Smart Sales Strategies for Niche Markets
Selling to Gas Stations
There's no question that gas stations are major players in a growth industry -- and that makes them attractive to entrepreneurs who are eager to get in on the action. If your offerings appeal to this market, it's time to learn how to sell to gas stations in the current business climate.
New technologies and innovative sales techniques have value. But in a B2B sales environment, they may not be your most valuable assets.
Young businesses need to develop a comprehensive sales plan that is built on industry fundamentals.
Marketing Channels for Gas Stations
Even though companies market their products in many different ways, there is one truth that applies to all gas station marketing strategies -- no single marketing channel is capable of delivering the sales volume that you would expect to see in a leading B2B seller.
Across the industry, multichannel marketing strategies are the norm, and may include direct mail, telemarketing, print ads, email campaigns and other online strategies.
Best-in-class businesses routinely purchase lead lists as a way to drive the sales process. High quality lead lists provide a high volume of leads that are up-to-date and targeted to high-converting prospects. In our experience, Experian Business Services has the largest and most accurate database of gas stations on the market.
Sales Team Considerations
Many businesses that sell to gas stations take a team sales approach.
Although your team may consist of individual sales reps, each rep has to recognize their role in the team strategy. There is simply no room for mavericks in this industry! Team-based training programs and other initiatives can be beneficial, but the best strategy for encouraging buy-in to a team sales model is for owners and managers to model team-based behaviors throughout the organization.
Developing a Marketing Plan
A robust marketing strategy is the basis of a successful sales strategy. Your team might be stocked with highly capable sales professionals, but if they aren't supported by strong messaging and effective marketing channels, your conversion rate will suffer.
Keep in mind that gas stations are busy operations with little patience for drawn out sales meetings and follow-up cycles.
A strong marketing plan helps to focus your selling proposition and deliver messaging in channels that are successful with your customer base. When combined with a sales plan, a marketing plan offers an effective selling strategy that is hard to beat.
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