Lack of sales? Here are 5 solutions

Many businesses have faced the situation: you have a great product or service, a great team and a lot of ambition –?but sales are disappointing. Why?

Sales is a combination of art and science. It’s a specific skillset that doesn’t come automatically simply because you need to sell. Without highly experienced sales knowledge and experience, your business is not going to succeed long term. Let’s look at some of the common issues and how to deal with them.

Problem #1 – Buying lead lists

Many executives still buy ready-made lead lists to generate more sales. The problem with these is twofold. First, these leads are entirely generic: “potential” customers who may know nothing about your company and who have not necessarily shown an interest in your specific offer. Secondly, if you have not managed to create your own leads, it’s possible that your business lacks the in-house skills to actually convert a vague, generic lead in a sale. Often, buying leads is a waste of money.

The Solution

What you need are qualified leads. That means a list of potential customers who already know about your company and your offer. They have already spent some time with your brand and shown an interest. They are 60-80% of a sale when you talk to them.

How can you generate lists of qualified leads? You can do it yourself using a multi-part digital marketing funnel, or you can partner with a digital growth agency who will work with you to create lists of qualified leads sourced specifically for your business.

Problem #2?– Not thinking socially

Many businesses think of social media as a marketing tool once they have a product to sell. It’s a highly competitive marketing sector and there’s a lot of “noise” out there for your customers. Like sales in general, a great social campaign is a separate skillset and requires specific knowledge. Most people get it wrong.

The Solution

You should be thinking socially from the start because it is a low-cost and highly scalable way to generate free contact info among your target audience. With careful and strategic use of social media, you can start to build a relationship with potential markets with good-quality and relevant content that encourages prospects to follow and even contact you.

Of course, creating great content is not always easy. You need to demonstrate thought-leadership skills and provoke interest in your audience amid all of the competition. You may have to look for external help in creating this content, but the results will be more valuable than paid-for lead lists.

It’s worth remembering that there’s a journey between “Don’t know/Don’t care” to “I want to buy.” A strategic sales campaign has more success than a cold call saying “Hey, do you want to buy…?” because it takes prospects on a journey of interest and trust.

Problem #3 – The “lone-wolf syndrome”

Sales people tend to be highly motivated but?individual performers who believe that success is all up to them with their positive attitude and hustle mentality.?Motivation is a wonderful thing, but experience shows that effective sales is a team sport. The goal or the touchdown or the slam dunk is always team-assisted.

And let’s not forget that sometimes internal marketing departments are part of the problem, too. It’s not uncommon for sales and marketing to work independently, even?in competition, and not see how their roles go naturally together. Silo thinking is too common within organizations.

The Solution

Just as every great sports team has its support personnel – physios, coaches, managers etc – so a great sales team needs solid strategy, data and understanding of the digital marketing landscape that can act as a net to catch more qualified leads. A growth partner can gather this data and prepare prospects through funnels so that the sales people can convert more, more quickly when it’s their time to make the play.

Problem #4 – Line, not net

Some salespeople have their own methods that have worked for them in the past and may continue to work. LinkedIn, phone and email can be effective ways to reach prospects, but they require the individual attention of the salesperson and they take time to develop leads. A new sales team member might take 5-6 months to get up to speed.

The Solution

You can catch a few fish with a rod, but you can catch many more with a net. In addition to the traditional methods, salespeople should be using a full digital growth package that not only reaches more ideal customers but does so automatically 24/7. Optimized websites, SEO architecture, in-depth competition analysis, high-performing content, social media, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, email and phone together offer phenomenal power when orchestrated in a unified campaign.

Problem #5 – People hate one of the best paid jobs-sales!

We don’t like ads in our YouTube videos. We don’t like pop-ups when we’re trying to read an online article. We don’t like the people who stop us on the street and ask for “two minutes of our time” when really they want fifteen minutes and our bank details. Sales is one of the professions with the least amount of consumer trust while also being one of the best paid. Such perceptions?make the job more challenging.

The Solution

Selling is not about a sudden slap in the face. It’s about a conversation and understanding customers’ business needs.. Successful sales offers prospects something that interests them because it's relevant to their life and their needs. It might not (initially) be your product. It might be useful information or entertainment. It’s about building awareness and trust before the sale. In other words, sales should be more about being a trusted advisor than a “pusher.”

How do you do this? With innovative growth hacking techniques that engage audiences in ways that bring them closer to your brand. Not because you say it's a great product, but because the audience believes that. This is the magic of genuine marketing.

Could your company benefit from growth through optimized sales?

I have a lot of experience working with businesses that want to grow through increased sales. Let us discuss the strategies and the skills needed to reach your target audiences.

Contact me for a free consultation call about how I could help you boost your sales.