Winning With Niche Market Sales
Selling to Thrift Stores
There's no question that thrift stores are excellent sales targets -- and that presents an opportunity to entrepreneurs who want to improve bottomline profits. Here are some of the things that are required to sell to thrift stores in this business climate.
There's no such thing as an easy B2B sale. To succeed in this environment, you need great ideas and perfect execution.
Leveraging the strength of the market, entrepreneurs are knocking on the doors of the marketplace, anxious to collect their share of the profits. Competition is fierce, so new businesses have to be careful about the way they approach thrift stores.
Marketing Mix
Since marketing and sales go hand in hand, your company's marketing mix plays a central role in bottom line sales revenue. The industry's leading sellers employ multichannel marketing strategies and prioritize channels that target decision makers.
Despite the fact that there are multiple way to market to thrift stores, B2B sellers often achieve higher returns by outsourcing lead generation to a third-party provider. Experian and other vendors maintain accurate and up-to-date lists of thrift stores. For many businesses, these lists lay the foundation for the rest of the sales cycle.
Role of Owners & Managers
Owners and managers play an active role in selling to thrift stores. Front line visibility is essential for large accounts, but your sales team can benefit from on-the-job partnerships with the owner or sales manager.
By periodically accompanying your reps in the field, you earn their respect and gain insights about your customers.
Create a Plan
There is nothing random about effective thrift store sales. The industry is filled with savvy business professionals who know their way around the marketplace.
As a result, top B2B sellers know better than to leave anything to chance. Before they initiate contact with prospects, they create sales plans that address factors like market demand, competitive pressures, industry trends, pricing structures and more. Although you might be able to get away with a skeletal strategy in some industries, the thrift store industry will crush your business dreams unless you go into it with a carefully crafted blueprint.
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