Sales Guide for Small Businesses: The greatest product, most reliable and effective service, or most efficient manufacturing process doesn’t mean anything if there are no sales.
Selling the product or service leads to revenue and without revenue there is no business.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Sales Planning
A sales plan is a critical tool which helps set goals and identify where and how work should be done to generate revenue. It is a strategy that helps identify the potential customers, establish goals, and to lay out sales and marketing tactics needed to meet the goal.
Sales goals of a company defines what they are trying to achieve and what their focal point of the business is on. Individual goals for salespeople are established based on their skills, knowledge, and abilities. In the sales plan, the potential avenues of contact should be identified such as media advertisement, classified listing, or direct mail.
It should be kept in mind not to set any unrealisticly high targets that can be hard to achieve or which can backfire.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: What tactics are used to make sales?
It should be determined which sales activities work best for a particular product or service. Once it has been determined that demand
A major avenue to focus sales is to move to online channels. Social media has become a key aspect of any sales and marketing plan. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are essential to the success of any product/service.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Customer Relationship Management Systems
Business use customer relationship management software which helps to identify new customers, automate and track various sales or trend activities, and to develop sales opportunities. It is an industry standard needed in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Due to social media and other internet tools, the CRM can create, operate, or outsources at little or no cost while the profitability and customer loyalty increases.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Research Methods
A
-Arslan Rafiq, CEO Sentient Solutionscustomer centric or customer firstapproch is paramount for sucess.
By listening to the customer’s needs it will be clear what needs to be sold. There are two basic methods of marketing research known as primary and secondary.
Primary research is when information is gathered directly from potential customers through the use of surveys, focus groups, or other methods. The information can easily be accessed by the firm or a specialist can be hired. Whereas, secondary research is when information is taken from studying the business, statistics, reports, and other data from government agencies, trade groups, and other business associations. The information can easily be accessed from a local library or the internet on related trade associations and organizations, local population demographics, and other critical information.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: The Elevator Pitch
Once the research phase is completed, the next step is to use that information to shape the marketing and promotion strategies. It is an important component
The elevator pitch should be given to a relevant customer. It should begin with a brief introduction of the business and the product. An example should be given regarding why the product or service is valuable. The contact should be included with a question like, “”Would you like to hear more? We can set up a time for a meeting or an online presentation.”
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Sell without selling
A sales strategy that is effective, explains the benefits of the product or service to the customers. This is done while giving them the sense that they are making the choice based on the information they are provided with. It should be kept in mind that high-pressure tactics usually alienate potential customers. No one likes when the product or service is forced on them.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Sales Tips
Some of the general sales tips to remember are:
- If you don’t believe in the product, no one will.
- Be clear and direct in order to get the message across.
- There is a fine line between what is and isn’t too much sale pressure. Once that line is overstepped than it is hard to regain the trust and respect of the customer. Therefore, “applying pressure” is an art which should be used but with finesse.
- Have a convincing marketing presentation that should be informative, direct, and brief.
- The customer’s questions should be answered directly and clearly.
- Humor should be used where it is appropriate in a professional manner. It should be kept in mind that a joke that might be funny for one can be offensive for the other so humor should be used with extreme caution.
- No one is perfect and no matter how good the sales technique is there is always room for improvement.
Sales Guide for Small Businesses: Common Sales Mistakes
Although there are many “DO’s” in marketing there are a few “Don’ts” that need to be kept in mind.
- The customer shouldn’t be ignored. They should have an opportunity to ask questions and they should be involved in the presentations.
- Don’t profile the customer without talking to them. Since each person is an individual and time should be taken out to find out who they really are. The marketing message shouldn’t be based on someone’s physical characteristics or social relationships.
- Don’t make assumptions.
- Any questions regarding the product or service should be answered and one shouldn’t be ignorant about the product.
- Don’t forget to follow up since it helps the customer feel important.
