Your sales strategy is something that can, and should, be re-evaluated from time to time. Oftentimes we see clients that have been using the same sales method or strategy for several years, but have started to see stagnation within their processes and can’t figure out why.
Because buyers are now making purchasing decisions with more information than ever at their fingertips, things have changed, and your sales strategy may need to revised to keep up with the age of information.
Sales Partnerships consults closely with each client to identify which selling method, approach, and skills needed to successfully represent and sell your products and/or services will yield the best results.
Most of our clients have a historical experience or preference that suggests one selling method over another (inside sales vs. outside sales – lead generation vs. email campaigns, etc…). By incorporating these preferences into our recommendations, we work with you to ensure that your direct sales investments will generate the best return on investment (ROI) possible.
Some factors to consider when deciding what type of sales strategy will be best for your business going forward include:
- The scope and size of your market.
For most businesses, the concept of market sizing and scoping is readily understood, but not easily accomplished. Companies can often get stuck on establishing boundaries before they even get to the data analysis and implications of their research. Read this article for more information on sizing your market. - The level of direct marketing support.
How much marketing support do you have? Is your sales strategy focused on taking your inbound leads through the proper marketing stages and down the funnel before they hear anything from a rep, or is your sales team struggling to do it all? Read this article for more information on how marketing and sales can work seamlessly together. - Brand recognition.
Does your company’s reputation and brand stack up against the big names in your industry? Your ultimate goal should be to have your target market first think of you, and your company, when they are ready to buy. Read this article to learn 10 ways you can better your brand recognition now! - The complexity of your product or service.
In the last decade the complexity of product offerings and packages has drastically increased. This can largely be attributed to the evolution of solution selling. Salespeople, especially in the B2B world, rarely sell one stand along product (like cars). Instead they sell the solution to a problem. Read more here. - The number of touch points needed to close a deal.
The 6-8 touches it takes to qualify a lead are crucial components of the lead nurturing process. They allow marketing the opportunity to educate and inform prospects as they move through each stage in the buying journey. These touch points are opportunities to prepare leads for the final stage in the buying journey, the point of decision-making. - The ease of access to decision makers.
The relevance of having access to key decision makers in large deals is increasing, but different decision makers perceive your company’s relevance and value differently. Sometimes you may have access to the business leader you are targeting, but your message doesn’t speak to them. Other times you may not have the access to the decision maker you want, but the messaging would be perfect for them. Read this article to learn how to gain better access to key decision makers. - Customer expectations.
What do your customers, and potential customers, expect from your products or services? Achieving excellent sales and high customer satisfaction has to start with understanding your customer expectations. You need to know who your customers are and what they want. Read this article to learn more about customer expectations and how to meet, or even exceed them. - Your competitors’ selling practices.
It’s more important than ever for salespeople, and your brand, to stand out from the competition. By being more distinct than competitors, your best sales all-star can bypass your potential prospect’s predictable defense pattern and close more deals. Read more about beating the competition by selling less here.
There are many other factors to consider when deciding which direction to go or whether a sales strategies can, and should, be considered for incorporation into your marketing plans. Sales Partnerships can help guide you in your decision making and can provide services and support options to suit both strategies. Find out more here.
Sales Strategies Extra: Should I Sell Direct, Choose a Distributor, or Use a Reseller?
Resellers and distributors are excellent extensions of your product marketing and sales efforts, and should be considered in any expansion of your marketing plan. However, the direct selling, distribution, and reseller options are very different approaches, with each possessing its own relative strengths and weaknesses.
Distribution and reseller channels are an excellent way to greatly expand your product sales reach when your product or brand is very mature, has a clear support and implementation path, is well understood and recognized in the market, or is best sold in conjunction with other products and services (a value added sale) that you don’t or can’t provide yourself.
On the other hand, high level direct selling provides the advantages of loyalty and a singular focus on your products in spite of any competitive pressures or product support and fulfillment challenges, customer ambassadorship and brand building, and a strong feedback mechanism to help drive product development and support mechanisms.
With Sales Partnerships as your partner, your sales strategy will exercise a much higher degree of control over the volume of sales activity, product presentation, placement, messaging, and customer experience.