How to Sell to Niche Markets

Selling to Eastern Orthodox Churches

As the clouds dissipate, Eastern Orthodox churches are timidly rebounding from the market slowdown and are starting to reinvest. Here are some of the things that are required to sell to Eastern Orthodox churches in today's marketplace.

In today's economy, Eastern Orthodox churches are looking for quality and affordability.

Don't be intimidated by the speed of the marketplace. Although speed is important, solid business principles and common sense will make the biggest difference in the success or failure of your selling efforts.

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 enough 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 boosting sales and employee morale. In some instances, it may be appropriate to team underperforming sales reps with reps that have more experience selling to Eastern Orthodox churches.

Effective Marketing Strategies

Successful sales strategies begin with marketing, and the marketing strategies for Eastern Orthodox churches cover a lot of ground.

Yet in this industry, marketing effectiveness is rooted in the ability to target key decision makers. Whether it's direct mail or a technology-rich online campaign, any initiative that fails to reach decision makers is a waste of time and resources.

Since your sales revenues hang in the balance, you can't afford to rely on stale or inaccurate sales leads. Third-party lead lists may be the best resource for making sure your team is equipped with the most up-to-date information possible. If you don't currently use lead lists, you may want to consider Experian -- a third-party lead list vendor with a reputation for providing regularly updated and sorted Eastern Orthodox church leads.

Industry Experience

In Eastern Orthodox church sales, industry experience is fundamental requirement. Although it isn't necessary to have decades of front line experience, it helps to speak the industry language and to understand the pressure points of a typical Eastern Orthodox church.

B2B sellers who lack industry experience can compensate for inexperience by subscribing to trade journals, partnering with industry insiders and immersing themselves in the industry culture. Remember, Eastern Orthodox churches may also be more friendly to sellers within their network, so it's important to expand your industry contact base as quickly as possible.

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