be your game-changer!
The Cross-Through strategy represents a paradigm shift in sales methodology, offering a comprehensive approach that integrates proactive engagement with strategic alignment with buyers. By applying this framework, you can not only improve their sales but also promote loyalty and advocacy among your customers or clients.
Are you ready to transform your sales approach for new growth opportunities? Apply the Cross-Through strategy in your business to empower sales growth!
For personalized guidance on implementing Cross-Through, schedule a consultation. Get answers to your questions. Learn more at Cross-Through.com
Copyright © 2024 Steven Robert Young. All rights reserved.
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