Marketing Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Negative Online Reviews

Comments that are unfavorable on the internet can become more far-reaching due to tweets and postings. Do what you can to lessen the impact when the criticism is hostile. Hiring a company to handle your reputation management is a good way to handle any potential issues.

PPC Ads That are Prohibitively Expensive

Some people confine their searches to ads that involve choosing keywords and deciding on the places where the ads will be seen. Robert Brady, the creator of Righteous Marketing, points to this as the major problem, according to Small Business Trends.

He notes that many of the paid options on social networks are charged per click.

Poor Customer Renewal Rate

The Harvard Business Review suggests that by increasing customer loyalty by five percent, the potential for earning profits up to ninety-five percent is highly likely.

If the number of people retaining your product or service is low, the issue could be related to the tenor of your communication.

Ivana Taylor, an expert on small business marketing, has informed Small Business Trends that building a connection and working together through language is superior to the conventional hard selling approach.

Messaging That’s Off

Imitating the communications your competitors are employing will not be informative to your audience. Furthermore, Google can issue a penalty to your website.

Taylor emphasizes the importance of having a clear representation of oneself and one’s commitments. “Unique content is what drives customers in.”

Website Doesn’t Convert

You might be receiving plenty of visitors to your website, but not many of them turning into actual buyers. It is just as vital to make a good initial impression in the digital world as it was in the traditional physical world.

It may be necessary to make adjustments to your landing page to get higher statistics. Try simplifying your navigation. Using larger buttons could be all that is necessary.

Long Sales Cycle

You need to have ten clicks in order to get a single e-book download. Reduce the number to eight and it will save you 20% of the cost.

Getting great deals via social media platforms like Facebook is an effective way to cut down the time spend on selling.

Not Enough Leads Generated

The problem of not having a continuous stream of leads may be due to the manner in which your emails, social media posts and web page appear. Taylor suggests you soften that approach.

She claims that our culture necessitates that individuals must possess skills usually associated with women due to the web.

Poor Lead Tracking and Follow Up

Small business owners may find it difficult to manage all the analytic options available to them. Neglecting to choose a method for automating your follow up activities could lead to a standstill.

Exploring the extensive range of social media dashboards accessible today is a great starting point if you have not tried it yet. This gives terrific data that even has a look at the number of emails opened.

Customers Confused by Your Offering

Having too many options available on the home page can be perplexing and unfavorable. That is valid for goods and services that are indistinct from the competition. Spending some time in the beginning stages of your marketing efforts to determine the distinctive aspects of your product or service is worth effort.

Social Media has Become a Time Sink (and Isn’t Showing Results)

Do not feel obligated to be active on each social media platform merely because it is possible. It is important to find the most effective option for your target market, as some options will be more successful than others.

Brady emphasizes the importance of monitoring in order to determine what is effective and what can be neglected.

Keywords that Fall Flat

Optimizing your site for search engines will not give you the outcome you require if you are not targeting the appropriate keywords. Allan Pollett, being a pro in the field of SEO, understand the steps needed to be taken to get the best results.

Pollett advises to begin by preparing a list of terms that one believes people will utilize to look for their product or service and to consider locality. You can refine your options by searching them on Google.

Brand Messaging that’s Not Consistent

A communication that does not have a consistent format is not likely to be understood by the intended group of people. This indicates it will not remain with the individuals you desire it to.

Invest some effort in combining the traditional with the modern here. Developing slogans and features of your product that can be implemented in all combined marketing campaigns.

A Marketing Voice that Doesn’t Resonate

Similar to the porridge Little Red Riding Hood had, some marketing tactics can be too aggressive (advertorial) or too plain (speaking to your clients in a condescending manner).

To be successful, it is essential to strike the perfect balance between engaging, attention-grabbing dialogue and practical, helpful information. Hiring a writer helps.

You’re Not Attracting Enough Email List Subscribers

It could be that you are not taking advantage of monitoring programs. It could be hard to comprehend what the program is revealing to you in regards to the individuals who read the emails that you sent.

Taylor proposes to revise the recipients of these messages.

She states that one of the factors why they are not successful in selling is because they haven’t identified their perfect customer. Try creating some buyer personas to filter the message.

Your Product Doesn’t Get Any Reviews

You could be failing to make enough sales to draw in comments or not enabling customers to write evaluations in your digital area.

In the event that it becomes necessary, withdrawing the product from the market and utilizing social networks as a tool to uncover what needs to be changed in a redesigned version would be the most disappointing and unfavorable outcome. Best case scenario? Create a space on your website where people can leave reviews by including a page or widget.

Lack of Knowledge and Skills

Small business owners become overwhelmed by all the available social media platforms, the trackable data and analytics it offers and the various marketing strategies one could employ.

This one’s easy. Hire a professional marketer, says Taylor. She believes that employing somebody who is skilled in the job can aid the person in question to concentrate and not become overwhelmed.

Misusing Links

Employing links accurately will bring about Google recognizing your page more prominently when searching. Cut a few corners and pay a hefty price.

8 Selling Strategies to Break Through Barriers

Many sales representatives struggle with sales prospecting. Around 42 percent of sales personnel listed prospecting as the most difficult part of the sales procedure. (1) Why is prospecting so difficult?

Ideal prospects rarely exist. Studies show that at least 50 percent of prospects are not the right fit
Making sales is tougher than it was five years ago, according to 61 percent of salespeople.
54 percent of sales representatives say that getting in front of the right prospects is challenging
Nearly 58 percent of sales associates do not ask for referrals (2)

Although marketing requires effort, that does not imply it can’t be pleasurable! The key is to eliminate impediments that reduce the effectiveness of sales strategies.

1. Improve Company Culture and Management Styles

It is not widely accepted, but the most vital element to salespeople is not monetary rewards. It is company culture, followed closely by management effectiveness. If an organization places a large emphasis on remuneration, it may lead to the recruitment of people who are not skilled and block the entrance of high-caliber personnel.

Leadership can tackle these issues by working to upgrade the atmosphere in the workplace and looking into different managerial techniques. The culture should encourage and reward employees. Managers should be active, focused, and provide guidance, advice and instruction to encourage, motivate and make employees feel appreciated.

2. Analyze Accounts

Using outdated and inefficient techniques to identify potential clients and close sales is not productive in terms of achieving successful outcomes. Using the wrong strategies when doing business, such as not doing the right research before attempting to make a sale or trying to access one person in a company, usually do not work. Looking for potential customers is an essential piece of the sales process, which could potentially involve up to ten individuals in making the purchase. The importance of every job must be assessed, grasped, and the customer’s experience can be enriched through careful enquiry and studying.

3. Build Out Referral Networks

A strong majority of high-achieving salespeople emphasize the significance of having referrals to finish up sales, as they routinely inquire for such. (3) Peer-to-peer recommendations are a powerful marketing tactic. They create a relationship of confidence with potential customers and serve as a demonstration of the superiority of a company’s product or service. Online reviews are even more successful in bringing in business than positive ones. Therefore, employees in the sales department of all companies should be devoted to growing and bolstering their referral associations.

Where can referral networks be found?

Online in social media groups, special interest forums, or located via social listening, etc.
In-person connections such as with networking events, speaking opportunities, and other proactive efforts.
Internal customers such as through other sales team members where a mutual connection may exist, vendors/suppliers, etc.
External customers who have purchased already and can offer referrals to another business, location within the organization itself, etc.
Events such as product launches, trade shows, industry expositions, etc.
Complementary products/service providers such as those who provide add-on components or services that aren’t offered, companies that provide products/services to the same niche market but aren’t competitors, etc.
Competitors who offer similar products or services but can’t fill certain needs or niches.

4. Focus on Growing Accounts

It is significantly quicker to close a sale with an existing customer than it is to do so with someone who has not previously done business with you. It is beneficial for businesses to focus on broadening accounts, amassing extra trade, and keeping buyers for as long as practicable. The sales team should ask the marketing department for help on this project. By cooperating, they can share information and establish frameworks to distinguish different processes within the adaptation framework. Examples include:

Lead scoring mechanisms to better qualify and quantify a lead to assist sales.
Upsell training to enhance the overall average sale value
Automated trigger emails after the sale to follow-up on questions, issues, additional items, etc.

5. Develop Sales Associates’ Expertise

The majority of successful salespeople claim that they are seen as having an expert status in their chosen field. Clients need to be certain that they are corresponding with an individual who is knowledgeable about their company’s product lines or services in-depth. Sales reps are the starting point for getting information, and it’s essential for success that they demonstrate expertise.

Salespeople who demonstrate their proficiency give the customer assurance that their organization can fulfill their requirements and respond to their worries.

6. Examine the Methodology of Contact

Continuing to try, doing it often and giving people a good reason to buy are essential to making connections that lead to purchases. Making contact with customers promptly, demonstrating the value of the products or services being offered, and effectively conveying that information helps to eliminate potential issues, leading to successful sales.

High growth organizations have 16 points of contact within the first four weeks. (5)
44 percent of salespeople give up after one attempt to reach a prospect (6)
92 percent of salespeople will give up after four attempts. (7)
50 percent of sales happen after the 5^th point of contact. (8)
Following up with a lead within 5 minutes produces 9 times better odds at connecting with a prospect. (9)
Responses to leads within one hour or less are 7 times more likely to have meaningful conversations. (10)

7. Go Into Every Conversation Prepared

Salespeople should be ready for anything that might happen, no matter how normal or ordinary the conversation may be expected to be. Be ready for the most negative outcome, but keep your fingers crossed for a positive one.

Map out every objection, concern and question the prospect could have
From there, come up with persuasive yet valuable answers and responses to each
Leverage favorable facts, statistics, stories, studies and compelling testimonials to make the case
Meticulously document and organize information to ensure it is easily and quickly accessible if necessary

8. Manage Expectations

Creating expectations needs to be managed right at the beginning of the association. Consequently, sales reps should look upon it as a productive endeavor. It is essential that both parties work together to create a strong bond, one that helps to benefit everyone involved and furthers their connection through dialogue.

Listen carefully and make it a point to understand prospects. Take notes and save them electronically for future reference.
Consider the following: What does the prospect need? What have other customers in similar situations needed or requested? How were those needs met or issues resolved?
Anticipate needs questions and issues. Think about how the salesperson can meet their needs and respond to issues.
Review the customer relationship management (CRM) system or marketing automation tools to figure out what kind of content may spark their interest. Follow up with the prospect to provide that content