Sales Tips
Selling to Hydroponics Businesses
Most hydroponics businesses have lean financials and demanding schedules. Product quality, value and customer service are all important considerations – so businesses that sell to hydroponics businesses need to demand excellence from their team.
Drive and diligence are admirable characteristics for sales professionals. But selling to hydroponics businesses requires more than a desire to succeed.
Companies that market to hydroponics businesses have to be prepared to communicate their product strengths to customers who are extremely knowledgeable about the marketplace. Here are some of the other things you'll need to close sales with hydroponics businesses.
Effective Marketing Strategies
Many sales strategies begin with marketing, and the marketing strategies for hydroponics businesses run the gamut.
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.
In this high stakes game, 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 hydroponics business leads.
How to Evaluate Sales Staff
Periodic staff assessment is essential for companies that sell in this industry. Businesses that achieve significant market share recruit the cream of the crop 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 increasing sales volumes and individual achievement. In some instances, it may be appropriate to team underperforming sales reps with reps that have more experience selling to hydroponics businesses.
Customer Profiles
New entries to the hydroponics business market are advised to profile key sales targets before they invest in a specific sales strategy. A little industry knowledge can go a long way toward equipping your team with the tools required to convert high value hydroponics business leads.
In this industry, it is especially important to develop a customer-focused approach. As a rule, hydroponics businesses are very skilled at spotting B2B companies that are out of touch with the industry and they tend to hold out for more knowledgeable suppliers, even if it means paying a slightly higher price.
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