Capitalizing on Niche Markets

Selling to Pet Food and Supplies Retail Businesses

Entrepreneurs that market to pet food and supplies retail businesses face internal and external barriers to success. To dominate in the pet food and supplies retail business industry, you'll need to pay attention to the basics.

B2B sales can be challenging. To succeed in this environment, you need the right combination of skills and expertise.

Good sales teams combine personal motivation with a set of tools that equips them to meet the challenges of sales cycles that target pet food and supplies retail businesses. Whether you're a new business or an established industry presence, here are a few of the tools you need to have in your toolbox.

Reaching Prospective Customers

Prospecting transforms contacts into 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, quality is just as important as quantity when prospecting for pet food and supplies retail businesses.

Lead lists are useful because they narrow the field for your team. Third-party lists from reputable vendors (e.g. Experian Business Services) equip your sales personnel with a large quantity of targeted leads, making it easier for your company to balance the quantity and quality demands that are prerequisites for effective prospecting.

Customer Profiles

New companies in the pet food and supplies retail business market are advised to create customer profiles before they invest in a specific sales strategy. A little industry knowledge can go a long way toward arming your business with the information it needs to sell to high value pet food and supplies retail business leads.

In this industry, it is especially important to develop a customer-focused approach. In general, pet food and supplies retail businesses are very skilled at spotting B2B companies that are out of touch with the industry and many will hold out for more knowledgeable suppliers, even if it means paying a slightly higher price.

Review Mechanisms

It's also important to design processes for the review of your sales force and selling strategy. Internal review processes should be based on quantifiable data as well as direct input from pet food and supplies retail businesses themselves.

If necessary, don't hesitate to adjust your strategy or personnel mix to accommodate changes in the marketplace.

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