Creating a sales strategy is the surest way to get customers to seek your services and purchase your products. It should have a plan that has the power to position your brand to get a competitive advantage. Successful sales implementation allows the sales team to focus more on target customers and communicate in meaningful ways. Good strategies address common challenges businesses experience such as:

• The introduction of new products or services.
• Stagnation or declining sales revenues.
• Merging of sales forces after an acquisition.
• The launch of a new competitor.
• Expansion of new markets.

So, how should you come up with a strategy that drives growth to your business and great returns to your bottom line? 

Focus on your Goals and Objectives

Today, managing customer relationship is the most important aspect any business strategy can address. The focus here is to sell more and attract prospects. Keeping objectives in check while strategizing helps you examine the initiatives that will produce results. The immediate goals may be to improve profits or increase brand awareness. Notice that business goals become marketing plan goals. However, you must have strategies to detail how to achieve the goals. 
Are there particular steps your sales team could take to improve performance? When goals and objectives are adopted in the sales strategy, there must be clearly defined targets and timelines. First, determine what the salespeople ought to do. Should they concentrate more on developing new markets or sell more to the existing customers? Segmenting and determining your target market is a prerequisite for creating an effective sales strategy. 

Review your marketing collateral 

Conducting marketing collateral audit is vital. Marketing collateral should advance prospect’s buying decision process. Collateral meant for other purposes generally distract candidates and delays their buying decision. If you are looking to increase sales with your marketing collateral, consider the following:

• Understand your Ideal Client Profile. What are their characteristics and what motivates them to buy?
• Keep off jargon and make the read easy. 
• Create a short, inspiring story to engage your audience and create an emotional connection with your prospect.
• Embrace quality in your write-up. Your writing style reflects your brand and the quality of your products and services. 

The printed and digital material must be written and designed to attract prospects. Be sure to verify that the dates provided are updated, and every sales person is using the recommended version. While reviewing your templates and collateral, document all uncovered issues. 

Define your USP

Your sales creation should not only describe the services and products offered but your unique selling proposition (USP) too. Whether it’s a start-up or a growing business, every company must understand what makes its brand stand out. This understanding is what perfects USP, a component that determines how you differ uniquely from competitive offers. USP gives you an understanding of where your products are positioned in the market regarding quality, pricing, and if you have the first-ever product in your industry. 
Ideally, USP can be simply defined as what your business has that your competitors don’t. If you are a small company, consider strategizing on just one USP. For large and established companies, it is vital to have several of them. The message sent out to communicate your business USP must be useful and brief. If you are offering the same products and services offered by your competitor, define why consumers should choose you. 

Analyze your Competitors 

The need for analyzing your competitors is to determine their strengths and weaknesses within your market. Knowing what they are offering enables you to make your products stand out. It is the only way you can set competitive prices and respond to rival marketing campaigns with your initiatives. Be sure to assess any threats posed by current competitors and even new entrants. That will help you to be more realistic in your planning. Understand what they are selling, who they are, how much their products and services cost, and why consumers would be better served by you and not your competitor. 

If they are offering something better, your company must respond by strategizing on how to make changes. You could improve your customer service, assess your prices, update your products and services, change your suppliers, or even redesign your website. Ensure that your messaging and your branding are consistent. All channels should be designed to attract the ideal customer and communicate the unique qualities of your company to prospects. Your strategy should aim at innovating and not imitating.  

A sales execution is an all-inclusive plan of getting customers to purchase products and services. While it may be fully based on the marketing strategies, it focuses on sales rather than increasing business visibility. However, the sales plan is an essential document that needs ample time to develop. As your business evolves, new products are introduced, or when the market changes, be sure to adjust the sales plan. It is vital to introduce a strategy that is not just like another pitch. Remember it should be your best chance to tailor your products and services to meet the needs of your audience and demonstrate that you have better offerings than your competitor.