No business will be effective unless you develop a sales strategy, define your target audience, and figure out how you will sell your products or services.
Sales development strategy can be defined as business owner's plan to get the desired result within a certain time frame.
In order for the strategy to be successfully implemented, the following points must be taken into account. First of all, all divisions of the company – sales and logistics, marketing and production departments.
Today, estet-portal.com asked the author of the philosophy of Sex&Marketing, director of strategic marketing, author of the book «Catering. Selling Services and Relationship Strategy» Alina Bazhenova, who will be a speaker at BusinessShot-4.0, 7 most effective and relevant strategies!
Sales Strategy #1: Innovation
To be an innovator – means opening up new markets, providing new products, and so on. If you act as an innovator, you must be the first in something. There is a golden rule here: to be the first – always much easier than the best.
Firstly, there is no one to compare you with, because this has never happened before. Secondly, the new always attracts attention; and thirdly – since no one has done this before you, no one has a sad experience either.
Sales Strategy: Challenges and Benefits (Part 1)
To create a catering business, such a strategy may be enough. For example, if you decide to make an open kitchen, which is familiar for a restaurant, but not for catering, you will already be an innovator, and the emphasis should be on this.
Your kitchen must be impeccable and nothing else matters. No one has ever seen anything like it, there is no one to compare it to, everyone is delighted - and now, you already have your own niche.
The innovation strategy implies that you have come up with some value and adjust everything else to it, building an advantage, communication, making booklets and talking about it at meetings.
In no way does it mean that the new idea – the only thing you have to focus on; everything else should just be good by default. In the face of growing competition, just being a good brand is not enough – it is necessary to stand out, even in one thing.
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The peculiarity of the innovator's strategy is that it attracts relevant customers who are always on the lookout for something new. Such clients are more likely than others to feel the need for fresh experiences and jump on anything that looks unusual and interesting.
Therefore, you should not be surprised if they suddenly leave: not because you have a low-quality product, but because something else has appeared and they become bored with you.
Sales Strategy #2: For Conservatives
Conservatives, unlike the same innovators, do not like novelties. Moreover, they scare them. Conservatives need stability. They don't care if you create new collections or if your menu is updated; the main thing is that you can give them what they love and are used to. For such clients, it is important to show that you are stable and to identify the main constant points.
The first thing to be stable is the price. We are used to the fact that it is not customary to talk about it, but, nevertheless, the client thinks about the price. Innovators have an advantage here: if you offer a new product, then you form the cost yourself, since there is nothing to compare with, and it is very problematic to say whether it is expensive or cheap. For conservatives, it is important to maintain the already set price, the one to which they are accustomed.
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But how is that possible? After all, there are many factors beyond our control, and the price cannot change at all. Looking at last year's budgets, the cost of the event depending on the number of people, we can understand that the price has increased due to inflation, internal and external market processes, etc., but relatively remained the same.
A conservative will primarily remember the cost of standard items that are easy to remember, such as Greek salad or Caesar. Therefore, in order to convince the client of their own stability, it is preferable to leave the cost of such positions within the same limits.
Second – you can not change the personnel working with the conservatives. This question is especially relevant if your salesperson leaves: a client who does not like change may leave with him.
Very often sellers stay in the same field, changing the company itself. Therefore, if possible, negotiate with him about cooperation, offering a double percentage or other favorable conditions for him for the duration of the event.
Highlights – to provide the conservative client with the same environment, the same seller and the same format of service.
Sales Strategy #3: Narrow Profile
The choice of this strategy implies that you will focus all your attention on one thing, occupying a certain niche. It is not widely popular, and it must be said that the narrow profile strategy is greatly underestimated.
We think that if we choose a narrow niche, we will definitely lose something and give up something. Of course, a narrow market strategy does not guarantee that you will get everything in this market, however, there is even less guarantee of winning in a large market.
For example, by choosing a profile such as a confectionery, you automatically declare that you are professionals in this. This does not mean that your chefs do not know how to make salads or cold appetizers, just baking – this is what you do best.
Don't be afraid to give up something: it is impossible to keep up with the entire market. A company has to have character, and if you try to be the best at everything, you will end up losing.
You need to choose a niche wisely, many nuances are important here. If you see that the niche is not very busy, there will be less competition here. For example, in catering, basically everyone is fighting for B2B clients, but there are also clients who deal exclusively with business events, organize conferences, etc.
The fight for them is not so fierce, and it is much easier to get to a client who hosts events in the convention center. Look where you can and choose what you can really handle.
The advantage of the narrow profile strategy is that by choosing a narrow niche, you spend less money. Realistically assess your capabilities. If you understand that your resources are not enough and the company is not able to compete in a large market now, choose one direction and be the best in it.
Sales Strategy #4: Generalist
This is the strategy of the so-called multi-catering, when you declare that you can do everything. If by choosing a narrow profile we limit ourselves to certain clients, then this strategy is ideal if your clients are wide profile.
For example, these can be agencies that hold events of various formats. In this case, you need to convince them that you are able to find a way out of any situation and can cope with completely different tasks.
You need to be able to present yourself competently. If you say that you can do everything, you need to support it with key accents, 1-2 accents for each option will be enough.
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You can say that you hold corporate, educational and PR events at the highest level, and, for example, at corporate events, you know how to properly serve a dish and serve a client.
You don't have to promise everything, you can't provide it; it will be enough to give just a couple of arguments, but at the same time you will actually fulfill them. Such clients want you to be universal in everything, but do not mislead them, as you will lose them.
Sales Strategy #5: Single Unique Offer
Having chosen this strategy for yourself, your task – offer the client something that will attract his attention, interest.
For example, if we choose a creative catering strategy, we make decor, compositions, regularly create new collections and demonstrate them to customers. If we do not talk about food, this does not mean that it is not of high quality; we're just focusing on something else.
At the same time, it is important to understand that in such a strategy the unique offer – it is not a source of income. Perhaps you will have some profit, but its main goal – make people want to talk about you.
The client will not buy it, but he will remember the bright image and arguments will appear to choose you and make good recommendations.
Sales Strategy #6: Chasing the Leader
Often we have a borrowing philosophy: we think that stealing an idea or someone's mechanism is ugly and sometimes even embarrassing. However, it is very difficult to develop without looking around. When we notice the emergence of new trends in the market, adapting, we ourselves begin to create something new. It is impossible to replicate the experience of another company, but by adopting it for yourself, you will open the way to new opportunities.
For example, your company is young and just starting to develop, and you know another, already successful, and you want yours to be like it in the future.
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For example, if you understand that the secret of her success is a consistent strategy for releasing new textile collections, there is nothing wrong with adopting this strategy. It is important to understand why it acts, what the company does for this, and turn this experience to your advantage.
It must be taken into account that you will not be able to repeat everything exactly even with a great desire; there are a lot of subjective factors and you never know how it will work. But still, it will definitely work - this is the advantage of the strategy of chasing the leader.
After all, if the start is unsuccessful, you will lose a lot and will hardly be able to repeat it right away. Therefore, choose a leader with a precisely working strategy and do as he does. You will not become the same, much less better; but you will earn money in order to create your own in 1-3 years.
To understand what the strategy is, use any information, go to their website, attend events, in the end, just call and ask how it works.
Analyze, pay attention to what they put emphasis on. If the seller is talking specifically about VIP service, then he knows that this is what the client wants to hear and it is not in vain that he focuses on this.
You can no doubt act in a similar way, taking the example of a leader. However, you will not become exactly the same; when copying a leader, you cannot copy its scale or appearance – You can only take a behavior model.
It is not necessary to repeat exactly all the steps, it is important to highlight the main steps and follow them.
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The leader acts in a certain way, because he has already once burned himself and understood which strategy is effective and which will lead to losses and losses. You also have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others, thus saving energy, time and money to find your own tools.
Look like a leader until you have accumulated enough resources to create new advantages, invent and implement your own strategies.
Sales Sales Strategy #7: Local Market Coverage
Using this strategy will allow you to develop with little funds. It implies that you act pointwise, literally choosing individual microdistricts, business centers, etc.
For example, if you understand that you are able to provide only 3 business centers, then you must act within this framework. You advertise in the elevators of buildings, call and write to secretaries only in these business centers, distribute leaflets there too. Use your budget, focus on a limited customer base.
If you dissipate your attention, then, taking into account limited financial opportunities, you can spend money without getting the desired result. It is better to buy one board, take one leafleter, bring gift sets to all offices of this business center and you will achieve local coverage at minimal cost. Realize your resources and opportunities and invest only in what is really important.
Sales Strategy: Challenges and Benefits (Part 1)
This material was written based on an interview with the author of the Sex&Marketing philosophy, director of strategic marketing, author of the book "Catering. Selling services and relationship strategy" Alina Bazhenova, who will be a speaker at BusinessShot-4.0.
BusinessShot-4.0 Conference will be held on November 23, 2018, in Kyiv. You are waiting for the most relevant and popular strategies for the development of medical business. You will learn how to manage, sell and promote your business in 8 intensive hours! Tickets can be purchased at the link.
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