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Sales success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a strategy – and the best strategies are those that are geared toward success. 

With a clear strategy in place, you can test hypotheses, gather data, analyze results and implement changes that will bring your sales activities closer to your personal and professional goals.

Here are some steps to get started. 

Assess your past and present. 

What sort of progress have you made (or failed to make) toward your sales goals in the past? Are you on track with your current goals?  

By examining where you are now and how you got here, you identify ways to improve your sales strategy. You also identify resources that can help you, such as supervisors, co-workers or educational resources. 

Identify your ideal customer. 

What does your ideal customer do? What are their problems? How do they respond to various sources of information or offers of assistance in solving those problems?  

Building a sales strategy around your ideal customer helps you identify situations in which a real-life customer may be less than ideal. With these situations clearly illuminated, you can strategize ways to address them – bringing real customers a little closer to ideal ones. 

Perform a SWOT analysis. 

A SWOT analysis, analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, is designed to give salespeople a 360-degree view of a problem or situation.  

In the case of your sales strategy, a SWOT analysis helps you see where your strategy achieves the goals you set and where it does not. Then you can target your efforts accordingly. 

Set goals and create an action plan. 

Once you understand your ideal customer and your current position, set concrete and measurable goals. Create a time frame within which to hit those targets, and then create an action plan that includes specific, concrete steps for reaching those goals.

Whenever possible, quantify goals. Describing your goals in numeric terms provides a clear, concise way to determine whether or not you have succeeded. 

Seek help if you need it. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help with your goals, whether they’re to improve your sales performance or to find a job or employer who will offer the resources and support you need to thrive. 

At SMR Group, our recruiters connect sales and marketing professionals to some of the best available jobs and employers in the biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Contact us today to learn more. 


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