Best Practices for Winning with the Engage Platform

Looking for some best practice when using Engage? Look no further! 

When to Start?

A workspace can be opened any time during the sales process. But a recommended practice is to create a workspace when the a lead has been qualified and the first discovery meeting is scheduled. This allows the workspace to be used early and often in the sales journey.

1. The person scheduling the meeting should tell the prospect during the scheduling process that a custom workspace is being created for them so they can learn more about your company and offerings - making for a more productive first discussion. Have the prospect keep an eye out for an email with a link to the workspace.
2. Immediately create the workspace with information about your company, the sales team and a reminder when the next conversation is scheduled.
3. Send a personal email to the prospect. This email should include a compelling message that lets them know you’ve put this workspace together specifically for them. Generate a personal link for the prospect and add it to the email as a hyperlink. (See instructions HERE. Scroll to #2 - Generate a Personal Link) Tell your contact that if they find this information useful, or if they think of anyone else that should attend your meeting, they can invite others to the workspace by pressing the “Invite” button in the upper right hand corner of the workspace.

When to Follow Up - Persistence Pays Off

Your prospects are busy and even though we'd like to deny it, sometimes you are not their top priority.  Never fear!  Just like any good relationship, your role is to be supportive and add value. If your prospect hasn’t visited their workspace, and depending on your stage in the sales process you have several options:

1. Reply to your last email and include the link again. Be compelling in your message and let them know you’ve added content just for them.
2. Comment on a published module on the workspace. An email will be sent to the contacts on the workspace informing them there's a comment.
3. Post a reminder or an agenda for an upcoming meeting. Use the notification tool to let them know there is new information available.
4. Post an insight that helps establish your company as a leader in your field or sparks their imagination.  Show - don't tell - that you understand their business. 
5. Call them! Engage helps you build relationships with your prospects. But there is no substitute for picking up the phone and connecting.

Be Specific & Bite Sized

A workspace gives your contacts the opportunity to connect with you and your organization in a personalized way. Put some thought into what your contacts want to hear from you.  Then, break up your existing content into smaller pieces that make the most sense for the contact. One example might be, the sharing of your normal company newsletter. Rather than sharing the full newsletter in one shot on the workspace, grab only the article or piece that is relevant to the prospect. These micro bits of content (sometimes called content chunking) are more powerful than generalized pieces.

Video is King

As the saying goes, “More people will see the movie than read the book.” We love video and it has become an important tool in the sales world. Video is one of the quickest ways to get your message across and also build rapport with a contact. Here are some quick tips for video.

1. Always shoot your video horizontal.
2. Be authentic - we like doing business with our friends. Be friendly and not forced.
3. Keep it short! Most message videos should be at or under a minute. (Not including demos.)
4. Consider taking video with your logo in the background -- or better yet -- your prospects logo on screen.
5. In your text, mention the length of the video. It’s an easy yes for people to commit to watching a 30sec video.

Think Spur of the Moment

Just because you have defined a process for using Engage with your contacts, it doesn’t have to be rigid.  Have you ever been driving around and think of something for a client? Or maybe you are thinking of them due to an event, birthday, illness, etc. OR you just want to thank them. Video yourself on your phone with a personal thought and put in their workspace. The spontaneity of the gesture, delivered in personalized way within a personalized channel/workspace will move mountains!

Invite Others to the Party

One great tool in the Engage platform is the ability for contacts to invite their partners or teammates into their workspace. This is digital networking at its best! Getting all of the decision makers involved early can decrease your time to close by weeks.

Sales is Still About Mastering the Fundamentals

You still need to be a rock star at the basics.

1. Listen
2. Ask great questions
3. Help prospects see the connections
4. Follow up
5. Build relationships
6. Be pleasantly persistent

Other questions? Please click the "HELP?" button in the upper right corner of your Engage screen or contact support.