Sales Advice By Market
Selling to Art Supply Stores
Need to drive more sales? There is a big growth opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs to enter the B2B art supply store market. Don't forget that art supply stores aren't easy sales marks -- here's what you'll need to convert prospects into customers.
Many art supply stores rely on third-party vendors for equipment, supplies and other products. So, many B2B companies build their strategic plans around sales to art supply stores.
Companies that market to art supply stores have to be prepared to demonstrate their value proposition to customers who are savvy about marketplace realities. Here are some of the other things you'll need to gain visibility with art supply stores.
Role of Owners & Managers
Owners and managers should expect to be active participants in selling to art supply stores. Front line visibility is essential for large accounts, but your sales team can benefit from occasional field interactions with the owner or sales manager.
By periodically accompanying your reps in the field, you can build relationships with the people you count on to close sales.
Reaching Prospective Customers
Prospecting is the process of identifying potential customers and converting them to qualified leads.
Networking can fine tunes prospecting performance and conversion ratios. However, it's important to make sure your sales force isn't so focused on conversation that they miss the point of prospecting, i.e. the identification of likely buyers, key decision makers and high value industry contacts. In other words, the type of people you meet is just as important as the number of people you meet when prospecting for art supply stores.
Lead lists are useful because they narrow the field for your team. Third-party lists from reputable vendors (e.g. Experian Business Services) arm your sales force with good leads, making it easier for your company to balance the quantity and quality demands that are prerequisites for effective prospecting.
Cost Analysis of Your Selling Tactics
Every part of your sales strategy should be targeted for cost analysis. Business owners sometimes ignore cost considerations and instead, choose to invest in sales strategies that underperform in the area of ROI.
For example, even though it might seem logical to increase the size of your sales force to expand your base of art supply store customers, the additional labor overhead may be an inefficient decision from a cost analysis perspective.
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