Capitalizing on Niche Markets

Selling to Power Plant Equipment and Services Businesses

As the market recovers, power plant equipment and services businesses are gradually bouncing back from the Great Recession and are positioned for investment. Don't forget that power plant equipment and services businesses aren't easy sales marks -- here's what you'll need to convert prospects into customers.

Not surprisingly, power plant equipment and services businesses play by the same rules as any other type of business; they respond to businesses that offer solid, affordable products.

Businesses that sell to power plant equipment and services businesses have to be prepared to communicate their product strengths to customers who are savvy about marketplace realities. Here are some of the other things you'll need to close sales with power plant equipment and services businesses.

How to Communicate Your Message

Messaging is an important part of a successful sales strategy. Confused messaging dilutes the sales cycle and makes it challenging for your customers 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 are multiple ways to generate leads, lead lists can be a useful resource for generating a list of prospects that are receptive to your messaging. Vendors like Experian are skilled at providing targeted lists of power plant equipment and services businesses that can be tailored to meet geographic and demographic criteria.

Benefits of Networking

Networking enhances your sales capacity. In addition to raising your company's profile, it increases the amount of influence you have with power plant equipment and services businesses.

But more importantly, a strategy that emphasizes networking can be a lead generation machine. Sometimes the leads you generate through solid networking will be leads that are completely off your competition's radar.

How to Sell to Power Plant Equipment & Services Businesses

After you have established contact with a prospect, how do you close the sale?

Like many of us, power plant equipment and services business business owners are busy professionals operating on tight schedules. As a rule, be respectful of your customers' time constraints and adjust your pitches to accommodate their schedules.

In some instances, your initial contact at power plant equipment and services businesses you call on may not even be the decision maker, so you'll need to quickly identify key staff and be prepared to sell to office managers or others in the organization.

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