In my marketing work with clients, I specialize in helping great businesses that are already bringing in a million dollars or more in sales. These businesses all shared a problem that year this came sharply into focus.
The problem
Their sales success has been 100% offline. They’ve built a successful business on referrals, direct calling, a few big clients, in-person networking/business development, or some other slow but study organic growth process. These and other offline channels dominate service industries, from coaching to financial planning to contracting and any other number of businesses.
Why is offline sales success a problem? It doesn’t scale well. It is often overly dependent on personal relationships, geography, and repeat business. So, almost inevitably, these businesses hit a wall on their growth (or a pandemic slams the door shut on them), and they can’t muscle through it.
Attempt #1
Worse yet, they’ve never needed to develop and improve an online sales strategy. First, they try it themselves, and that doesn’t work. They end up with a site just to say they have one. The site is ugly and unclear and drives zero sales for the business. The final result is their idea that online sales won’t work for their industry is reinforced.
Attempt #2
After a while, they realize, maybe they didn’t execute well. The ugly site is getting pretty old. Maybe they should give online sales another shot. Having learned their lesson, they hire a professional designer. After a few thousand dollars and a few weeks’ work, they end up with a beautiful site. And then the sales come flowing in, right? Wrong! Instead, they end up with nothing but a pretty website, a lighter wallet, and no sales. Now they know and have proof that online sales won’t work for their business or their industry.
The result
It’s a bittersweet finding. Sweet, because they knew the whole online sales stuff was smoke, mirrors, and clever marketing but no real substance. Bitter because they are back to square one. They’ve tried local advertising, hiring new sales reps, calling on past clients, changing their pricing, but while there are some bright sparks, nothing is moving the needle.
They want to grow, but they don’t know how to do it.
The reason
Online sales never worked for them has little to do with their industry, and everything to do with their (and their designer’s) execution. They mistook online sales for a creative website, but that’s like saying all we need to do to sell offline is to buy business cards.
They fail to sell online because they fail to develop a process to sell online.
The solution
That’s why my work is so valuable and effective for them. Rather than building pretty websites, I help these already successful businesses grow faster than ever by designing a full marketing and sales process that works. It works because it is based on timeless principles, incorporates best practices, and builds upon their proven success offline.
This is a lot to cover in a single article. I’ve added links to several articles at the bottom that address the what and how of creating an online sales funnel. Here, I want to focus on the why behind all of this and the mindset you need before adding online sales to your sales toolkit.
The three whys
Why #1: Scalability
Scalability is the most exciting to me of the three whys. A powerful online sales system is just that, a system. It’s a set of technologies and processes that you’ve engineered and can continue to optimize for peak performance. Contrast this with the make it up as you go approach that adequately describes most sales activities, and it is easy to see the advantages.
- By leveraging technology, you can dramatically increase exposure to more clients and automate many rote tasks that keep sales reps from selling.
- Blowing away geographical barriers, you can open your sales activities as wide as your operational capabilities. For knowledge work, video conferencing is here to stay. For physical work, I still find developing sales relationships offline to be more geographically sensitive. If you sell something just out of reach, I’d be willing to bet you’ll find a way to make it happen. You’ll often find it doesn’t take much to go further. You just never had enough of a reason to figure it out.
- It is easier to measure because it is a process, allowing you to identify what is working and what isn’t. Working through and defining the process shines a light on all of this, which will enable you to reproduce and improve it.
- Since we are scripting out many of the conversations and mapping out lead acquisition and follow-up, there is less guesswork for the sales rep. This means it is easier for your great reps to sell more, and it is a lot easier for your new reps to get up to speed quickly.
Why #2: Predictability
Predictability is like the golden goose of the sales world. The logistics needed to support all the downstream activities and variables that stem from an unpredictable sales process are staggering. Think about the number of decisions that need to be made about hiring, purchasing, scheduling, facilities, expansion, to name a few. Owners, CEOs, and management teams spend excessive time firefighting and solving problems that would go away if they could accurately predict their monthly, quarterly, and annual revenues.
Predictability would help you know when to expand, which sales performance issues are seasonal, permanent, or require action.
Why #3: Inevitability
The shift to online sales and lead-generation has been happening for a while. All the COVID pandemic did was highlight it and speed it up dramatically.
The shift to online sales and lead-generation has been happening for a while. All the COVID pandemic did was highlight it and speed it up dramatically. Click To Tweet
Even if you can get through the pandemic with nothing but your existing offline sales, how long do you think that will last?
Your customers are increasingly content with and dependent on digital communication. Your competitors are growing and are more likely to make the leap. As your customers’ desires and competitors’ strategies become increasingly aligned, what do you think that will do to your sales? And if you wait until you feel the loss in your offline sales, you will be so far behind in developing a strong offering online that you may never catch up.
This shift is inevitable. Why not take advantage of it now and make a move before it is too late?
The mindset
I’m going to wrap up with this. You need to stop using your past experiences of poor execution to justify the lie that online sales don’t work in your industry. You have to really buy into all three whys and go all in to make an online sales system work. Selling is hard work. If it were easy, someone would have done it already.
You put in that hard work to design your current approach, and I’m sure you don’t regret it.
Now it’s time to put in that same hard work to develop a new approach to complement and supplement what is already working. It’s not a website. It’s a system, from start to close.
When you set out to build that system, you stand an infinitely higher likelihood of success. When you achieve that success, you’ll be so glad you put in the effort to make it happen, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you and your sales team can accomplish with the same resources.
The what and the how
Strategy
Websites
- Why none of your business comes from your website
- Is your website button Superman or Clark Kent?
- What questions should you ask on your lead forms?
- How to use popups to generate leads on your website
Lead generators
Email advertising
- Should you send ads and promotions to your email list?
- How to write an automated email sequence
- How to consistently produce great blog content
Messaging
- Are you marketing for your success or your customers’ success?
- Is your marketing clear… to your clients?
- Stop telling your story
- Don’t be the hero
-
The problem of great offline sales
In the marketing work I do for my clients, I specialize in helping great businesses who are already bringing in a million dollars or more in sales. These businesses all share a problem that this came sharply into focus in the 2020 global pandemic.
The problem
Their sales success has been 100% offline. They've built a successful business on referrals, direct calling, a few big clients, in-person networking/business development, or some other slow but study organic growth process. These and other offline channels dominate service industries, from coaching to financial planning to contracting and any other number of businesses.
Why is offline sales success a problem? It's a problem because it doesn't scale well. It is often overly dependent on personal relationships, geography, and repeat business. So, almost inevitably, these businesses hit a wall on their growth (or a pandemic slams the door shut on them), and they simply can't muscle through it.
Attempt #1
Worse yet, they've never needed to develop and improve an online sales strategy. First, they try it themselves, and that doesn't work. They end up with a site just to say they have one. The site is ugly and unclear and drives zero sales for the business. The final result is their idea that online sales won't work for their industry is reinforced.
Attempt #2
After a while, they realize maybe they didn't execute well. The site is ugly and getting pretty old. Maybe they should give online sales another shot. Having learned their lesson, this time, they hire a professional designer after a few thousand dollars and a few weeks' work. They end up with a beautiful site. And then the sales come flowing in, right? Wrong! Instead, they end up with nothing but a pretty site, a lighter wallet, and no sales. Now they know and have proof that online sales won't work for their business or their industry.
The result
This is a bittersweet finding. Sweet, because they knew the whole online sales stuff was smoke, mirrors, and clever marketing but no real substance. Bitter because they are back to square one. They've tried local advertising, hiring new sales reps, calling on past clients, changing their pricing, but while there are some bright sparks, nothing is moving the needle.
They want to grow but simply just don't know how to do it. If this is you, I'll show you how you can grow, but first, we need to really understand why online sales haven't worked for your business so far.
Read the Article: https://bit.ly/3aQXTtC
#GrowYourBusiness #Marketing #Focus #Business #SmallBusiness #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies
Like what you see? You can find more great content from Scale Architects here!
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scale_architect -
Why online sales didn't work for your business
If you don't have a vibrant online sales or lead generation strategy today. It's probably not because you didn't try.
However, The reason online sales haven't worked for you has little to do with your industry and everything to do with your (and your past designer or marketer's) execution. You probably mistook online sales for a clever website, but that's like saying all we need to do to sell offline is to buy business cards.
You are probably failing to sell online because you have failed to develop a process to sell online.
The good news is, I have a solution for you!
Rather than building pretty websites, what I help my already successful clients do to grow faster than ever, is to design a full marketing and sales process that works. It works because it is based on timeless principles, incorporates best practices, and builds upon their proven success offline.
While all of this is far too much to explain in a single video, I've added links to several videos series and articles in the description that addresses the what and how of creating an online sales funnel. There are resources that will help you layout your entire strategy, nail down your messaging, create a website that works, and set up a lead generator and automated email sequence.
In the next video, I really want to focus on the why behind all of this and the mindset you need to before you try to add online sales to your sales toolkit.
Read the Article https://bit.ly/3jcmwCp
Strategy
- You will get more leads with this one simple strategy
-Marketing Costs vs Advertising Costs
Websites
-Why none of your business comes from your website
-Is your website button Superman or Clark Kent?
-What questions should you ask on your lead forms?
-How to use popups to generate leads on your website
Lead generators
-Help, no one is reading my free e-book
-What if your browsers aren't ready to become buyers
Email advertising
-Should you send ads and promotions to your email list?
-How to write an automated email sequence
-How to consistently produce great blog content
Messaging
-Are you marketing for your success or your customers' success?
-Is your marketing clear… to your clients?
-Stop telling your story
-Don't be the hero
Links to these can be found in the article here https://bit.ly/3jcmwCp
Read the Article: https://bit.ly/3aQXTtC
#GrowYourBusiness #Marketing #Focus #Business #SmallBusiness #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies
Like what you see? You can find more great content from Scale Architects here!
Website: https://www.scalearchitects.com
Blog: https://www.scalearchitects.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/achitectscale
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalearchitects
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architectscale/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scale_architect -
The mindset you need to win at online sales
Online sales and lead generation can work for you no matter what industry you are in. But if you are going to make it work, you're going to have to buy in and go all in. You've got to put in the hard work, and to do that; you'll want to know it's worth it.
In this video, I'm going to give your the three reasons I believe you will need an online sales strategy to win and keep winning.
The first reason is scalability, and it is the most exciting for me. A powerful online sales system is just that, a system. It's a set of technologies and processes that you've engineered and can be continued to optimize for peak performance. Contrast this with the make it up as you go approach that adequately describes most sales activities, and it is easy to see the advantages.
Leveraging technology, you can dramatically increase exposure to more clients and automate many of the rote tasks that keep sales reps from actually selling.
Blowing away geographical barriers, you can open your sales activities as wide as your operational capabilities. For knowledge work, video conferencing is here to stay. For physical work, I still find developing sales relationships offline to be more geographically sensitive. If you sell something just out of reach, I'd be willing to bet you'll find a way to make it happen. You'll often find it doesn't take much to go. Further, you just never had enough of a reason to figure it out.
Because it is a process, it is easier to measure, allowing you to identify what is working and what isn't. Really working through and defining the process shines a light on all of this, allowing you to reproduce and improve it.
Since we are scripting out many of the conversations and mapping out lead acquisition and follow-up, there is less guesswork for the sales rep. This means it is easier for your great reps to sell more, and it is a lot easier for your new reps to get up to speed quickly.
The second reason an online sales system is worth it for you is predictability.
Predictability is like the golden goose of the sales world. The logistics needed to support all the downstream activities and variables that stem from an unpredictable sales process are staggering. Think about the number of decisions that need to be made about hiring, purchasing, scheduling, facilities, expansion, just to name a few. Owners, CEOs, and management teams spend an inordinate amount of time firefighting and solving the problem that would largely go away if they could accurately predict their monthly, quarterly, and annual revenues.
Predictability would help you know when to expand, which sales performance issues are seasonal and which are permanent and require action.
If the first two reasons didn't inspire you, maybe the third will scare you, at least a little.
You see, the shift to online sales and lead-generation has been happening for a while. All the COVID pandemic did was to highlight it and speed it up dramatically. Even if you can get through the pandemic with nothing but your existing offline sales, how long do you really think that is going to last?
Your customers are increasingly ok with and dependent on digital communication. Your competitors are growing more and more likely to make the leap. As your customers' desires and competitors' strategies become increasingly aligned, what do you think that will do to your sales?
Read the Article: https://bit.ly/3aQXTtC
#GrowYourBusiness #Marketing #Focus #Business #SmallBusiness #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies
Like what you see? You can find more great content from Scale Architects here!
Website: https://www.scalearchitects.com
Blog: https://www.scalearchitects.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/achitectscale
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalearchitects
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architectscale/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scale_architect