Sales Strategy - The Route to Revenue
What is a sales strategy? Well, in the simplest terms, it is a guide to how you intend to increase the sales of your product or services and what methods and tools you will use to make that happen.
I reached out to Julie as I identified that we needed sales refresher training. Julie quickly established rapport with my team who were at first a little sceptical. She made each session fun and engaging and ensured she was able to involve all individuals creating action plans that were measurable and achievable. Julie also provided one to one training for a team leader on coaching which is proving to be popular and has improved communication. Whilst it is a little early to be talking results I am confident that the training will have a positive effect on our productivity and results going forward.
Natalie Eichmann – Managing Director – Gilt Edged PromotionsThis is an accurate description, but it is missing some important details and it doesn’t really tell you just how important a good sales strategy is. A sales strategy actually is:
- A blueprint for the success of your business
- A guide that will make you more profitable
- The plan that makes helps your salespeople skyrocket sales
- Achievement in written form - it is the document that defines success
- A sales strategy is more than just a once a year ‘finger in the air’ paperwork exercise and it should be informed by more than the numbers. A good sales strategy is central to your success
Why focus on a good sales strategy?
There is nothing sadder than a sales strategy that has never been implemented. It means that your salespeople and management have been marching to their own beat and that often means not being in sync with the wider company needs. This happens for several reasons but, right at top of the list, is that the strategy itself didn’t hit the mark in the first place. Salespeople love to sell so, if they are not implementing a sales strategy that is there to help them do just that, it should be raising a big red warning flag. In short, if your sales strategy doesn’t work, then your sales team is probably lost and acting outside the company goals, which means they will most likely be struggling to hit targets or fully understand their role. That can lead to unhappy teams, high turnover of staff, and of course, missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Why focus on a good sales strategy? Because without one you are not focussed on sales and that is a situation you never want to be in.
What we can do to help you create a sales strategy
The first thing to remember when you are working on a strategic document like a sale strategy is that there is no such thing as generic. While there are proven techniques and methods to help define a strategy for your sales, they need to be applied to your unique situation. When I sit down with clients, I define the parameters of your market and your business. I need to know what it is you need to achieve so we can find how to meet and exceed that. I need to understand you, your sales team, your world, and what all that means for the strategy. I need to understand the unique ‘you’ of your business. Only then can we work together to create something that will, among other things:
- Use past sales data to inform your current aims
- Define the right customers and markets that will give you the best results
- Identify and address key weaknesses and strengths in your offer and team
- Work with your unique selling proposition to develop a stronger message
- Map out a time specific strategy
- Create working, useable, targets that will create realistic goals for your sales team
I have worked on sales strategies for businesses around the UK and in all kinds of sectors and one thing I can promise you is this:
No business ever lost sales by having a good strategy, but many have by not having one or having one that isn’t right for them.
