What is sales orientation?
Sales orientation is a way of running a business that uses aggressive marketing and sales methods to get a more significant market share ahead of what the customers want. The idea is that “everyone is a potential customer,” and the sales team’s job is to get them to buy.
Today, customer-centricity is more critical than ever, so a business strategy that is only focused on sales is becoming less common. Instead of selling goods to anyone interested, businesses now try to figure out what their customers want and give them solutions that fit those needs. Solution sales show this.
There is still a place for sales instruction in the sales process. However, most businesses believe that product creation, marketing, and sales are all significant and that the three should be balanced.
Product teams use customer feedback to make excellent goods, and every business has an ideal customer profile (ICP) that they try to reach. This means that most sales teams use a style that is a mix of sales and market orientation.
Synonym
- Sales-oriented business approach
What a sales-oriented business model is for
For a business, the main reason to choose sales orientation over another plan is to bring in new customers. A company might use a sales-focused approach if it has a big marketing budget and thinks getting new customers will help it make a lot of money.
Sales orientation also works well for businesses selling something new and different, like a health supplement with a particular plant that no one has heard of before. In this case, customer needs don’t exist yet, so the sales team doesn’t need to worry about them. Instead, they use bold advertising to inform people about their products.
Companies in semi-monopolistic industries also use sales orientation strategies. When a customer’s needs are broad (like telecom providers), and everyone wants the same thing, it’s better to focus on why one company is better.
When demand is already set, there is a lot of direct competition, or the ICP is clear that a sales-only method also doesn’t work. When a business can see long-term buying patterns, it’s more likely to put the customer first.
Signs of a Business That Focuses on Sales
Discounts and sales often happen.
A sales-driven business believes that “if we have the best product at the best price, we can drive sales.” To get people to buy, they often offer deals and discounts.
Price breaks, seasonal discounts, membership-only deals, and “buy one, get one free” deals are some examples of this.
Discounting is something that most businesses do in some way. Going for sales takes it to a whole new level. It’s not just a way to get rid of extra stock or get new customers to buy; it’s an integral part of their revenue plan. Companies focused on sales fully expect to lower their prices, and they plan for this in their sales forecasts.
Aggressive ways to sell
Sales instruction aims to get people to buy as often and quickly as possible.
To do that, salespeople use aggressive methods, such as
- Cold calling
- Door-to-door canvassing
- Hard closing techniques
- High-pressure sales settings.
There is no way that outbound selling is no longer helpful. Businesses focusing on sales use it to find new customers, warm up leads, and close deals. Most B2B SaaS businesses do the same (most use a mix of sales and market orientation).
It’s important to note that outbound sales methods are a natural part of sales orientation. However, sales tools like DealRoom help the sales team connect with prospects more meaningfully and engagingly.
Salespeople Who Can Persuade
It’s not always true that “persuasive” means “salesy” or “pushy.”
A good salesperson knows how to fix problems and is honest. They know why their company’s product or service is the best choice for that customer because they have the skills, knowledge, and experience to do so. Since this is the case, they can easily persuade potential buyers to buy.
For a sales orientation plan to work, each salesperson needs to be just the right amount of knowledgeable and convincing.
A lot of advertising
Companies that want to make sales spend a lot of money on ads to get more people to know about their brand and find new customers. They often spend more on promoting than market research or product development, which makes sense since they aim to make sales and give current customers a good experience.
Afterwards Qualification
Before they call a prospect, sellers don’t know how skilled they are. Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) that come in from ads that aren’t as focused will usually not be good fits for the product.
The whole point of sales orientation is to go after everyone first, make sure they meet a few basic requirements, and then get them into a sales meeting. There, the seller can close the deal or find out the customer isn’t a good fit for the product.
Focus on Quality: Not paying attention to the customer’s wants doesn’t mean you don’t care about quality. An imperfect offering can’t keep a business going.
Companies that focus on sales want to offer the best goods and services at the lowest prices but often don’t listen to what their customers say.
That’s because selling aggressively can work better with good items, shortening the sales cycle.
What Is the Difference Between Market Org and Sales Org?
How companies that use either sales orientation or market orientation make and sell their goods and services is the main difference between the two.
The center of sales orientation is on the inside. Companies that focus on sales make the most of the items they’re good at making. The ultimate goal is to develop and market core goods that cost as little as possible.
Businesses that focus on sales determine what makes them unique and set competitive prices to attract more customers. Instead of making new goods to meet changing customer needs, they try to change those needs by changing prices and messages.
The market direction looks to the outside world. Market-oriented companies try to figure out what their target market doesn’t like. The goal is to use market research to develop goods that meet those needs and get people to buy them.
Short-term sales can be increased with the sales orientation approach, but long-term customer value is more important with the market orientation approach.
Examples of Businesses Taking a Sales-focused Approach
Insurance: Insurance may be the best example of a company that is focused on sales. Most insurance plans don’t meet all of a customer’s wants. Their only goal is to meet the legal needs of their customers.
A lot of different types of insurance also don’t bring in a lot of leads. Most people don’t think about things like life insurance all the time. For insurance salespeople, getting people to buy insurance in the first place is one of the hardest things they have to do.
Cellular phones
Regarding their service area, phone companies naturally have a monopoly. Many businesses are in the same field, but only a few can provide the service, so the competition is high. And what they have to offer is pretty much the same.
Deals and sales in marketing and sales help telecoms get customers to switch from a competitor just because of price. They also tell people about the better coverage they have in some places, which helps them get new customers.
Shop around
Customers can easily compare retail prices and goods, making it one of the most sales-driven fields. There are short sales processes, and a lot of people buy things on the spot.
Black Friday is an excellent example of how sales-focused stores can make money. To get people to come into their shops, stores offer huge discounts and deals. And to get people to go there on that day, they use direct ads. It always works, too.
A lot of the time, companies that make consumer goods have to base their product development on ideas they already have. Sales and marketing plans that bring attention to the problem and offer the product as an answer are what they use once they have a product.
The Scrub Daddy is one example of a fun sponge that looks silly. A few people buy it because the smiley face is cute. This is new, though. The polymer in the sponge cleans without leaving scratches, and the feel changes depending on how hot or cold the water is. The company makes a big deal out of these perks in its marketing materials.
Science and technology
Some tech companies focus on sales because they have a new idea that could change how people do business.
As an example:
- Square changed how small businesses take payments by making a small card reader that can be added to a tablet or smartphone. This solution made it easy for small businesses to accept credit card payments, which was a problem because they didn’t have many other payment choices.
- Afterpay is an app-based payment tool that lets customers pay for online orders over time without interest, eliminates the need for significant down payments, and lets people buy things they wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.
In both cases, these businesses used a sales-focused approach to get people to buy their products. There aren’t many problems that business owners could point to. But if they educate buyers and get them to adopt, they will make more money.
What to Eat
Most people know how important it is for their bodies to work. And they know when something is wrong (for example, if they are constantly bloated, thirsty, or unable to control their hunger). They don’t always know what makes it happen, and they don’t just go into the bush and pick up herbs they can’t name.
Nutrition companies depend on sales-oriented people to get people to buy their goods. Many field marketing and product explanations are used to show people why their solutions are better than the others and get them to try them. Also, they need to get people to buy their goods, even if they don’t know what’s in them or how they work.
Automotive: Sales orientation is critical in the automotive business. There are many forms, sizes, and prices of cars. Businesses need to make their goods stand out from the rest in order to get people to buy them.
That’s why they stress features that buyers care about, like how well the car uses gas, its safety grade, and its performance specs. They try to get everyone’s attention by advertising to them. Aside from that, they use holiday discounts to get people to buy.
