eBusiness Weekly
Dr Keen Mhlanga
In today’s competitive industry, a well-planned sales strategy is more crucial than ever.
A great sales strategy not only helps you close more deals, but it also allows you to create customer relationships and increase brand loyalty.
This article will walk you through the actions you need to follow to create a successful sales plan that will help you reach your business objectives.
Are you prepared to take your sales approach to the next level? With the correct technique, you can close more deals, boost customer happiness and achieve long-term commercial success. So, if you are ready to understand how to create a successful sales strategy, continue reading!
Developing a sales strategy is important for a number of reasons. First, it helps you understand your target market and their needs, so you can tailor your approach accordingly.
Second, it allows you to create a clear and consistent message that resonates with your target market.
Third, it helps you track and measure your progress, so you can adjust your strategy needed.
Finally, it gives you a roadmap to follow, so you know what steps to take to achieve your sales goals.
Understanding your target market is the most important step in developing a winning sales strategy.
Without a clear understanding of your target market, you will not be able to effectively communicate your value proposition or create a sales funnel that meets their needs.
So how do you go about understanding your target market?
First, you need to identify who your ideal customer is. This includes factors like age, gender, location and interests. Once you have a clear picture of your ideal customer, you can start to develop a profile of their needs and pain points.
This will help you create a tailored sales strategy that speaks directly to the customers. Now that you have a good understanding of your target market, you can start to develop a clear and consistent message.
Your message should be focused on how your product or service can solve the pain points of your target market. It should be clear, concise and persuasive.
You can use this message in all of your marketing materials, from your website to your sales presentations. Consistency is key, so make sure you use the same message across all of your channels.
Now that you have a clear and consistent message, it is time to create a sales funnel. The sales funnel is a step-by-step process that leads to potential customers from awareness to purchase.
It is important to create a sales funnel that is tailored to your target market. This will ensure that you are providing the right information at the right time and guiding them through the buying process in way that makes sense for them.
It’s also important to make sure your sales funnel is easy to follow, so potential customers do not get lost or confused. The first step in creating a sales funnel is identifying the different stages of the buying process.
There are typically four stages: awareness, interest, consideration and decision. Once you have identified those stages, you can start to map out the steps that potential customers will take as they move through the funnel.
For example, the awareness stage might include learning about your product through social media or other marketing channels. The interest stage might involve reading a blog post or watching a video.
The consideration stage might include reading reviews or comparing prices. And the decision stage might involve adding the product to a shopping cart or making a purchase.
The next step is to identify the touchpoints that will move potential customers from one stage of the funnel to the next.
A touchpoint is any point of contact that you have with a potential customer. It can be anything from a social media post to an email to a phone call. It is important to map out the touchpoint in advance so you can plan your communication strategy.
Some common touchpoints include website landing page, email campaign, product demo and sales call. Once you have mapped out the touchpoints, it is time to create content for each stage of the funnel. This content should be tailored to the specific needs of potential customers at that stage.
For example: content for the awareness stage might focus on educating potential customers about the problem that your product solves.
Content for the interest stage might focus on the benefits of your product.
And content for the consideration stage might focus on answering common questions or concerns that potential customers have.
The goal is to provide value at every stage of the funnel, so the potential customers see the benefit of continuing on to the next stage.
One example of a successful business person in Zimbabwe who developed a winning sales strategy is Strive Masiyiwa. He is the founder and chairman of Econet Wireless, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Africa.
Masiyiwa’s sales strategy was based on the idea of providing high-quality products and services at an affordable price.
This strategy helped him to build a loyal customer base and grow his company into a multi-billion dollars business.
He also focused on developing strong relationships with his customers, which helped to differentiate his company from its competitors.
Another example is Frank Buyanga, who is the CEO of the Buyanga Group, a diversified business conglomerate. Buyanga’s sales strategy is based on understanding and meeting the needs of his customers.
He is known for his customer-centric approach and for his willingness to listen to feedback and make changes based on customer input.
He has also been praised for his ability to anticipate and respond to changes in the market. As a result of his sales strategy, the Buyanga Group has grown into one of the largest businesses in Zimbabwe.
Another example is Patick Bitature, who is the founder and CEO of Simba Group, a holding company that owns several businesses in Zimbabwe. Bitature’s sales strategy is based on innovation and a commitment to customer satisfaction.
He is known for being an early adopter of new technologies and for his abilities to identify and capitalise on emerging trends.
Simba Group has become one of the most successful companies in Zimbabwe and Bitature is considered one of the country’s most successful businessmen.
In conclusion, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing a winning sales strategy. However, there are certain principles that successful business people in Zimbabwe have followed.
These includes understanding the needs of customers and meeting those needs, focusing on providing high quality products and services. Being innovative and identifying new trends. Developing strong relationships with customers, anticipating and responding to changes in the market.
Dr Keen Mhlanga is an Investment advisor with high skills in finance. He is the executive chairman of FinKing Financial Advisory. Send your feedback to [email protected], contact him on 0777597526.
