Selling to an Industry

Selling to Coal Miners and Shippers Businesses

The problem with selling to coal miners and shippers businesses is that misguided efforts can threaten your entire business model. The implementation of these techniques for selling to the coal miners and shippers business market will help you start achieving your sales objectives.

Technology and technique are important. But in a B2B sales environment, they may not be your most valuable assets.

For B2B professionals that sell to these companies, the industry's positive growth outlook makes the solid execution of fundamental sales principles more important than ever.

Sales & Marketing Tips

Some B2B coal miners and shippers business suppliers opt for third-party marketing over internal marketing activities. Either way, your marketing strategy should leverage a multichannel approach that considers the many ways coal miners and shippers business owners access information. Traditional channels like direct mail and telemarketing are important, but they should be combined with online strategies like e-mail campaigns, website SEO and social networking initiatives.

Top B2B sales teams routinely use reliable lead generation mechanisms. Leads drive sales cycles. Until your company develops a system for acquiring and qualifying coal miners and shippers business leads, it will be difficult to capture a meaningful share of the market.

If your sales force is floundering in the area of lead generation, consider buying updated lead lists from a recognized lead list provider. Experian and other vendors have a reputation for delivering accurate and affordable coal miners and shippers business lead lists to B2B sellers.

How to Evaluate Sales Staff

Periodic staff assessment is essential for companies that sell in this industry. Businesses that achieve significant market share hire quality candidates and routinely evaluate them against performance goals and benchmarks.

Although annual reviews may be acceptable for other business units, sales units should be evaluated quarterly with monthly or weekly reviews of sales totals. Training, coaching and sales incentives can be useful for improving performance and revenues. In some instances, it may be appropriate to team underperforming sales reps with reps that have more experience selling to coal miners and shippers businesses.

Know Your Products

In the real world, most coal miners and shippers businesses aren't interested in middle of the road products. Before they commit to a purchase, they want to know everything there is to know about your product.

In this industry, product details can be the deciding factor between a close and your prospect going with a competitor's product. It's crucial for your sales team to be knowledgeable and informed. If you're selling a service to coal miners and shippers businesses, your sales force must be intimately familiar with the features contained in your service agreements and be prepared to resolve customer concerns during the sales cycle.

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