Sales Management

Tips and Training

Sales Management

The sales management process includes communicating product benefits to existing or potential customers, facilitating purchases and collecting payments.

A business’ sales and marketing functions should support each other. Marketing activities include determining the product format and pricing, distributing and promoting the product. Combined, these activities yield product awareness and possibly leads to new sales. Sales effort can then focus on conversion through nurturing leads into revenue-generating opportunities for the business.

Why Sales Management Is Key

Rarely does the phrase “if you build it, then they will buy it” last long without investing in sales management. Without effectively communicating the value of a good, prospective buyers may not recognize a need for it or develop a preference for it relative to alternatives.

To succeed financially, a farm must move as much product as possible at the highest potential price. The sales function drives the volume of product sold.

For farms marketing goods with limited storage life, moving product swiftly has particular urgency. Otherwise, product will spoil, and the farm will miss the opportunity to at least recoup costs incurred to produce it.

Steps To Improving Sales Management

To develop your sales management skills, taking steps such as the following can help:

  • Self-assess your sales competencies, and if necessary, then hire a sales person.
  • Make sure you like selling — particularly if you pursue direct marketing.
  • Build relationships, so customers keep coming back.
  • Be reliable, and offer a reliable product. Respond promptly to consumer concerns, but before you respond, gain appropriate knowledge of the situation.
  • Listen to your customers. Their feedback may help you to tweak your product.
  • Recognize that nonverbal communications while interacting with customers or leads are as important as verbal communications.
  • Educate yourself on negotiating strategies, so you know where to start and you get to where you want to end.
  • Sustain eye contact when communicating with customers or leads.
  • Maintain an open and relaxed posture if meeting face to face.
  • Speak at an appropriate volume and rate.
  • Determine how your target customers will learn about your product.
  • Align your marketing plan with sales efforts.

Additional Resources

The following resources provide further information about methods to improve sales skills and grow farm sales: