What Is Sales Strategy? Creating a successful sales strategy requires planning and business analysis.

A sales strategy consists of a plan that positions a company s brand or product to g ain a competitive advantage. Successful strategies help the sales force focus on target market customers and communicate with them in relevant, meaningful ways. Sales representatives need to know how their products or services can solve cus tomer problems. A successful sales strategy conveys this so that the sales force spends time targeting the correct customers at the right time. Significance Planning and creating an effective sales strategy requires looking at long-term sales goals and analyzing the business sales cycle, as well as meeting with sale s people about their personal career goals. Going through these exercises helps business owners and managers gain a more intimate knowledge of the sales interva ls, seasonal changes and what motivates the sales team. After creating the longterm sales strategy based on long-term goals, sales managers should create month ly and weekly sales strategies based on the long-term strategy. This allows for short-term performance measurement of the sales team. Types Businesses employ one of two basic types of sales strategies to their overall pl an: direct or indirect. With the direct sales strategy, sales people attack the competition head on when talking to the customer. They talk about each feature o f the competition s product and compare it to theirs. The term "negative selling" re fers to the direct sales approach. Indirect sales approaches apply more subtle t echniques by demonstrating features and benefits not available with the competit ion s products or services without ever mentioning them by name. This more sophistic ated, positive sales strategy requires research and analysis of the competition. Components A successful sales strategy includes product placement, promotion and testimonia ls in addition to the core selling strategies for the sales force. Product place ment and promotion create brand awareness by using the various marketing channel s available today. Social media networks offer a free platform for increasing br and awareness. Business owners can utilize these tools effectively by spending t ime each day to communicate with fans and followers on their social network page s. Customer testimonials readily available for prospects to read or watch lend a uthority to a small business and the products and services it offers. Function Regardless of whether a business uses a direct or indirect sales strategy, or a combination of the two, sales managers need to work with sales people on techniq ues. New customer acquisition and customer retention require two approaches. A s ales strategy lays out the steps and methods necessary for customers in differen t stages. Potential customers need communication that introduces the brand and p roduct or service in ways that show how it can solve his or her problems. Curren t customers require more personal communication about new features or benefits t o keep them engaged. Promotions and referral discounts work to motivate current customers to spend their money and to spread the word to others. Considerations Creating an effective sales strategy requires market knowledge, awareness of com petitor activities, awareness of current trends and detailed business analysis. Small business owners wishing to create and implement a sales strategy for the f irst time may want to hire a professional business consultant to help guide the process. Direct & Indirect Sales Strategy No company can succeed, much less survive, without effective sales strategies. T wo basic strategies are the direct sales strategy and the indirect sales strateg

y. Understanding what these strategies mean and how they can best be implemented can are essential to long-term success. Significance The most common definition of sales strategy deals with your approach to the cus tomer. Direct sales means going straight to your customer and selling her your p roduct. You can phone the customer, see her face to face or even use email. The communication link between the company and the prospective customer is direct. D irect is also known as B2C or "business to consumer." When eng aging in indirect sales, a company uses some type of go-between and does not dir ectly contact the customer. The go-between could be a reseller, a commissioned i ndependent sales agency or even another distributor. Indirect is also known as B 2B or business to business. Types Common types of direct sales are those you sell over the counter to your custome r, through direct mail marketing or selling on a website, such as Amazon.com or even your own site. Indirect sales are those that are conducted through affiliat es or a reseller. Two examples are Avon or any product you purchase at the local grocery store. Benefits One major benefit to a direct sales strategy is that you have a high level of in fluence on your customer and know exactly how your customer feels about your pro duct or service because of the direct communication. A benefit to the indirect s ales strategy is that the company can expand its geographic reach without having to hire hundreds or even thousands of sales representatives. Another benefit to an indirect strategy is that oftentimes the costs associated with sales are dir ectly in proportion to how successful the reseller is. Expert Insight John R. Graham, president of a marketing services and sales consulting firm, wri tes in “A Sales Strategy That Works” that having a vision is necessary for any sales strategy to work. Focus on what your product allows peo ple to do that creates "satisfaction and passion." Most compan ies have a strategy that combines both direct and indirect sales depending upon their business needs, their customer’s wishes and a return on investme nt. A company that creates and sells beach shoes may use newspaper ads or coupon s to directly influence a customer to purchase its shoes at the store. This same company could also partner with local beach shops and have its beach shoes plac ed for sale in these other shops. Considerations Less commonly used is another definition of sales strategy. It refers to a metho dology used by a sales person. When a salesperson uses the direct methodology, h e gains a sale by focusing on the product and its benefits against the competiti on during the sales process. When he uses an indirect strategy, he uses politics , networking and proper timing to destabilize the competition and gain an advant age. Advantages of Direct Vs. Indirect Marketing A company that employs direct marketing is directly trying to impact consumers' or business customers' buying decisions. They use promotional strategies such as direct mail, telemarketing, direct response television advertising and online s elling. Indirect marketers may attempt to generate sales through blogging, video s or e-books. Manufacturers use indirect marketing when selling through wholesal not directly to consumers. There are several key advantages ers or other channels to using direct over indirect marketing. Closer Interaction Small companies that use direct marketing interact more closely with customers. Telemarketers, for example, use two-way communication. They share the benefits a nd features of their products. They can also answer peoples' questions and devel op a better rapport with them. Business owners who use direct mail can better ta

rget specific audiences, according to "Small Business Notes" online. They may pu rchase mailing lists of people who buy their types of products. They are also ab le to target particular population segments by age, income or other demographics . Greater Measurability Direct marketers also enjoy greater tracking of their promotions or advertising. These companies know whom they are targeting. Hence, they can better measure th e effectiveness of their advertising. For example, direct mail companies often u se code numbers on order forms to track responses. They can then determine which of those people, in turn, actually purchase products. Similarly, telemarketers can keep track of their selling efforts by recording the number of sales they ma ke from calls. Online marketers can track traffic from certain search engines wh ere they advertise. Direct marketers know when to drop less effective promotiona l campaigns because of the ability to measure results. Multiple Closing Opportunities Business owners who use direct marketing tactics may have multiple opportunities to close prospects. A telemarketer can find out why a person is hesitant to mak e a purchase. This individual may not have the money, or typically buys products from a competitive company. Telemarketers uncover these objections by asking qu estions. Subsequently, they find ways to overcome these objections and make the sale. Similarly, small companies using direct mail or the Internet can obtain na mes, addresses and emails of prospects. They then send additional messages or in formation as second or third efforts to make sales. More Transaction Options Companies which use direct marketing provide people with more transaction option s, according to "Reference for Business" online. Customers receiving catalogs ma y call the company and order by phone. They may also mail in the order or make a purchase on the company's website. A primary objective of direct marketing is m aking it easier for customers to buy. The Negatives of Indirect Marketing The Advantages of Direct Marketing Over Internet Online Marketing Online marketing is effective for a number of reasons. It costs very little for your business to contact new customers and it is usually much faster and easier to create digital advertisements than print ones. Direct marketing, however, off ers many advantages that you should consider as you decide upon an advertising p lan for your business. Not only can you target a small demographic, but you can also contact those prospective customers in a way that may be more effective tha n traditional online marketing. Targeting Specific Customers with Specific Offers Direct marketing allows you to mail advertisements or broadcast commercials dire ctly to the customers who are most likely to want what you're selling. Marketing professional Dave Dolak points out that direct marketing appeals to a customer' s desire not to search extensively for the goods and services they want. If you own a sushi restaurant, for example, you may benefit by only mailing your menus to locals who have eaten at your restaurant before or have expressed an interest in spending an evening in a sushi restaurant. Building Personal Relationships Traditional online marketing is usually impersonal because it is done over a lar ge scale. Direct marketing techniques encourage you to be much more personal wit h your prospective customers. Gary Elwood, a writer for the real estate agent ad vice website Real Estate Growth, reminds you that direct marketing allows you to add personal touches to your advertisements. Instead of sending countless meter ed letters bearing address labels, this targeted approach means you can hand-wri te the customer's addresses and demonstrate to the customer that they are being contacted by an actual human instead of a computerized mail service. Quick Response If you cast a very wide net with your advertising, you may have to wait to see r

esults or engage in contact with customers. Give to Get Marketing, a firm that h elps businesses reach out to consumers, asserts that direct marketing garners a faster response. Instead of simply hoping to build awareness with a new customer base, direct marketing puts you in contact with people who already want what yo u have to provide. Eliminating Unlikely Customers The privacy laws that govern direct marketing may seem like an obstacle. The Fed eral Trade Commission maintains a "Do Not Call" list of citizens who have expres sed a desire not to receive any telemarketing calls. This restriction can be a d rawback because you're prohibited from cold-calling these people. There is, howe ver, a great benefit. Instead of wasting time trying to sell to consumers who do n't wish to speak on the phone, you can concentrate your efforts on people who a re interested. Owing to the unpopularity and shortcomings of some direct marketing strategies, you may want to adopt indirect marketing strategies, such as coupon mailings, tr ade shows and public relations. Indirect marketing involves less aggressive tech niques, so, for example, you may get the attention of target customers through b logging, participating in workshops, free ebooks, performing random call-ins and driving traffic through online social media sites. However, indirect methods, t oo, have their disadvantages and may cause customer dissatisfaction or intoleran ce if you apply them in an undesirable manner. Lack of Attention One of the demerits of using indirect marketing is that when people access socia l media sites, they usually want to talk to friends or network with coworkers, n ot to buy anything. Your content marketing may not achieve its intended purpose by failing to arouse interest or attention to your product. However, with indire ct marketing, you are usually not working to push your products or services onto prospective clients. According to Shashank Nigam, chief executive of SimpliFlyi ng, what you portray indirectly will soon affect you in business and you should cultivate a positive image to compete. Cost If you are using newspapers, magazines or online advertising, it can be quite ex pensive for your business since you have to pay a host website to display your a dvertisement. You may pay a lot of money to the host website that may go to wast e if the people you advertise to don t see your product. In the long run, it ruins t he plans you make anticipating more clients, especially if you run a small or me dium-sized business. Skill Requirements Since indirect marketing is crucial and at the same time difficult, it requires a high degree of skill to achieve positive results. For instance, when operating online, you need to be conversant with proper search engine optimization techni ques to benefit from visits to your page. If you lack such skills, you may need to pay a professional to provide the service. Too Sluggish Indirect marketing demands a great level of patience from the business owner sin ce it is sluggish compared to direct marketing. For example, a lawyer who uses h is honesty to win clients will develop a client base more gradually than another lawyer who advertises his skills and services on television. The former will bu ild a reputation based on word of mouth and the goodwill of his customers, while the latter may make money quickly and invest in more offices and employees. Som etimes the long wait may lead to disillusionment due to lack of tangible results . Cum sa construiti strategii de vanzari pe termen lung O trasatura fundamentala a vietii economice moderne este aceea ca oamenii se afla permanent in situatia de a alege. Gama variata de produse de pe piata atrag e dupa sine si posibilitatea sporita de a selecta din afaceri ceea ce este mai b

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