Before I even start going down this rabbit hole with you, there is no magic wand, there is not one size fits all and there are so many things that can affect sales acquisition and retention. How do I know this? I’m not a millionaire…yet.
In all seriousness, have you sat down recently and thought, what does my sales acquisition and marketing strategy look like, do we need to embrace change here? A nice bit of creative? Some social media? Maybe an email? PPC, POS? Oh, let’s do an exhibition! Or how about some web offers…well some of this can work of course, especially if you have a planned approach, where everything works hand in hand. Yep, targeted is great – scattergun, panic marketing however…not so much! As they say, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Any one channel of marketing does not fulfil a strategy, a planned combination of channels however, can have impact.
So, while you may hear, “email marketing doesn’t work or social media is a waste of time” as throw away comments…then you need to choose who you listen to wisely, it’s how you use a combination of channels and when, that counts.

Multi-channel & omni-channel approaches
There is room for both multi-channel and omni-channel approaches when thinking of how to deliver positive change. Both can work, but what’s key here is having the right strategy and using more than one channel to deliver your ROI. So, whether you are looking at a product sales strategy (probably multi-channel) or a user centric brand strategy (probably omni-channel), I’d obviously recommend an expert to help… the team and I here at Real Edge of course!
Acquisition of new customers can be a challenge for any business. It may not be just about migrating someone to your brand but getting them to try a whole new product. When their loyalty lies elsewhere, it’s an even harder task! Trust plays a big part, along with value for money, point of difference and ethical values in equal measure.

Each customer will have buying triggers, the more personalised and granular you can be in your targeting or messaging, the more likely you are to be heard. In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalised experiences.
Behaviours and triggers can be affected by season, finances, mood and need, what works for one customer in January, may fail for another. What’s more, frequency of message is also important.
So, who are you talking to? How do you reach them? And what’s the frequency of exposure to ensure you have eyes on your approach and you continue to be front of mind until their point of purchase?
It’s all a strategic game and if you only looked at one part of a marketing journey, let’s say analytics for a website as an example, you can drive yourself mad just looking at cart abandonment rates and page dropouts! Minor tweaks alone on a website can increase conversion ten-fold… that’s a whole heap of sales right there. But what gets them to a page in the first place? Again, it’s all part of the game!

Selling business-to-business
If you are selling high value items in a B2B environment to a retailer or procurement team, you need a long term, robust sales strategy, one that includes triggers and follow ups! When we worked with Champion Generators, we pulled a whole acquisition strategy and training session for the team together covering the UK, France and Germany. Not only did we drive their targets to an exhibition, but they also closed big deals on the stand, just by following a clear and well executed marketing and sales plan.

If you know your target, then cater to it. For example, heads of finance or procurement are probably interested in what difference your product makes to their bottom line, so be clear and concise is this type of message. They probably want to know more about the financial benefits than the features. Think about what they are likely to engage with; email, phone call, direct message…maybe all of them and more, delivered at the right time to get maximum impact or grab attention. That’s multi-channel right there – targeted and using the marketing mix of what they are most likely to engage with. It might just be a one-off campaign, but it’s focussed.

If your target is another sales team or managing director, they will probably want to know the features of what makes your product better and an easy sell to the end user, so they can shift volume when comparing to their competition. Plus, how you’ll support them in selling the product to their end user…basically how will you help them market it? Read our blog on educating your retailers, here. But don’t disappear just yet, I’ve not finished.
If your initial plan of attack is to send an email out to your key contacts, then you need to be targeted, and analysis will be key! Who opened it, what did they click on? Because your next approach with them will be different to someone who didn’t interact.
For the one’s that didn’t, why? Content? Was it personalised? Did the subject line deliver and so on…But any marketing should be supported by human interaction and planning. Do they need a phone call, another email, something in the post…
You may choose a follow up email for some, a phone call for others or some form of surprise and delight marketing pack! But this way, you are not blanket sending relentlessly. You are making behavioural marketing decisions to affect your outcomes; it will also keep costs and effort focused in the right areas.

Selling business-to-consumer
Even if you’re a business-to-business company, you may need to consider a business-to-consumer strategy as well, after all, if you can get someone to stock your product, you also need to help them to encourage the end user to buy it! Or if you are B2C and selling directly to consumers yourself, you need to know exactly who your customer is so you can give them what they need. Consumers will not only want value for money, but they will also want to know why your goods are better than the ones they already use…Or letting them know, in a creative way, that you have a product they didn’t know they needed, until now!
A product or service-led approach probably needs to be more brand focussed, so this means omni-channel can work well.
The key here is to think about sales triggers and, most of all, think about how your target may respond, or not in some cases, to your approach. Sometimes you can be too close to what you are selling and love all your features and benefits, but if you can’t communicate or translate this well, or in a way your audience likes to consume messages and data, then you are wasting money, time, and effort.
Repetition of message, clear branding across all channels, with a good customer journey is key. No matter what door they come through; email, TV, radio, social media… all of them! This halo effect and messaging will help build trust and this brings me to reviews…Google reviews and how you reply to them can add value to your marketing strategy.
Everything from email marketing, retargeting emails, a good landing page for the product and lots of quick-to-engage social activity, will help with frequency of message. Remember the rule of seven – customers need to see your brand at least seven times before they commit to a purchase decision. Don’t be frightened of direct mail too! Just be innovative… ensure it is on point and engaging… but not to you, it’s not aimed at you! If you have the budget and it’s a new product, test your messages, ask your customers. Get feedback, tweak and go again!

Driving traffic but conversion is low?
Got the web traffic? Conversion low? Then there’s something wrong with your product (ouch!), your website landing page, price or basket journey. A quick and painless basket journey online can make a huge difference all by itself. Checking your mobile journey is working as well as your desktop, can influence sales conversion as I highlighted earlier.
Small changes can lead to big sales. Be targeted, no matter if you are improving your sales journey, collecting data or developing a new lead generation strategy. What do they like and what do they not like? This will help with planning; it all adds up to a higher sales conversion.
For help with your sales acquisition strategy, in-line with some bloody good marketing, get in touch with us! Call us on +44 (0)115 932 7727 or by emailing hello@realedge.co.uk