Selling to an Industry

Selling to Charcoal Businesses

Good news! There are still opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs to enter the B2B charcoal business market. For businesses that market to charcoal businesses, the focused selling strategies discussed in this article can be important for breaking into the industry.

The majority of charcoal businesses depend on distributors and vendors. So, many B2B companies build their business models around sales to charcoal businesses.

Frequently, the best B2B businesses achieve success through the consistent application of proven selling concepts. That's especially true in the charcoal business industry where simple blunders can translate into losses in market share.

Hiring Staff

Your sales force is your most important sales asset. A first-rate sales strategy is ineffective if your sales team isn't prepared for the job at hand.

Most charcoal businesses appreciate the value of sales professionals who are conversant in the industry and knowledgeable about their product lines. When a customer has a problem with an order, they typically reach out to their sales contact so it's imperative for your team to be trained in the processes that are required to maintain the customer relationship after they have closed the sale.

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 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 charcoal businesses.

Message First, Targets Second

Messaging is a critical weapon in your company's battle to capture market share. Muddy messaging dilutes the sales cycle and frustrates prospective customers' efforts to discern the value of your products.

Whenever possible, the identification of key messaging should be incorporated into a comprehensive planning process that combines sales and marketing into a coherent strategy.

The next step is to narrow the field to the contacts who are most likely to respond to your messaging. Although there is more than one way to capture lead contacts, lead lists can be a useful resource for generating a list of prospects that are receptive to your messaging. Vendors like Experian specialize in providing targeted lists of charcoal businesses that can be customized to your precise specifications.

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