The purpose of every firm is to make as much profit as possible. Experts say that sales and marketing are crucial pillars of every business. The two are closely linked and act as a catalyst for generating revenue and profit. While marketing is about building awareness about a brand and organisation, sales turn that viewership into profits by converting the potential customers into actual customers Felix Asiimwe, sales and marketing officer at Kigali Solar Energy Solutions, Rwanda says, the best way to make good out of sales is to clearly understand your product that you are selling. Working closely with a marketing team, if the organisation has it separately, will help you understand what the clients have in mind, to avoid having different languages from one company. “Sales act as all activities that lead to the selling of goods and services, whereas marketing influence the audience to become interested in the goods and services being sold, therefore, they both work closely to generate revenue for the company,” Asiimwe says. He further adds that, an additional strategy would be developing strong brand equity and this would be through building awareness, the brand should always be in the ear of the beneficiaries, communicate what your brand stands for and why people need it. Asiimwe says, that can also be through building a deeper bond and relationship with the customers, reshaping how clients think and feel about your brand by providing feedback on time as well as lending an ear to their concern According to Sifa Mupendo, an assistant Human Resource manager, tracking your progress by evaluating how you have been working and what needs to change is important. “Consider recording your overall goals, tasks, milestones and deadlines. Use a planner to help you track your progress by checking off tasks as you complete them and milestones as you achieve them,” he says Mupendo adds that the plan should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of your business you may want to boost sales with, from the marketing strategy and advertising efforts to product development and customer service. He adds that presenting your business idea to the customers with confidence will as well have an impact on sales effectiveness and effective communication is critically important for career advancement. “Confidence will prove to potential clients that you are sure about your product and those who communicate with confidence can convey what they want to their clients in a clear and efficient manner” Mupendo says Indeed.com also states that offering free trials to the potential clients is essential for pushing sales. “Make it easy for your prospective customer to understand your product and how it will help them by offering a personalised demonstration of your company's product. If you are selling to a university, try including their logo and school colors for visual appeal.” You can focus the demonstration on addressing the challenge your customer is facing. If tracking prospective students through the admissions cycle is a concern, focus exclusively on that process rather than giving a standard demo that explains all of your product's features. The blog also wrote that creating a sense of urgency is another effective way. Customers may have more than one need to address, which may cause them to delay in purchasing your product. Instead of sending follow-up emails that focus on why they need your product, try giving them a reason to make the purchase today. A few exciting ways to incentivize time-sensitive purchases include offering a discount on your products, inviting them to test for your new products and announcing an upcoming price change that may prompt them to buy sooner.
