Running an SME business can be tough, particularly when it comes to making sales. Small businesses are usually short-staffed, so directors are often faced with the uncomfortable decision of whether to focus on service delivery or sales, without the time to do full justice to both. The good news is that there are a few simple steps that business owners can take to revolutionise their sales tactics and achieve sustainable growth of the business, without it eating too much into their productive time. Here are the five key sustainable sales strategies that every SME owner should know:
1. Identify Your Ideal Customer
When sales time and budgets are tight, you simply don’t have time to reach out to every potential buyer, so the key to sustainable growth is to focus your resources on your ideal customers. This involves knowing exactly who your product or service is best suited for, what these customers’ pain points are, and the ways in which your business can help solve their problems. By leveraging this information in your marketing and sales content, you’ll be able to create targeted marketing campaigns, craft persuasive messages, and develop sales pitches that speak directly to the needs of your market. Conduct competitor and market research, collect data and feedback from your existing customers, and create buyer persona documents to get a better idea of who your ideal customer is.
2. Develop A Sales Process
A sales process is a formal procedure that systematically moves prospects through various stages of their buying journey or funnel, from awareness to purchase. A surprising number of SMEs don’t have a sales process at all, simply dealing with leads as and when they come in. By implementing a strategic sales process, you’ll be able to identify the key touch points in your customer’s journey and optimise them for maximum conversion rates, thereby saving you time and money on each sale. Build a strong awareness campaign, create engaging content, and implement enticing lead magnets to capture your prospect’s contact information so that you can nurture them through email marketing.
3. Fine-Tune Your Marketing And Sales Messages
An appealing unique sales proposition (USP) and set of marketing messages are crucial to closing deals. Your marketing and sales messages should be consistent, authentic, and concisely articulate the value your product or service brings to the customer, emphasising how the prospect can benefit from working with your business. While you still want to give your salespeople creative freedom when dealing with customers, consistency is equally important, so determine your core messages and value propositions centrally and ensure that they form the framework of all your marketing and sales content, from your blog posts to your webinars and face-to-face meetings. A strong pitch will help differentiate your business from competitors and increase your conversion rate, shortening your sales cycle and allowing your team to make more sales at the same time.
4. Upsell And Cross-Sell
Sales optimisation predominantly focuses on new business sales, as this is the area that most SMEs typically find difficult. However, a sustainable long-term sales process should also look for ways to upsell or cross-sell to existing customers, in order to maximise lifetime customer value. By utilising cross-selling and up-selling tactics, alongside loyalty incentives and attentive customer care, you can increase customer loyalty and advocacy, strengthen retention, and increase your profits.
5. Invest In Social Media Marketing
Social media isn’t just for sharing project updates and keeping in touch with suppliers: it can also be a powerful marketing tool. By engaging with prospects on LinkedIn and other platforms, and developing a strong social media presence, you can reach new audiences for your business, build brand credibility, and drive sales. Social media marketing is a cost-effective way of making sales for SMEs, with day-to-day engagement available for free, and a range of scalable and cost-effective advertising options to maximise your brand exposure.
Next Steps
Optimising your sales process can boost your revenues and encourage sustainable growth for your business. To find out more and discover how JDR Group can help, please get in touch with one of our experienced inbound marketing experts.
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