Niche Sales Strategies
Selling to Department Stores
As the market recovers, department stores are gradually bouncing back from the Great Recession and are positioned for investment. If your offerings appeal to this market, it's time to learn how to sell to department stores in the current business climate.
In the current business climate, department stores are looking for quality and affordability.
Businesses that sell to department stores 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 sell products to department stores.
Gaining Traction in the Marketplace
Every B2B business hopes to achieve viral buzz for their products. But viral marketing strategies are sketchy and unpredictable.
To succeed with department stores, you'll want to apply a diverse mix of marketing strategies that leverage multiple marketing channels.
Many sellers purchase lead lists from recognized list providers. When it's time to shop for a lead list provider, we recommend Experian Business Services, an established vendor with a proven track record of delivering current and targeted lists of department store contacts.
How to Sell to Department Stores
After you have established contact with a prospect, how do you close the sale?
Like many of us, department store business owners are busy professionals operating on tight schedules. As a rule, be respectful of your customers' time constraints and make your pitches as concise as possible.
In some instances, your initial contact at department stores 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.
Niche Selling
New businesses that attempt to tackle the entire marketplace face a difficult task. A better approach is to tailor your business model to an underserved niche.
In the department store industry, niches can be based on geographic, demographic or industry-specific factors. For niche sellers, advance research is essential. Don't assume that there will be demand for a niche product line unless your assumptions are rooted in solid facts.
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