Sales strategies
Sales strategies need laser focus and planning.
Back in 1996 when I started my second company, Extreme Group (now Arrivals+Departures Marketing), I was the “chief, cook and bottle washer”. Not only did I have to find the sales, but I did the work to fulfill the contract too. Oh, and the accounting, administration and everything else under the sun. I would spend half my day finding sales opportunities for Extreme and once I secured a piece of business, I would go back to my cave and work on the file to completion. From this experience I had several epiphanies:
Dedicated, continuous focus on sales - While I was busy fulfilling the work, no one was out keeping the sales funnel filled. This led to a “feast or famine” phenomenon. After a few months of recognizing I couldn’t scale the because of this, I made a critical decision to invest in dedicated sales channels. In that moment, the “sales channel” was me, but it led to my first hire. Even though this was a terrifying prospect at the time when I had no money to invest in my first employee, I believed I could easily cover the salary of that role if I could dedicate most of my time to sales. I believe fundamentally that a sales channel is not a liability but an asset to a business. Don’t look at it as a cost centre to the business but value creation. I’m not saying that the answer lies in hiring the first sales jockey you find and send them hunting. They have to be the right person, with the right contacts, equipped with the right tools and given the right objectives, kept at the right level and incentive program. But with that, they should pay for themselves (and many others in the business) and be an asset.
“I believe fundamentally that a great sales strategy is not a liability but an asset to a business”
Structure your sales department for maximum output - Anyone who knows me has said I’m a born salesman. While that’s true and for a good part of my career there was no greater high than having a customer say “yes” to me, my company and my approach. But even as a seasoned salesperson, I allowed myself to get sidetracked with all kinds of non-sales activities. I think anyone being really honest with themselves would know what I’m talking about. Somehow, even though your revenues are stagnant or slipping you can always find time to “put out a fire” versus focus on sales. I believe an epic sales structure has three functions: “Finder. Minder. Grinder”.
The Finder - This is someone who is an excellent prospector. They know how to socialize, get to decision makers and build a relationship to the point of a business consideration. They love the pursuit of new sales. It’s in their blood and it’s their calling.
The Minder - This person usually isn’t a “sales person” per se but a relationship person. They get their highs from appeasing customers and delivering on strategies that keep customers happy and solves their problems.
The Grinder - These are the people that GSD (Get Shit Done). They are details people and live to deliver on the promises made by the Finders and Minders. They keep the engine going everyday and love executing.
It is vitally important to note that an effective sales structure knows that these three functions house different disciplines and are not the same people delivering on all three layers. Finders need to be focused on finding and ensure they are made the “promise keepers” to a customer and not drawn into the day-to-day delivery of the product or service. If they get drawn in, as they succeed in building their client base, they inevitably create a bottleneck. The same principle goes for the Minders. They need to operate at a certain level as well, not to get drawn into the “weeds of business” and forget their value to a customer which is problem solving and relationship building.
“Brilliant marketing uncovers your company’s truth and equips sales with a powerful value proposition”
Shotgun versus rifle shots - Here’s what I know to be a fact: sales for the sake of sales is like “kissing frogs”. It’s a numbers game. That strategy is about finding someone who has a profound need at the exact moment your email, LinkedIn message or phone call goes out. Sales is not about quantity but quality. Quality sales is about taking the time to understand who your top prospects are and then digging deep to find everything possible about those key decision makers. Who are they? What are their interests? What keeps them up at night, and why? Who do you know that can provide an introduction? What other side door/ back door can you use to get to them? What circles do they hang out in? Knowledge is power. Knowing as much as you can know about them illuminates your path into their world. Pair this with a great value proposition and your likelihood of getting a conversation started has increased by 1000%.
Marketing should power sales - I have been involved as a shareholder in a dozen companies and in my marketing career have counselled hundreds of companies from multi-billion dollar empires to start-ups. Most sizeable companies have a sales department and a marketing department. Generally, marketing serves the needs of sales tactically (brochures, sales materials, trade show support, proposal layout, etc). Brilliant marketing uncovers your company’s truth and equips sales with a powerful value proposition. The majority of sales calls go something like this (I’ll use the insurance industry as an illustration): “Hello Bill. I’m Paul and I’m with Anthem Insurance. We provide commercial insurance for businesses like yours and would love to come and have a coffee to discuss your needs. Are you free next Tuesday?” How many times have you been on the other side of that lame ass pitch? Maybe 2-3 a day? How many do you respond to? I’m going to say the number is a big fat ZERO. Why? First of all, there is no WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). Secondly, I don’t know you, trust you, or believe that you have a better value proposition than who I get service from now. Thirdly, you didn’t even give me your value proposition. What if the sales pitch sounded like this instead: “Hi Bill. I understand we’re both friends with Mary Isenor? She’s awesome. I know you are likely covered in the insurance department, but I got into this business because I, like you, used to own a business. It burnt to the ground and my insurance company wouldn’t honour their policy. So, I decided to ensure this never happened again to anyone and I started this insurance company to protect businesses like yours. I would love to hear your story sometime.” Which email are you most likely to respond to? Marketing should uncover your most powerful truth and equip your sales team (and your entire company) with it.
“Getting a call from someone from a brand that you know and respect can literally be half the sales battle.”
Marketing and PR should grease the wheels of sales - Creating a great brand for your business and amplifying that with smart Public Relations tactics makes a sales job infinitely easier. Getting a call from someone from a brand that you know and respect can literally be half the sales battle. Also, creating relevant content like blogs or podcasts gives the sales team more tools to refer a prospect to enhance the opportunities.
Key takeaways:
Your sales channel should be considered an asset, not a liability
Sales should have a dedicated focus
Structure your sales department for maximum output
Brilliant marketing uncovers your brand truth and uses it to amplify your value proposition
A great sales strategy is about quality focus versus quantity
Great marketing and PR makes a sales job infinitely easier