Every entrepreneur is familiar with the hectic process of setting up a new business. Problems seem to leap out from any and every angle, whether it’s a spotty supplier, hardware malfunctions, or unsuitable staff.
It’s easy to forget about the importance of refining sales and marketing processes when caught up in such a whirlwind. However, entrepreneurs must be diligent in their small business field sales efforts to set themselves up for continuous success. This involves aligning with a higher purpose, prioritizing a digital-first approach to sales, adopting lean planning and agile methodology, and creating a culture of excellent customer service.
Follow a higher purpose with a mission
A mission statement is more than just a collection of words thrown together once and never read again. This statement should be a primary driver of success in your small business field sales efforts—but only if crafted right.
Your mission statement acts as a pillar around which all business activities should revolve. It defines what is important to the enterprise, allowing companies to assess if new opportunities align with its core principles. This acts as an assessment to determine whether an endeavor fits the existing business model and should be pursued.
A well-defined mission statement also establishes brand coherence. By having a clear understanding of what the non-negotiable business values are, a brand can communicate itself to its market clearly and effectively.
Finally, a mission statement also acts as a banner around which employees can unite. It invests your workers in the business by providing a guiding light on proper behavior, goal alignment, and brand strategies. Be sure to get your most trusted employees involved in the brainstorming process when crafting this statement for a holistic and inclusive perspective.
Establish a digital-first approach to sales
Small business field sales are moving into the online sector faster than ever before. One study showed that from Q4 2019 to Q4 2020, e-commerce sales rose by 32.1%, while in-store sales only grew 6.9% over the same time period. This rise in the number of digital interactions means small businesses must keep evolving to stay relevant.
Businesses need to adopt a digital-first sales approach to get the most out of every online interaction. One way to do this is by diversifying digital selling tools and channels. This entails being present across a variety of online platforms that build customer engagement by expanding upon traditional forms of sales. These tools can also align large groups of stakeholders and participants, improving overall efficiency.
Adopting a digital-first approach to sales is now more important than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated consumer migration towards online spaces. All-in-one management solutions like Skynamo are powerful multi-platform tools that allow you to connect with customers and manage your business online. These tools allow small businesses to scale without investing risky amounts of time and resources.
Adopt lean planning and agile methodology in sales
Lean planning
Lean planning is the optimization of sales and marketing processes. It’s the perpetual task of training employees and leaders to recognize and then remove layers of unnecessary activities in the pursuit of efficiency.
But you can only truly plan lean once you’ve established a deep understanding of what the customer wants. By grasping this, businesses can tailor both their processes and outputs to meet these needs. You can then streamline small business field sales and marketing processes to allow for quick and smooth integration into the value stream.
Finally, lean planning involves a cultural shift in the company. Every person involved in business processes must be laser-focused on providing customers with maximum value.
Agile methodology
Agile methodology is a somewhat new approach to project management. The goal is to create fast and efficient output by bypassing traditional methods of sales and marketing. These traditional methods often involve meticulous step-by-step processes that ultimately slow down business functions.
Instead of creating a rigid plan from start to finish, agile methodology involves accomplishing a specific output in a short period of time. This flexibility allows for feedback every step of the way, allowing businesses to constantly re-align and adjust as new market insights are gained.
Listen closely to customers
Whether in physical or digital market spaces, there is no replacement for a small business field sales approach centered around excellent customer service. A 2010 Customer Experience Impact Report from RightNow/Harris revealed that 82% of customers indicated that just one bad customer service experience is enough to make them switch to a competitor.
As such, it’s important for businesses to listen closely to their customers. This allows you to understand each person’s particular pain points and take measures to address them. If done well, good customer service reduces churn, improves customer loyalty, and is an avenue for cross- and up-selling.
Of course, the more business a company gets, the more difficult it can be to understand each individual customer. This is why it’s important to use a field-sales management software that can generate insightful reports based on consumer interactions. You can use these reports to guide your business decisions, interpret consumer journeys, and ultimately provide better customer experiences.
Take advantage of powerful field sales solutions through Skynamo
Many small businesses fail to reach their full potential due to relatively common mistakes. Avoiding these pitfalls requires intentional planning steps. Adopting a mission statement and a digital-first sales approach, lean planning with agile methodology, and excellent customer service are some key first steps.
Skynamo is a digital tool for emerging field-sales providers to connect with customers and scale business without risky investment. It comes with handy features such as automated report generation and CRM integration that help small businesses reach their next level.
As a mobile-first, cloud-based digital tool, Skynamo is well-equipped to help partners achieve success. Contact us today to find out what Skynamo’s suite of innovative business solutions can do for you.
