Regardless of what you call it—marketing materials, sales collateral, leave behinds, sales tools—collateral still works. Collateral still influences purchasing decisions, distinguishes brands, tells stories and communicates competitive differentiators. Collateral matters.

For companies of nearly all sizes, marketing materials—even print materials—are a must-have. But you may be having a difficult time convincing would-be buyers of this reality. Fear not! We have solutions to this too-common dilemma. Here are the first four reasons why collateral matters to companies’ bottom lines. Use them to craft your own convincing argument.

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1. You have to have collateral.
Admittedly, this starts out as the lamest reason. Tools for their own sake rarely make sense, but the defense gets better.

When the client gets a call from a prospective buyer, partner or investor requesting more information, what do they have to send? That embarrassing tri-fold brochure they just ran off the printer? Maybe some direct mail postcards from the tradeshow in ’08? Or better yet, some of their partners’ materials they’ve been using.

Even if they don’t expect to have a massive request for sales materials, they will have requests. If they don’t have some semblance of professional materials that speak to what they bring to the market, they simply won’t be taken seriously. Nor should they.

I worked with one client in particular whose VP told us she’s sure they got significant business because of the quality of the materials the agency created for them. They know appointments were created and sales were made based on the quality of the marketing materials. We don’t always receive this level of quantification from our clients, but isn’t it great when we do?

Flukes happen too. I worked with a company that made a major sale from a brochure their client’s predecessor left in his office. It was picked up by his replacement, meetings were initiated and a sale was made. The point is, if they’re done well, these materials can live on long after your client sends them out or has their pitch meeting.

If you can’t sell them on the points above, ask them what they plan to take to tradeshows, conferences and career fairs? Just because they can print off those trifolds and lovingly fold them in the office doesn’t mean they should.

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2. Collateral materials as competitive tools.
Have you ever been underwhelmed by the investment a large company has made in the quality of their marketing materials? Of course you have. It happened most recently to me last week.

Some companies spend so much time, energy and money to be competitive. They make smart hiring decisions, ponder over successful growth strategies and collect competitive intelligence. They build five year plans to trounce the competition and gain market share. But what these offenders don’t do is make the investment in marketing themselves to successfully sell against these competitors.

They miss the opportunity to deliver their value proposition and competitive differentiators through compelling marketing materials. They miss the chance to show their audience how they can increase their revenue, make their lives easier or save them money by telling them how they’ve done it for others. They miss the chance to position themselves ahead of their competitors as the obvious choice.

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3. High value products = high end materials.
Another pitfall is selling high dollar products, services and solutions, but failing to recognize the large gap between the value of what they’re delivering and the quality of their marketing materials.

You can boldly point out this no-brainer to your would-be client by reminding them of the price tag of their products or services. Delicately ask them to consider the sophistication of their products and the level of the decision makers they’re trying to reach. Ask them to honestly assess whether their marketing materials are up to the challenge, or if they serve as a liability. Then allow them to draw the conclusion.

4. Look the part.
Companies of all sizes need to be concerned about perception. For small companies this is often a specific challenge. For small companies looking to penetrate an industry, bring a product to market, and/or compete against entrenched players, they need to look the part. Their sales materials can’t beg the question, “how long have you been in business?” or “do you have the capability to meet our needs?” Because if they do, the sale is lost.

Marketing materials are an effective way for smaller companies to deliver their unique selling proposition to buyers. Good materials can make even small and mid-size players look like leaders in their industries. If your client is serious about making traction in a market, these materials must send that message.

Come back next time for four (or more) ways you can convince your clients and prospects that collateral still matters.

Becky Sheetz-Runkle is a marketing strategist and copywriter, and an advocate for measurable marketing. She’s based in the Washington, D.C. metro area and can be reached at bsheetz@q2marketing.com.