To expand, and even to survive, every SME has to become comfortable with selling their services. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 89% of UK businesses that started in 2017 survived into 2018, yet of those businesses that started in 2013 only about 42% were still operational. For your business to survive long-term you must be aware of how best to market yourself as well as be flexible enough to engage in newer methods for marketing and sales as they become available.
How Making Sales Has Changed
Go back a couple of decades and you can see how far we’ve come in the process of selling to customers. In the days of going door to door field sales and cold calling, being a salesperson often meant a disorganised system where each person had to do their own research and marketing, with little information shared between each team member and no underlying strategy to guide them. These methods were hugely labour intensive, expensive, and had less guarantee of a successful sale which in turn led to poor ROI.
The process of making a sale today is more streamlined and adaptable, but also requires more knowledge and research to be successful. The Internet has not only changed the sales landscape but also the effectiveness of marketing methods. Prospects are savvier when it comes to different marketing techniques, and social media, online reviews and mobile-based content has meant that newer methods are needed in order to avoid appearing out of touch.
Steps To Consider When Making Sales
1) Know Yourself
You should understand what your business is about before you try to sell yourself. Your content and marketing messages should reflect a clear knowledge of your brand, your product, and your USP so that you can convince prospects to give you their time and business.
2) Identify Your Customers
Once you know how to promote yourself you should find out who you are trying to promote your business to. Building buyer personas for your prospects will help you figure out the right strategies that will work in turning them into customers.
3) Formulate A Marketing Strategy
When you understand what you are selling and who you are selling it to, you can establish the methods that will best work in bringing those customers in. Use data and research to determine which methods will help you reach maximum sales.
4) Establish An Online Presence
Your customers will be more likely to trust your business if you have an established presence online. A website isn’t sufficient. Expand your market reach through social media, blogs or other content which will not only lend authority to your brand but also help you form ongoing relationships with your customers, leading to greater trust. The more visible you are online, the easier you’ll be to find when a prospect needs your help.
5) Optimise Your Strategy
As you continue making sales it is important to go back and revise your strategies and change and refine where necessary. Not only will certain strategies produce better results than others, but as time goes on and methods for reaching your audience change, sales methods need to be adapted to enable your business to remain at the top of its game.
Finding Long-Term Success Through Sales
Whether or not your business remains lucrative in the long-term depends on how well you can adapt to an ever-changing market. While methods for making sales have evolved, a personal touch, response communication and value for money are as important now as they have ever been. Through digital marketing your can harness the expansive power of the Internet with a deep level of personalisation. To find out more, please speak with one of our sales and marketing experts today.
Image source: Pixabay
