Salespeople spend a significant amount of time talking to customers, meaning they are an SEO research goldmine. Image: Flickr / plenty / CC-BY

For many companies, the salespeople are the backbone of everyday business. The tips and tricks that a good sales force develop can be a goldmine for internet marketers.

Get a feel for what works

Salespeople often have a pitch, a pattern and certain keywords  they use on every call or during other sales conversations. This script, even if it isn’t written down, can be used as a guide for what key points generally resonate with potential customers.

Identify a niche

Niche markets are not always obvious. Salespeople can often have a good idea of which niche markets may offer an opportunity for your product or service. You, as a marketer or SEO person, may also be able to help the salespeople identify and get into a new niche market.

Sync the cycle

The sales cycle of a prospect and the sales funnel of your website should be synched. By answering the same basic questions on the website that your salespeople are consistently answering, you both improve the likelihood that your salespeople get qualified leads and make sure that your website is answering the questions people want answered.

Get feedback

Make sure you get feedback from salespeople about more than just whether a lead turned into a sale or not. Track where the lead came from and what kind of questions that lead asked. The salesperson’s feedback can help you improve landing pages and conversions.

Get nuanced keywords

Keyword research can’t always uncover the most nuanced view of possible keywords. Salespeople can often give insight into the ways people are looking for or finding your company, and those insights can help you drill down further into the keywords that online research would not be able to uncover.

What if you don’t have a sales force?

If you are a tiny company without a specific sales person, you can still make use of a salespeople’s  insights. Contact a salespeople and tell them about your company and products; ask what they would do to sell your product and put that information to use.