How to use Marketing to grow your Sales?
This article elaborates on how to apply the marketing tools and techniques to leverage sales processes better thus making them more effective in achieving business goals.
Rohit Khatua
Would you like to acquire and retain customers more effectively? What if you could find a way to make your product more profitable? Does your product have a competitive advantage?
The answer lies in marketing, which is about creating and demonstrating the value proposition in the product. With these, your product value-addition is differentiated from other players in the market.
How does marketing help your business?
Marketing fulfils several objectives for your business as it:
- Builds awareness
- Creates positive brand identity
- Promotes your brand
- Attracts, converts and retains customers
- Clarifies doubts
- Communicates special offers
- Uses media to reach wider audiences
How can you use marketing to grow sales?
Marketing begins even before the start of the sales cycle.
Marketing works to increase awareness and attract customers to your product. Thereafter sales works to convert the customer demand thus created. You can use marketing approach and tools in various sales stages as below:
- Pre-sales
All the following forms of marketing…
- Digital – SEO, SEM, email, social media
- Offline – ATL mass media, BTL activities, PR
… Work round-the-clock to promote your business and products to prospective and existing customers.
- Sales mining and qualifying
Check up on your customer’s business and goals.
How do those goals sync with and add value to your own business goals like volumes, margins, distribution, product features etc.? Knowing this can help you create the right value proposition for your customer. This will increase the CLV (customer lifetime value) to your own business.
- Connecting with customer
Probe further to understand customer’s gaps and goals. This gives you clarity on how you should Position your product as the best solution for the customer.
For eg. Are you a credible and trustworthy partner you’re your product widely used and recommended? Do you have an impressive digital presence? Is your after-sales service excellent?
- Creating the Solution
While crafting your solution, keep the customer’s problem foremost in mind. Characteristics like below add to the CVP (customer value proposition) of your solution:
- Product features / USP
- Special pricing
- Post-sales support
- Promotional support online /r offline or B2B clout
- Special freebies for select customers
- Recognition rewards like loyalty programs etc.
- Post sales
While addressing post-sales issues, the method of handling will either cement the relationship or erode it. Every customer challenge is an opportunity to serve it better. Solve the problem effectively and efficiently with complete customer-orientation will influence loyalty.
Great, so what do I do next?
Based on the guidelines in the article, brainstorm on how you could enhance each stage of sales by applying marketing tools or approach better.
Doing this will deliver higher value to your customer and eventually back to your business.
About Author
Rohit Khatua
Rohit is an astute general management, communications and sales leader with 2 decades of wide experience. He has led mandates across MNCs and Indian businesses in top FMCG and financial services organizations. Rohit has headed marketing teams and reinvented corporate brand identities across such businesses.
Rohit’s key skills include brand and product management, marketing strategy, PR & media, digital & social media, communications, consumer insights, campaign management, innovation, market development and managing teams.
Rohit is a well-rounded professional with personal pursuits ranging from blogging and script-writing, painting and fitness.