Published on January 27th, 2021 | by Elianna Hyde

Proven Marketing Strategies to Take Your Business to the Next Level

So you’ve got your business put together. You have a product, something you’re really proud of. You have your niche, your market, you have a great business plan and a strategy that Jeff Bezos himself would be proud of. Now there’s only one more thing you have to do: actually sell your product. As many would-be business owners discover, that’s actually a lot more difficult and complicated than it looks. It might seem that having a superior product by itself should be enough to put you over the top, but that’s not the case. More than ever, sales techniques are how your company can stand apart from your competitors and set you on the path to greater success in your market. Not sure where to start? No problem. Here are a few simple ideas to help you

Use a Personal Touch

This is a great tip for life in general, but it applies especially well to sales. Everybody likes to feel seen and valued by the people they interact with, and your clients are no exception. Opt for in-person meetings as often as you can instead of communicating on the phone or over email, where your personality can get a little lost. Before going into the meeting, try to find out as much as you can about the prospective client. It could be as simple as the sports team they root for. And when you’re in the meeting, make sure you remember everything they tell you. Write it down afterwards if you have to. Family is important to most people, so pay particular attention to any information your client drops about their loved ones. A well timed “How’s Lamar’s school going? Is he applying to colleges yet?” can go a long way towards showing your client that you listen to what they have to say.

Focus on Establishing Trust

Once you have a relationship with a client, one of the most important things you should do is make sure that they trust you. Reputation is everything in the business world, and having a poor one can be a death blow for any company. Remember that your end goal here isn’t just a single sale! You want your client to be so satisfied that they come back again and again, or recommend you to their friends and colleagues. Sometimes that means making less money in the short term to make sure your clients feel that you’re not trying to take advantage of them. A great relationship is always more important than a single transaction, so treat your clients with respect and they’ll reward you in the long term.

Take Care With Personal Information

These days, companies are gathering more information than ever for the purposes of marketing and analytics. That’s a great thing for you, but lots of people are uncertain about having that much info in the hands of businesses. Try to think of personal information not just as a resource for your sales and analytics teams, but also as a responsibility. Nobody wants their info leaked or shared to the public, so make sure that you’re keeping everything somewhere secure. You should also be careful about how much information you reveal to your clients. You don’t want them to think that you’re stalking them, after all, even though all this info is freely available on social media and other online sources. It’s all part of making sure that your clients feel like they can trust you and building positive relationships moving forward.

Identify Problems and Offer Solutions

When you’re first making a pitch to a prospective client, they’re not really going to be interested in stuff like pricing plans or specific product features. They’re going to be wondering what exactly it is that you can do for them. The best way to answer that question is by first doing your research. Try and figure out what kind of problems your client might have, and present solutions based on your product in the meeting. The reason for this is twofold. First, it offers the client a clear and concrete benefit they can get from choosing to work with you. In a sense, you’re doing the work for them. If they don’t have to come up with a reason to choose you themselves, then they’ll be much more likely to opt for your services. The second reason is the same as an earlier tip: making it personal. If your client sees that you’ve done the research to identify their specific problems, they’ll be impressed and appreciative of the attention you’re paying to them personally.

Stay Flexible

When you’re going into a sales meeting, it’s important to keep in mind that everything you have planned out could very well fail. Maybe your client isn’t impressed by the solutions you have to offer, or the conversation goes in a different direction. The important thing is to make sure you’re being flexible. Every client is different, and you need to be willing to tailor your strategy to them individually instead of figuring everything out beforehand. If they throw you curveball problems, take the time to figure out how your products can offer a solution, even if it means pushing the discussion to a second meeting. Never say that you can’t help! Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re not knowledgeable about a specific problem and offer to do some research and come back later. Like many of these tips, it’s all about building relationships that will last.

Prepare Your Employees for Your Audience

One of the most basic aspects of marketing is knowing who you should be marketing to. If you’re selling toys, you should be mostly marketing to children. If you’re selling power tools, mostly adult men. Your employees should be prepared to make sales to these specific demographics, so make sure they’re trained and motivated appropriately. If you’re having trouble, you can always book motivational speakers to give you a hand.

No matter what it is you’re selling, making sure you’re using the proper techniques is one of the most important parts of running your business. Use these tips as a framework to make sure your sales staff is prepared and well trained for any challenge.

Tags: next level, strategies

About the Author

Elianna Hyde has been a freelance writer since 2009. She has attended the University of California and graduated with masters in mass communication. She loves watching TV shows, movies and has a keen interest in sharing her views on business trends and people’s lifestyle. You can also Follow me on Twitter.