June 23rd, 2016

One of the most frequently asked questions by our new licensees is "How can I jumpstart and begin making sales?" If you're just getting started or have struggled to source leads to sell to, consider these five strategies to jumpstart your sales process today:

1. Know your business backward and forward
   
   I started our June 6th blog post, How and When To Hire A Sales Agent in 6 Steps with the same words of advice, but it couldn't be any more important than in your conversations with prospects. The key to establishing a sound sales strategy is to build trust. If you can't speak confidently and eloquently about your business, then how can you expect that they will feel confident in what you can do for them? The short answer is you can't. Furthermore, you'll need to be prepared to answer any and all questions that may come your way explain how you can help your prospects drive more revenue by doing business with you. SocialOwl resellers have a plethora of training videos and tutorials and white label sales & marketing materials available to them in their robust resources section. 

2. Identify and target who your typical buyers are
   
   If you're selling business-to-business, think about where the movers and shakers in your business community would be available for approach. Chances are, your area has a local and/or regional chamber of commerce... what better way could there possibly be to get your brand in front of prospects than an organization chock-full of business owners and influencers?! Don't just advertise with the chamber(s), get involved! Go to their meet-and-greets, events, and meet face-to-face the leaders of organizations that are constantly looking for new solutions to build their business and do smarter business. Don't forget to bring your business cards!
   
   
3. Create an enticing early adopter program
   It's OK to be honest with your prospects. If you're a new business, then you're a new business. Leverage this fact to your advantage by offering discounted pricing and added value to the first businesses to get started with you. You can even tailor your promotion to specific individuals or organizations to give a sense of exclusivity. (Hint: Consider a chamber of commerce member promotion)
   
   
4. Target a manageable geographic area
   
   Don't spread yourself thin trying to cover an unreasonable distance. Target a small area that you can cover more easily. Plan where you're going to and identify the business owners, leaders, and/or influencers you want to talk to. Have a plan in place and your pitch prepared. A little research goes a long way. Take the time to learn a little bit about the businesses you'll be approaching and what problems they may be facing that you can help them to solve. If you have a small marketing budget, consider how building momentum with a narrow focus will help you to grow revenue in a larger swath in the future.
   
   
5. Leverage good relationships for word-of-mouth marketing 
   
   As you meet more and more influencers in your market, you'd be remiss to utilize this one easy trick to instantly grow your network exponentially: Ask for the names of other business owners/leaders/influencers that may be interested in what you have to offer. Even if you talk to a business owner who's not interested in what you're selling, they may know 10 other businesses who could benefit from your services. On a similar note, once you have a happy client signed up, ask them to sing your praises! Word-of-mouth recommendations are the most powerful form of marketing... so ask for it! Once you have an endorsement, you can post it to your website, on social media, in your email marketing, in your sales & marketing materials, and anywhere else you can think to put it.

These five tips should help you to spur the sales to jumpstart your business. If you ever get stuck in a sales rut, don't forget to talk to people you already know. Most business leaders are happy to help other business owners in their network.