Sales Collateral Definition: Sales collateral encompasses all assets and resources that facilitate the sale of a company’s offerings. These materials provide potential customers with information about a product or service’s value, persuading them to make a purchase.Are you seeking strategies to enhance the sales process and advance prospects through the sales funnel? Sales collateral is the answer. It serves as an effective tool for sales representatives to persuade potential buyers of the value of your products or services.Sales collateral can build trust and credibility with prospects by providing educational and engaging content, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue for your company. Let’s delve deeper into what sales collateral entails and explore examples you can leverage to enhance your sales efforts.This article covers the following topics:
What is sales collateral?
How does sales collateral impact revenue growth?
Types of sales collateral with real-life examples
Let’s proceed.Sales collateral refers to the collection of materials and resources utilized by sales professionals to engage with prospects and clients. This includes flyers, presentations, demos, and other materials designed to inform and persuade customers.Sales collateral is crucial for boosting your company’s revenue. By offering compelling, high-quality marketing materials, your sales team can effectively communicate your company’s value proposition and differentiate it from competitors, thereby increasing sales, improving conversion rates, and driving revenue.Additionally, marketing materials can be a powerful strategy for generating and nurturing leads. By developing focused materials that address prospects’ specific needs and pain points, you can attract and engage qualified leads, guide them through the buyer’s journey, and convert them into loyal customers.Investing in top-notch marketing materials can significantly enhance your business’s financial performance, fostering growth and success.Sales collateral can take various forms and serve different purposes. Examples include:
Product spec sheets
Product demos
White papers
Case studies
Brochures
Email templates
Social media posts
Infographics
Sales scripts
Video content
Product spec sheets are a type of sales collateral that provide comprehensive details about a product’s features, specifications, and benefits. Sales teams can use these documents to inform prospects about the technical aspects of a product and help them understand how it can meet their unique needs.Accuracy and timeliness are paramount for a product spec sheet. Present the information straightforwardly and emphasize the most crucial details. Your product specification sheet should include the following significant facts:
Product dimensions
Weight
Materials
Certifications or standards met
Highlighting unique or cutting-edge features that differentiate the product from competitors is also beneficial.Real-life example:The iPhone’s specifications page is an excellent example of a well-designed spec sheet. The Apple product sheet provides in-depth specifications on the device’s size, weight, construction, and compliance with several industry standards and certifications. It also emphasizes the iPhone’s distinctive qualities, such as its A14 Bionic processor and Super Retina XDR screen.
Apple’s attention to detail and commitment to innovation set the iPhone apart from competing smartphones and contribute to its widespread popularity. The product specification sheet equips buyers with all the data they need to make informed decisions and feel confident about their smartphone choice.Product demonstrations are a highly effective type of sales material. They allow clients to gain hands-on experience with your product, helping them understand its value. To achieve this, you can:
Provide a live demonstration
Offer a virtual reality experience
Create a video demo
Provide a free trial
Product demos are particularly beneficial for complex or technically advanced products that require a higher level of understanding. They can also be used to highlight new or cutting-edge features that may not be as evident from marketing materials alone.Real-life example:Tesla’s introduction of the Model 3 electric vehicle is a real-life example of a successful product showcase. Elon Musk offered live demos in Tesla’s showroom locations, allowing prospective buyers to personally experience the vehicle’s features and performance. This strategy demonstrated the car’s remarkable acceleration and handling while demystifying the technology.
Prospects could ask questions and receive prompt responses from skilled salespeople during the live demos, fostering trust and confidence in the product. This live demo led to over 500,000 pre-orders for the Model 3.White papers demonstrate a company’s expertise while educating prospects on complex subjects. They often include in-depth analysis and research and are longer than other sales materials. White papers can contain the following information:
The benefits of the offering
Industry trends
Statistics to support the claims made
White papers have various uses in sales, from generating leads to finalizing negotiations. In addition to using them as-is, your team can transform them into blog posts or infographics to increase their exposure and utility.Real-life example:Microsoft, a well-known software developer, often releases helpful white papers. Their white papers provide in-depth research and analysis to support their solutions and cover a variety of subjects, including cloud computing and cybersecurity. Microsoft has established itself as an industry leader and subject matter expert through its white papers.
Microsoft has established credibility and trust with its target audience by providing valuable information and insights, resulting in higher sales and dedicated customers. Millions of people have downloaded Microsoft’s white papers, making them an effective tool in their marketing strategy.Case studies explain how a company’s product or service has benefited a specific client or resolved a particular issue. Your business can use them to demonstrate the effectiveness of your offerings and provide real-world examples of how they can benefit prospects.Case studies typically include details about:
The customer’s problems
The company’s solution
The outcomes
Additionally, case studies often feature customer quotes or testimonials, which can establish credibility with new clients. Your case studies can include indicators such as cost savings, increased revenue, or improved efficiency to provide verifiable proof of the effectiveness of your company’s product or service.Real-life example:Nutshell is one business that has effectively utilized case studies to showcase the benefits of its products. These case studies demonstrate how their customer relationship management (CRM) software has helped organizations streamline sales processes, boost sales, and develop deeper customer relationships.
Nutshell convinces prospects of its product’s value by providing testimonials from satisfied customers and data on the effectiveness of its implementation. Moreover, Nutshell’s case studies often include a thorough examination of the specific challenges its clients encountered before implementing the CRM software and how Nutshell could assist them in overcoming those challenges.Brochures are one of the most widely used types of sales collateral for businesses. They typically consist of a single paper sheet folded in half or thirds to form a small booklet. You can use brochures at trade exhibitions and conferences to provide an overview of your company’s offerings. You can also distribute them to prospects or include them in sales kits.Brochures can be used to:
Highlight your company’s products or services
Emphasize your unique selling points (USPs)
Provide contact information
In addition, your business can produce digital brochures that you can distribute via email or social media. Interactive elements in digital brochures make them more engaging and educational for potential clients by adding videos and links to more information.Real-life examples:RE/MAX is an example of a real estate business that uses sales kits — they provide brochures highlighting their many property listings and services. These booklets provide contact information for potential buyers or sellers and highlight their distinctive selling advantages, such as their skilled agents and international network.
