B2B selling can be hard. It takes time to build and manage a sales team, implement a sales CRM effectively, develop materials to support the sales effort, develop and execute marketing efforts, develop sales opportunities, build a sales funnel and then close. It is a continuous cycle.
Ultimately, your success is determined by your sales results. When building an effective sales strategy to drive growth, you want to maximize your revenue generation opportunities by incorporating as many vehicles as you can to drive results. The three core sales efforts that you should look to incorporate into your business is what I call the Sales Trifecta and include:
• Direct Sales
• Channel and or Reseller Sales
• Inbound Lead Generation/Content Marketing
All Three Will Not be a Fit For Every Business
Some products and services are best sold direct. Others are best sold through a channel. There is nothing wrong with that. I would argue though that regardless, in today’s market, inbound lead generation and content marketing is a must and has to be a part of your sales mix.
Direct Sales is Pretty Straightforward
Once your value proposition has been determined, you should actively target specific accounts, the contacts in those accounts and do it on an industry by industry basis. Your efforts should be captured using a sales CRM and a specific sales process and methodology should be followed to drive the best sales results.
Channel and/or Reseller Sales
The opportunity to have someone else sell your product or service is compelling and it should be. It gives you greater reach, allows you to tap into someone’s existing network and can significantly increase your sales results. The key here is the development, support and management of your channel/reseller partners. Establishing and managing this path to market takes considerable resource both in terms of time and money and if the wrong partner is selected, it is very costly.
Inbound Lead Generation & Content Marketing
This aspect of your sales and marketing efforts is, as far as I am concerned, a necessity in today’s market. As direct sales gets harder and harder, and with more and more people searching for solutions to their business pain and qualifying them online, investments made in content marketing and inbound lead generation efforts will pay off in the long run. One has to be sure to structure content effectively from an SEO perspective and the ensure that a plan is put in place to incorporate a consistent content strategy that covers the website and most relevant social media platforms. Being found is where you want to be.
Remember the deployment of the Sales Trifecta in itself will not guarantee success by any means – rather the people and the systems in place to manage and monitor it will.
If you are in need of strategic or ongoing part-time sales and marketing assistance feel free to contact me. I would be happy to see if we can help. Alternatively, if you are simply looking for a source of excellent sales and marketing information, please feel free to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Twitter.
