A good sales strategy is usually one of the many reasons why successful businesses thrive. Let’s say you have a product that you want to sell, you might think that the best thing to get your brand out there is to get out onto the streets to try and sell your product, this is great if you’re looking for some customer feedback so that you can work on improvements, not so good if you want to sell. You’ll find out soon enough that you won’t make as many sales, this is because nobody knows who you are and the trust has not been built.
Believe me, back in the olden days it was possible to strap on a bag full of anything, knock on doors and get some sales. In the 21st century, we live in a more digital world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means there are certain things that you need to consider before you try to make yourself known.
There are a million and one things to consider before you head out trying to sell something. You’d need:
- To do your research – is there a gap in the market, who are your competitors, will somebody buy this product?
- To show imagination – you might think that getting out there will show people you’re ballsy and you will therefore gain the respect you deserve, when really this idea generally just lacks imagination, it has been tried and done before.
- To build your brand awareness – this way if you were to knock on the door then people would be excited about this as they will know who you are! You’ve gained the respect, trust and attention that you wanted and then you’re ready to sell as there is an interest to buy that has been built.
- A strong marketing strategy – who are your target market? How are you going to attract their attention?
- Product testing – is your product 100% ready and tested to sell?
- A financial plan – how much are you selling for? Who are your investors? How are you organising any loaned money?
You should have a whole section of sales strategy in your business plan. It doesn’t need to be full of jargon that you don’t really understand, it just needs to cover all aspects with clear and concise points on how your going to grow your business. Strategies are your friends in the beginning.
Plan, plan and plan some more, until you are 100% certain that if you did walk out to sell on the streets you WILL get sales. If you don’t have this confidence yet then you need to work on the points that I’ve raised above.
Hit me up with a phone call so we can get started no your strategies and build up that brand awareness that will help you with your sales strategy.
Brad Channer,
Director, Acceler8me.