Sales Strategies Vs. Sales Tactics

How many times can we talk about the difference between sales strategy and sales tactics? Apparently, not too often because here I am talking about it again…

Your sales strategy should be really, really simple…the simpler it is to understand, the more likely your sales team will understand and execute against it. Are you ready?

Your sales strategy should be to educate the customer to the problems he has–and help him solve them.

Everything you do in the marketing/lead generation/sales process should have THAT as your end goal. The mistake most companies make is they make their strategy about THEM — not the customer.

I recently spoke to a group where I asked the question, “What is your sales strategy?” The answers I got indicated that they had done no definitive work on the subject. Isn’t that a bit absurd? With as much chatter as there is about the concept of sales strategy—to have done no work on it? None!

So, now that you have your new strategy, your sales tactics — and marketing tactics — should line up to support that. Here are some tips:

• Maybe you publish an article about all the mistakes you observe people making in the process of solving problems.
• Maybe you create a video where you interview a client about the problems they had they didn’t know about.
• Maybe you create a speech that you deliver to groups in your area–your niche–where you discuss the Top 10 Problems people experience without your solution.

You get the idea. For God’s sake, do some work on strategy. And when you do, make sure your customer is at the center of it.