Sales is an important part of any business however for sales to be truly successful they need to be married with marketing and effective communication, which includes social media. Through the effective management of social media sales opportunities can be greatly increased.
The following are some of the ways to be successful in sales and marketing:
Learn From the Best
Identify with someone who is strong in sales, get that person as a mentor and learn from them. By shadowing someone who’s considered to be the best you will absorb their knowledge and improve your own skills.Don’t
Reinvent the Wheel
If something has a proven track record of success emulate it. Review case studies, listen and learn from the stories of peers and mentors, this will take you much further than any formal training program. Taking the time to hear the first-hand accounts of successful sales is invaluable in growing your own sales skills.
The same is true when it comes to marketing. Companies should continue to run with campaigns that have proven to be successful and expand on them moving forward.
Study the Approach
Successful sales come down to a process and it’s important to learn that process. Study the approach, learn about the key players (sales operations teams, service team etc.), their roles and functions, and how each of them fits into the process. Learn about each of the stages that turn a lead into a sale.
Marketing also has processes to adhere to in order to achieve success especially in the area of social media. Each platform comes with a different approach and knowing the best approach to take is crucial to success.
Focus on the numbers
Sales is a numbers game and it’s important to identify what those numbers are; for example how many conversations lead to a sale? There are pre-existing metrics and benchmarks in place which need to be taken into consideration. This is an instance where having a mentor is key. Learning from someone who’s driven by numbers will be able to help you focus on your own numbers to achieve success.
Metrics also exist in marketing, in particular with social media marketing. Focus is placed on number of likes, comments and shares for content and calculating how those convert to sales.
Know Where Your Strengths Lie
To be successful in sales you must recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Identifying what you do best and build on that and where you need improvement ask for assistance and support in order to grow.
Someone in sales obviously possesses the necessary skill set in order to be successful in that role; they may not necessarily be skilled in marketing. This is where is it is important to identify the individual(s) whose strengths lie in marketing and task them with growth in that area.
Set Expectations
Setting expectations from the outset is critical. Knowing what’s expected will minimize emotions running high in the event of a shortfall. While it is ideal to not only meet expectations but exceed them that can only be done if simple, measureable, actionable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals are put in place
Setting expectations when it comes to a marketing strategy is also extremely important. Just like goals for sales, those for marketing also have to be manageable in order to be achievable.
Create a realistic strategy
When strategizing it’s important to be realistic in that planning. It is better to under-promise and over-deliver on the goals being set. Doing so will set a good and lasting impression that will only lead to further success.
Divide and Conquer
A divide and conquer approach is always a good one to take for performance efficiency. Breaking up different tasks (in either sales or marketing) allows you to understand what is productive and what’s not. It makes those tasks more manageable and easier to complete.
Lean on Your Resources
There is no “I” in “Team” so don’t be fearful of leaning on the resources you have at your disposal. No one works in isolation when they are part of a larger team so ask for help when necessary.
