Sales, marketing critical to revival after Covid woes

To get out the woods faster, you must urgently invest in sales and marketing team. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By MURORI KIUNGA
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Summary

• You will not take your business to the next level doing what you have been doing before. Let your decision and actions be guided by your customers and prospects. Use technology as your platform to expand your market beyond your current boundaries.

The single greatest driver of business success is the ability to sell its products to customers at a price that is both profitable and sustainable. Although a product plays a critical role in the success matrix, without competent salespeople to create awareness and promote it, having a good product is a zero-sum game.

The stability of any business depends on the strength and the agility of its sales force. Unfortunately, many firms spend colossal sums of money building good products, instituting management software and on offices to create an elegant aura that boost image but ignore investment in the sales force.

At the onset of Covid-19 pandemic most firms retrenched or suspended contracts of most employees. Unfortunately, most of the culprits were sales people.

As we approach next year many firms are optimistic that things will change for better whether we have Covid-19 vaccine or not as people are getting used to new normal. For instance, the Ministry of Education has indicated that solution must be found to have children in school regardless of the situation.

As business owner or a manager, you must find a solution to the problem your business is currently experiencing as a result of Covid-19 pandemic disruption. You have to pay your loans, debts and other obligations that continue to accumulate regardless of the situation.

On account of this, the easiest way to make money to help you come back to your feet and thrive will only come from sales. Avoid the temptation of wasting your resources and time pursuing loans and financing from the external sources to revamp your business and focus on how to reinvigorate your sales and marketing activities.

There are only four ways you can increase your sales: work harder, employ more sales people, improve the value of your prospects and improve your own personal selling skills and that of your team.

Out of the four ways of increasing your sales, improving selling skills yields the highest returns on investment. Increasing the number of salespeople, working hard and even targeting high value prospects increase cost in a manner that may not be commensurate with revenue if your force is not well equipped to sell.

To get out the woods faster, you must urgently invest in sales and marketing team. Focus on quality and not quantity. Equip your sales team with the required skills and other resources to enable them increase sales revenue.

You may be dealing with the immediacies of your business and the demands on your time and attention from family and society at large that you lose sight of the world beyond your four walls.

Take time to interact with you customers and take not of how their lifestyle and behaviour as well as needs has changed and provide solutions.

You will not take your business to the next level doing what you have been doing before. Let your decision and actions be guided by your customers and prospects. Use technology as your platform to expand your market beyond your current boundaries.

Mr Kiunga is a business trainer and the author of ‘The Art of Entrepreneurship: Strategies to Succeed in a Competitive Market’. murorikiunga@yahoo.com