Whether you're selling software or cupcakes, you need a clear plan to sell them. Great products don't sell on their own. That's why you need a solid sales strategy.
This guide will help you create a sales strategy. It will show you different sales techniques, tools, and channels to boost your sales.
What Is a Sales Strategy?
A sales strategy is a plan that helps your team sell your products and bring in new customers. It shows them how to present your business and products to catch people’s interest and close deals. It also lays out steps like sales processes, product details, and analyzing the competition to hit your sales targets.
At the core of any good sales strategy is building strong relationships with customers. Staying in touch and earning their trust can boost loyalty and satisfaction. All companies, big or small, should update their sales strategies often to keep up with new trends and changing customer needs.
A sales strategy covers:
- Knowing your target customers
- Picking the right sales pitch
- Finding good leads
- Mapping out your sales steps
- Setting reachable sales goals
Why Do You Need a Sales Strategy?
A sales strategy gives your team clear goals and direction. It helps you create a long-term plan with steps to reach your sales goals and avoid possible challenges along the way.
It also plays a crucial role in managing your team's performance, ensuring they stay aligned with business objectives and continuously improve.
It shows you where your business stands in the market and helps you find the right customers and speak to them in the right way.
Your sales strategy is also what sets your business apart from the competition. By using AI-powered tools for market strategies, you can make it more effective. It should not just be a checklist. It’s a guide that offers real, practical steps to help you reach your goals.
A strong sales strategy helps you:
- Boost your team's performance
- Target the right customers better
- Increase conversion rates
- Understand your target audience more clearly
- Give each team member tasks they can act on
- Keep more customers
- Improve teamwork and communication
- Make better use of your budget
- Stay consistent with your sales message and branding
- Predict sales trends more accurately
The Two Main Sales Strategies: Inbound and Outbound
There are many sales strategies, but two of the most popular are inbound and outbound. They differ in how they attract customers. If you want to explore various sales methodologies, check out this comprehensive guide on the top 10 sales methodologies.
In simple terms, inbound brings customers to you, while outbound involves reaching out to them.
Inbound Sales Strategy:
Inbound sales focus on drawing customers to your brand. This happens by creating helpful content, optimizing your website for search engines, sending engaging emails, and staying active on social media. The goal is to make your brand appealing so customers naturally want to know more.
Outbound Sales Strategy:
Outbound sales involve reaching out to potential customers. This includes methods like cold calling or emailing. Think of it as the traditional sales approach, where you contact people first instead of waiting for them to find you.
Most businesses benefit from using both strategies. For example, a software company might create blogs and webinars to attract people (inbound). At the same time, they might also send cold emails to business leaders (outbound). This mix helps companies connect with both those already interested and those who don’t yet know they need a solution.
Comparing Inbound and Outbound Sales
These days, buyers can find most of the information they need online. This makes them less dependent on salespeople for product details. Sales teams must adapt to this. If they don’t offer value beyond what buyers can already find online, there’s little reason for buyers to engage.
Inbound sales are helpful at every stage of the buying process. It helps buyers become aware of their problems, explore solutions, and decide if your product is right for them. Inbound sales reps focus on building trust and offering support, rather than pushing for a sale.
Different Ways to Sell: 8 Sales Strategies
1. Value-Based Selling
In value-based selling, you focus on giving customers the best solution for their problems. It’s all about understanding what they need and offering something that helps. The goal is to build trust and create loyal customers who value the solution more than the price.
2. Consultative Selling
Consultative selling is like value-based selling, but with more advice. The salesperson acts as an expert, helping the customer make the best choice. It’s about building long-lasting relationships by being helpful, not just pushing a sale.
3. SPIN Selling
SPIN selling uses four questions to figure out what the customer needs:
- Situation: What’s going on with the customer right now?
- Problem: What issues are they facing?
- Implication: What happens if they don’t fix the problem?
- Need-payoff: How can your product help solve their problem?
This method focuses on understanding the customer, not just selling the product.
4. Solution Selling
Solution selling is about figuring out the customer’s problems and offering the right product to fix them. This method works well when customers need customized or specific solutions.
5. Challenger Selling
Challenger selling is when salespeople challenge customers with new ideas. They don’t just sell; they teach the customer something new. This is often used in business-to-business (B2B) sales, where the salesperson becomes a trusted advisor.
6. Conceptual Selling
Conceptual selling is based on the idea that customers buy for their own reasons, which might not be what the seller expects. The salesperson takes time to understand the customer’s true needs. This is useful for big deals with many decision-makers.
7. SNAP Selling
SNAP selling is designed for busy customers. It focuses on providing simple, fast solutions. SNAP stands for:
- Simple: Keep things easy to understand.
- iNvaluable: Show why your product is a must-have.
- Aligned: Make sure your product fits what the customer needs.
- Priority: Focus on what’s most important to the customer.
This method is great for customers who need quick answers.
8. Account-Based Selling
Account-based selling is a strategy where you- target specific high-value customers. Sales, marketing, and customer service teams work together to offer personalized packages. The goal is to build strong relationships and close bigger deals by focusing on each customer’s unique needs.
11 Simple Steps to Build a Winning Sales Strategy
Ready to create a sales strategy that works? Follow these 11 steps to give your sales team the tools they need to hit your goals and keep customers happy:
1. Set Your Sales Goals
Start by setting clear goals. Make sure they’re SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, aim to increase your revenue by 25% by the end of the year. Collaborate with your team and other departments to decide what’s realistic.
2. Understand Your Market
Know your target customers and their needs. Keep researching to stay updated on new trends and competition. Build buyer personas to understand their goals, pain points, and how they make decisions.
3. Create Your Value Proposition
Figure out what makes your product stand out. Your Unique Value Proposition should clearly explain why customers should choose you over competitors. Keep it simple and convincing.
4. Give Your Team the Right Tools
Make sure your sales team has easy access to key resources like buyer profiles, pricing, and product info. Work with marketing to make these tools available and up-to-date.
5. Work with Marketing
Align your sales strategy with marketing efforts. Make sure marketing is creating content that supports your sales goals. A unified platform can help both teams stay on the same page and streamline your entire sales funnel process.
6. Use Sales Tools
Invest in sales technology like CRM systems and sales tools. These tools help your team stay organized and track their progress. Some platforms even use AI to provide real-time feedback during sales calls.
7. Train Your Team
Onboard new sales reps properly. Provide regular training on your product, market, and sales techniques. Offer ongoing coaching to help your team keep improving. For an easy way to structure training sessions, you can use this sales training template.
8. Make an Action Plan
Create a detailed plan that outlines the steps your team will take to reach your goals. Assign tasks, set deadlines, and keep track of progress. A mutual action plan can be particularly helpful in keeping both your team and clients on the same page.
9. Map Your Sales Process
Define your entire sales process, from the first contact to closing the deal. Make sure your team follows a consistent process that fits your business and customer needs.
10. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Choose KPIs that will help you measure success. Track important metrics like conversion rates and revenue growth. Use your CRM system to keep tabs on these numbers.
11. Review and Improve
Once you’ve launched your strategy, check on its progress regularly. Use feedback and data to adjust and improve your plan as needed. Keep refining it to adapt to market changes and new challenges.
Conclusion
A solid sales strategy is the backbone of any successful business. It helps your team stay focused, target the right customers, and close more deals.
Remember, a great sales strategy isn’t a one-time thing. It requires continuous effort, fine-tuning, and alignment with market trends and customer needs.
With the steps outlined in this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to create a strategy that drives growth and keeps your customers coming back.
