We all want more sales. The question is at what cost?
Companies want sales. One way to do that is by repeatedly nagging people and stating how great their product will prove for them. This makes people apprehensive about the product, so sales is bound to suffer. On the other hand, if people could be made to realize the product is an absolute necessity for them, sales shall surely surge. You create a positive impression in the public mind instead of making people fearful about being nagged by many professionals. That is marketing, though many companies tend to miss the fine dividing line and see their inventories gathering moss.
The difference between sales and effective marketing is as prominent as unstable short-term successes and stable, long-term growth; the question that arises here is to what extent or how well the concept is practised. It’s only a marketing effectiveness audit that can say, but that’s a whole new story altogether. For the time being, let it suffice knowing an audit is a form to rate the effectiveness of a marketing strategy, taking under consideration five major functions, the result of which is a score denoting an organization’s stance on a scale ranging between zero to superior (not absolute).
Early attempts to close will damage the results.
Not only will you lose a prospect, you will be perceived as aggressive and unprofessional. Don’t attempt to close too early. This is not a sprint race; you may end up with nothing. A vital point missed out by organizations is trying to sell by force results in the loss of prospects over time – in management terms, this is called losing the leads – whereas good marketing strategies support the sales techniques; together, they create an effective sales strategy to bring home the bacon.
So marketing could be defined as everything done to reach and persuade prospective customers and sales, the process that successfully closes a deal. Marketing is the message (awareness) spread across through advertising, brand and viral marketing, public relations and direct mail to prepare the prospect(s) for the sales through processes ranging from interpersonal interactions, networking and cold calls to anything engaging an organization with a prospect at a personal level. In simpler words, they are to a business what air and water are for living organisms. Just like the balance must be set for these two vital ingredients for supporting life, a well-balanced strategic combination of marketing and sales concepts shall breathe the necessary life force into a business.
How do you work the database(list)
Integrating the right proportions of marketing strategies with sales procedures requires dividing customer and prospect databases into three categories – cold leads, warm leads and hot leads. Each of them shall require to be identified with different strategies, namely:
- Cold Lead Strategy – Direct mailing and offers on special promotions work out the best for this group. This will be your best option at the beginning of your career/business. You will rely on it more than any other strategy. Put it simply, your contacts, networks and connections are not sufficient to bring you a constant flow of new businesses. You must reach out to bring them in. 😳 You must overcome shyness and do it as if your business success depends on it.
- Follow-up calls work best for Warm Lead Strategy, so do sales letters and arranging seminars, training sessions or similar events. The chief idea is bringing them together. This is easier as you are known to your prospects, and you don’t need to explain how good you are.
- Closing the sale: Following the warm level, it’s time to close a sale; the best way it could be done is by engaging the prospect through various means, such as a one-on-one call, by making a presentation or by presenting a proposal or an estimate or a contract. Remember this good old saying, “We are not closing the sale; we are creating relationships”. Some people make it wrong even here and even when all other steps are followed to the letter. Try not to be one of them. Remember, it is not over till it’s over. You have to put it in the Bag! 😎
Complicated? Hope not so! Do your best, and that will be sufficient. In other words, create the frame by setting the balance; the picture will soon follow. What is the worst thing that can happen anyway?