If you’re in sales, do you want potential clients to immediately think of you when they’re in the market for your product or service? Do you wish it took you less time to close deals?
There is a part of the selling process that is overlooked by many sales professionals. Those who implement it have a high sales volume, an easier time getting a prospect to say “yes” and enjoy a business of repeat and referral clients.
It’s called indoctrination.
Now, I realize that you may be confused by this word. You may even have a negative association with it.
Let me explain. Indoctrination is a word that simply means “a process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.”
In sales, these beliefs may sound like this:
- “From what I've heard, James is an expert in his field and his clients rave about him.”
- “If I were to ever be in the market for X, I’d go see Mark first!”
- “Jennifer is a trustworthy sales professional and goes the extra mile to help her customers.”
What if potential clients had these beliefs about you, even if they’ve never bought from you before? This is where the process of indoctrination comes in. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, if you’re in sales, you can learn how to add indoctrination to your process.
Main Goals
The main goal of the indoctrination process is to tell prospects who you are, build trust, and convince them that of all the choices in the market they should choose you to do business with.
Another goal is to take those who may be in the market for your product or services through these stages: unaware of who you are; becoming aware; becoming familiar; like you; trust you; want to do business with you; choose you.
Key Components
There are many ways to educate and indoctrinate your market about you. Here are the main components:
1. Educational Content
Educational content includes helpful information, tips or how-tos that are related to choosing or buying your product.
You need to do what’s known as educational or content marketing and start sharing your expert knowledge. If you’re in real estate, offer tips for first-time home buyers. If you’re a financial advisor, describe the best ways to save for retirement. The idea is to share information that will be of immediate value.
Where exactly could you do it? There are many places and ways for a sales consultant to educate his or her audience: writing a blog, writing articles for industry publications, volunteering for interviews with local TV or radio stations, sharing tips on social media, posting videos on YouTube, or speaking at the local Chamber of Commerce. Think of places where you could reach your target market.
2. Reviews And Testimonials
Reviews and testimonials are a critical part of the indoctrination process. If you already have reviews, you may not be using them properly. If you don’t have reviews, start asking for them today.
You need to have them in several places, such as your Facebook’s business page, popular review sites (e.g., Google, Yelp) and industry-specific review sites.
3. Certifications And Awards
If you have achievements in your profession, share them. Make sure they’re listed on your website, business page or mentioned in your educational articles.
Basic Steps To Indoctrination
A potential client will go through the following steps if you use indoctrination:
- Prospects come across your info, such as your how-to video or blog.
- They decide if they like you based on what they read or watch.
- If they like you, they’ll want to know more and contact you or look for more of your content.
- When they contact you, they already have some familiarity with your process and your personality and therefore become an easier prospect to convert.
For some customers, indoctrination begins long before they reach out to you, and for others, it may begin when they contact you. If they contact you without knowing anything about you, you should send them recommended content, allowing them to get to know you prior to their appointment or making a decision to buy.
Example Of Indoctrination
Here is what the entire process looks like for a sales professional who understands indoctrination:
Robert is an automotive sales consultant. He posts weekly videos with car buying tips on his YouTube channel. His recent video includes tips for college students. Megan, a college senior, saw his video while searching for information on how to buy a car.
Robert’s video immediately resonated with Megan. He offered several tips she hadn’t considered. And he also seemed like a friendly person. Megan googled Robert and saw that he had a lot of positive online reviews. One review caught her eye. It was titled “New car for my first job!” The review was from a recent college graduate who bought a car from Robert a week ago. It ended with, “I know you have so many things to worry about when graduating and Robert makes buying a car super easy. I recommend him!”
Megan called Robert and set an appointment. After the call, Robert sent her more videos and testimonials of first-time buyers and asked Megan to watch them before coming in. Robert helped Megan find the perfect car, and when he asked her for a review, she was happy to create a video testimonial, because she knew how helpful those were in her own decision.
Adding indoctrination to your sales process lets your market know who you are and how you can help. It will attract those who will be happy to do business with you. When they contact you, they already like you and trust you, which makes the entire process friendlier and more efficient.
