If your sales efforts aren't currently planned or under your control, chances are your shop will not get to where you know it can be.

“If your sales efforts aren’t currently planned or under your control, chances are your shop will not get to where you know it can be. ”

Last week, we went through the first three steps that will get you on your way to fueling your sales engine and escaping the vicious sales cycle.

In 5 Ways to Increase Cabinet Sales: Part 1, we talked about how to figure out if you have a sales problem, why you need to fix it (there's more reasons than one), and how to fix it.

We laid a foundation for your sales plan and now, if you've started tackling steps 1-3, you are ready to rev up your sales engine in a way that will blow you (and your customers') minds.

Are You Stuck In The Vicious Sales Cycle?

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5 rules to successfully fuel your sales engine

Let's review the 5 Ways to Increase Your Cabinet Sales. Take time every day to take steps towards accomplishing these 5 rules and your sales will thank you later.

Define what your company does well.
Identify exactly who your ideal buyer is.
Get a killer website.
Start using a CRM like HubSpot NOW.
Give the buyer what they want, without them even knowing! (Inbound Marketing)

Now lets dig into our final steps. Buckle up, because these are game changers.

Step 4: Start using a CRM like HubSpot NOW

Once your foundation is built (steps 1-3), you can dive into utilizing a CRM. Customer Relationship Management software will organize your leads, contacts, and emails regardless of how busy you are. From email templates to email strategies, they send out on a timer automatically.

Compared to some, I am new to HubSpot, but if you want a CRM that comes with resources, there are no others out there that compare in my opinion. The CRM is free to use and you can add features as you get more comfortable with the capabilities.

“Buyers have changed how they buy.”

HubSpot will support you if you call in or you can use their online treasure trove of topics to learn anything you could ever want to know about sales or marketing. Just start by entering your contacts and tracking your emails.

Before you know it, you will have a ton of contacts in there that you can start selling to when you utilize other features of the CRM like auto-email strategies.

I could go on and on, but the main take away here is to just start using a CRM NOW. Collect data as you go and you will be able to tap into it whenever you need.

“38% of salespeople say that they struggle most with prospecting. While there is an abundance of new technology and platforms to help salespeople connect and develop relationships with prospects, many are finding it difficult to incorporate this technology into their daily routine. In fact, 19% of salespeople say they're struggling to incorporate social media in their sales process, and 13% say using sales technologies is now harder than it used to be.” - Hubspot

If this percentage worries you because you think it means that it is harder to get a sale than it use to be, don’t fret. What it really means is just that buyers have changed how they buy.

It is not all just word of mouth anymore. People are researching more and are more educated than ever before buying. Check out this podcast to understand how this change in buying came about and how marketing and selling has changed with it.

So let’s get into the next step to discover where we fit into this new process.

Step 5: Give the buyer what they want, without them even knowing!

The secret is, look in, not out, to generate the kind of sales you need.

Look at yourself to provide the information to your buyer persona. You know your product better than anyone. If you can bring your ideas, knowledge, and expertise to the buyer when they are somewhere along on the Buyer’s Journey, sales will follow.

Let’s run through the Buyer's Journey together. Check out the chart below to understand each of the three stages in the Buyer's Journey.

Awareness, Consideration, & Decision

In the Awareness Stage, the buyer is experiencing symptoms of a problem or opportunity. They are doing research to clearly understand or define the problem or opportunity before them.

In the Consideration Stage, the buyer has clearly defined their problem or opportunity. They are conducting further research to better understand all of the possible approaches to solving the defined problem or opportunity.

In the Decision Stage, the buyer has decided on the approach they're going to take to address their problem or opportunity. At this point, they are researching vendors, suppliers, or companies and comparing them side by side until they make a final purchase decision.

We all go through the buyer's journey at one time or another. Think about the times you've gone through the buyer's journey in the past: when you bought a truck, when looking for a restaurant out of town, deciding where to send your kids to college, etc.

Whether we recognize it or not, we have all gone through each of the three stages of the buyer's journey.

Using the Buyer's Journey

By this point in the process, you know what your ideal product and ideal buyer look like. You know that ideally this product and persona would make up the bulk of your sales.

“If you can master the art of answering your persona’s questions before they have to ask them, you will be a trusted source of information and help, launching you to the top of their list when it comes to making a purchase.”

Now as you start thinking about your persona's challenges and opportunities, start thinking about the questions that they have during each of the stages in their Buyer's Journey.

If you can master the art of answering your persona's questions before they have to ask them, you will be a trusted source of information and help, launching you to the top of their list when it comes to making a purchase.

To get a better idea of how to tackle the Buyer's Journey, check out this video on Inbound Marketing.

take control over your sales process today

Don’t let the frustrations of the vicious sales cycle hold your company hostage any longer. Take control over your sales process by implementing these 5 key strategies, and see how your sales soar.

Consistent efforts in these areas every day will free you from the exhausting cycle you’ve settled for.

What happens when you start talking directly to your buyer and your sales go up, but your capacity is at the same spot? Read our 3 part series on how to make it in the cabinet industry. We also have a great article about the when, why, and how to increase shop capacity.

Now go out there and kill it and let us know how you are doing.

5 Ways to Increase Cabinet Sales : Part 2