In a Sales Slump? Blog Your Way to Success

You do the same thing every day. Prospecting. Lead generation. Follow-up calls. Demo meetings. Sometimes the 9-to-5 gets daunting, repetitive, stale, or just plain old.

So it's time to mix it up.  

I see results from putting pen to paper, outside of hitting my sales quota. As a bonus, blogging helps me stay relevant in my career and gives me time to reflect and refine ideas I often convey to my prospects.

Just as you likely do, I have interests outside of hitting my quota month-to-month. Blogging lets me get my thoughts and learnings out -- which hopefully helps others in sales learn something too.

Why Sales Reps Should Be Bloggers

Every sales rep should blog. Whether it's for the company website, or a personal blog that ties into your career interests and objectives, there are plenty of perks.  

Showcase your personality.

I'm obsessed with being a different kind of sales rep. Banish the thought of a stuffy business suit tucked away in a dingy cubicle with a phone glued to her ear. Sales reps need to be more human if they want to sell the way buyers want to be sold to.

When I talk to somebody on the phone, my personality shines. Why? Because many of my prospects have already read my blog posts on HubSpot, or on my blog, the WomenPreneurs. My passion for the tech industry, women in sales, and inbound marketing is undeniable. Blogging can give you a voice that can be shared outside of your 9-to-5.  

You don't want to sound like you are selling something just to sell something. Come across as helpful and real; Your blog posts can be a great way to help you follow up on conversations you’re having in the sales process.

Move the sales process forward.

Each day you have calls and meetings where you say the same things over and over again. Jot down those topics. Those are things you should be blogging about. Those are questions you'd have to answer in follow-up emails anyway, right? If you need that content often, it's only going to help the sales process if you write the information in a blog post format.  

As you notice trends in the conversations you have with prospects and colleagues, convert the information into a helpful blog post. Then, use it. Email it. Share it. Post it.  

Become an expert in your industry.

As you blog on a particular niche, you develop a voice and stature in your industry. I think there's two different ways to think about it:  

• You could potentially start ranking high in searches for topics related to your industry. People will find your content and look to you as an expert in that topic. You know those top bloggers you see indexed over and over in Google? Strive for that!
• As you write about the same topics multiple times, share the content. Distribute your blog posts where like-minded professionals hangout. You'll develop a voice thanks to your blog presence, professional Twitter account, or LinkedIn profile.  

For example, I have a dedicated Twitter account for my blog, the WomenPreneurs, that's about women in tech. They work off of each other very well and help me not only as an employee of HubSpot but also as just a person working in my industry. My blogging has direct impact on my daily job at HubSpot and helps me sell better and smarter, but it also helps me outside of work.

Solidify your professional online presence.

When you blog, you're building a catalog of information. As you grow the educational assets for your company, it helps them get more pages up and build credibility in the industry. When prospects turn to the HubSpot website for information, they see I'm taking an active role in the company's growth by blogging.  

But, blogging also creates a solid foundation for your individual presence online. Blog posts written by you transcend any company boundaries; Your voice is your voice. Your knowledge and insight lasts longer than a job title and may help you with future career endeavors.  

Hone your marketing skills.

Let's face it, sometimes you don't have the marketing tools that you need at the exact moment you need them. So, be innovative. Use blogging to further your message and supplement sales tactics.

Work with your marketing department to learn what topics they're tackling. Give them ideas. If you're more involved in the blogging process, they'll come to you and ask questions. In turn you'll have a great impact on what marketing creates. When you align sales and marketing, you'll also understand the company's priorities better.  

If you don't have a marketing department, take the initiative and go after it yourself. Make goals for what you're creating and work on those things in conjunction with your company goals.  

Have I convinced you to spend a little time extra time at the keyboard? In my next post I'll give you some innovative blog topic sources.  

Have you already blogged for your company website? Tell me in the comments below how it's impacted your career and online authority. I love success stories!