Monthly Archives: October 2021

Proper planning = Sales success

Over the last two years most businesses have inevitably simply been reacting to circumstances. What this means is that for 2022 creating a clear sales strategy will be a key component in the drive for the growth that was not realised in 2020 and 21.

Without a strategy, sales managers will make decisions based on what is currently in their minds. This usually results in constant changes of direction and much wasted effort as the latest great idea is chased down. A sales strategy will deliver clear priorities, guidelines, and goals that the whole team can understand and work with.

A great example of how this can work is YBDT’s work with TC Consult, a Cardiff based Quantity Surveyor and Construction Project Manager. At first sight the sale strategy for a business like this may seem straightforward. Construction projects can take anything between 3 months and 3 years before any earth is moved. But with every potential project at different stages along the path, and multiple contacts within the target companies, understanding what they want to achieve from each contact, email, phone, or LinkedIn, means that no opportunity is missed.

With a team of specialists in all aspects of sales, as well as working hand in glove with TC’s existing marketing and leadership team, YBDT are in an ideal position to support the creation and implementation of a detailed sales strategy. As David Champs, director of TC Consult, told us; “using YBDT gives you an opportunity to focus on your sales process, find new sources for lead generation and it helps you focus on your core business.” He said, “I’ve enjoyed working on the content, the sales consultancy has really developed nicely, and the attention to detail in the administration has been excellent”.

YBDT’s meticulous approach to building sales strategies for a wide range of businesses supports and supplements existing sales and marketing resources. From arriving at a clear definition of your target markets, to a comprehensive understanding of products, USPs and trading story, YBDT will guide you towards a sales strategy in line with your vision and goals for the business. 

The next step in planning is creating a workable and effective sales process which includes recognising and acting upon initial interest and then nurturing the prospect to the point that they can make buying decisions. YBDT can examine your existing process and work with you to refine it to provide your sales team with qualified quality appointments with customers ready to buy.

To quote David Champs again, working with YBDT is “a much quicker more efficient process than trying to organically grow a sales team”. Get in touch with your Business Development Team to start planning your route to sales in 2022.

You can access and read the full case study covering our work with TC Consults here.

Feeling overworked? How about some lead generation?

John Lennon famously referred to life as what happens while you are busy making other plans. This quote is particularly apt now when many businesses find themselves working to capacity and beyond. According to many articles and news items, the unprecedented demand created by the pandemic has meant that many are trying to deliver 12 months’ work in 3 months, which obviously puts a lot of strain on staff and systems.

One direct result of this situation, which we come across a lot currently, is companies putting their sales operation on hold. If you have limited resources to support your existing clients and you are struggling to recruit new staff, the thought of new clients coming on board may seem like complete madness. I agree that existing clients always come first and providing good service is key to your reputation. However, I don’t think you should ever let go of your sales operation as it’s the life blood of your business.

Since most things, good or bad, do not last forever, the current surge in demand will also come to an end and you will be back to chasing new clients. This will be hard to do having abandoned your sales activity for a long period of time.  So how can you manage to keep on top of your sales operation whilst being stretched in all other directions? Here are a few ideas for your consideration:

Review your sales strategy. It may well be that you are very busy and stretched but potentially you might also be allocating the wrong resource or banging your head against a brick wall. If this is the case, reconsider your current sales strategy and operation:

  • Where would you like to be at the end of next quarter?
  • Are you approaching the right target markets?
  • Have you got the right case studies and sales collateral?
  • Are the right people in your team covering the right roles?

Review your sales process. Like many other processes, it may well be held up by various bottlenecks and unnecessary admin slowing it down:

  • Where are most opportunities being held?
  • What are the biggest obstacles?
  • What could you do more?
  • What could you do less?
  • How are you measuring success at the moment?

Consider technology and new tools. Once you have looked at reshaping your strategy, consider the tools you are currently using to makes sales happen:

  • Is your CRM working for you and the team?
  • Is the CRM set up to support your sales process?
  • Are there software tools that can support your sales operation better?
  • Could some of you selling be done using digital marketing?
  • Would an effective content marketing help?

Ask yourself if this is the time to outsource or bring in an expert? Often sales success can be stuck in your blind spot. It may well not be your area of expertise or passion. Given that you are very busy but don’t want to let go of sales, why not consider asking someone else to help?

At YBDT we can help you with both lead generation and sales consultancy which means that we take the ownership for creating a strategic, tailored plan and then deliver on it. In the past 12 months we have increased our sales consultancy offering and you can read more about it here.  Get in touch to see how we might help.