4 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Sales

You can boost your sales!

Fewer leads, low lead conversion rates, or stagnant sales? These challenges are common for any company. The causes can vary:

• External factors: market decline, aggressive competition, or the emergence of alternative solutions.
• Internal factors: products or services that no longer meet market demands, ineffective marketing strategies, or an underperforming sales team.

Letting things unfold on their own is the riskiest decision. However, you can improve your sales by implementing the following 4 solutions:

1. Sales Technique

Give your salespeople the opportunity to improve their sales technique by learning, adopting, and implementing a sales method. There are many different but complementary sales techniques, specializing in direct selling, consultative selling, B2B sales, B2C sales, etc.

Choose the sales method that best suits your company, the market you’re targeting, and the type of client you’re marketing to. By preparing your team to sell correctly (both for you and for your client), you will increase the conversion rate of leads. Personally, I use SPIN as my sales technique.

2. Sales Tactics

When facing tough competition, the right tactics can make all the difference. If you’re losing clients to competitors, they likely executed a better strategy. Rick Page, in his book “Hope is Not a Strategy”, outlines 6 essential tactics for winning clients:

• Direct Win: when your product or service is clearly superior.
• Flanking: address a specific need that the competition cannot meet.
• Redefining the Criteria: change the evaluation criteria together with the client to create a competitive advantage.
• Blocking a Weak Competitor: without disparaging, clearly highlight your solution's strengths.
• Collaborate or Withdraw: if the odds are slim, partner with someone to strengthen your position or strategically withdraw.
• Expand the Relationship: demonstrate value through long-term engagement, earning client loyalty.

3. Sales Process

A well-defined process helps your team know exactly where they are and what steps they need to take to close a deal. A successful process should be:

• Clear and accessible: easy for the entire team to understand.
• Structured: include information about objectives, resources, activities, and necessary documents.
• Aligned with the client’s buying process: avoid discrepancies, such as being in the offering stage while the client is still exploring their needs.

4. Sales Plan

A clear and well-constructed plan is essential for achieving your goals. Define strategies tailored to your company’s resources and characteristics (product, target audience, existing clients). The absence of a solid plan significantly increases the risk of failure. As Benjamin Franklin said:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

These 4 solutions are just a small part of what you can do to improve your sales. With the right strategy, effective methods, and a well-prepared team, you can overcome challenges and reach new heights of success. It all starts with the first step!