If you’re running a startup, selling your product/service could be quite a daunting task, at least for the first few months. It’s often hard to know how to start with sales, with your business just off the ground and the marketing strategies barely in place. This is where sales strategies come in.

Here are the top 5 sales strategies that you and every other startup should be using to increase your sales pipeline and close more deals.

Tell stories

Stories are powerful sales tools and can be used to engage potential customers and build an emotional connection with the listener/reader. Irrespective of the nature of the information you hold, you can weave a narrative out of it that can capture audiences and instigate actions.

For example, the great experience a client had with your business can be told as a story and thus used as social proof. When you’re telling a story, make sure it’s relatable to your product/service and focus on the problem that your customer is trying to solve.

Target a smaller niche

Trying to go after big companies and major accounts can be a daunting task, especially if you’re new to the market. It’s often more effective to target a smaller niche where you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and have a better chance of closing deals. A smaller niche also means that you have more time to focus on individual clients and their needs.

Differentiate yourself from your competitors

Here’s one thing that defines customers worldwide. Before settling on your product/service, they compare it with every single similar one out there. Thus the only way you can motivate your leads to stick with you is to give them something that the others do not have. Differentiating yourself from your competitors and standing out in a market is key to sales success.

Connect with the decision-maker

Building relationships with clients is an important part of doing business. But that doesn’t mean you have to connect with everyone. One major flaw that every startup commits is that instead of connecting to the decision-makers of their client business, they waste time talking to middlemen.

The tactic is in focusing on the decision-maker. Not only is it important to be in direct contact with the decision-maker but also to build a relationship that goes above a single transaction or purchase. Once you’ve established a relationship, it’ll be much easier to close deals and grow your business.

Offer a free trial

Offering a free trial is an excellent way to increase sales and conversions. For one thing, there is no one who doesn’t love a free trial, irrespective of the product you sell. With a free trial, you allow potential customers to experience your product first-hand and see the value it provides. Free trials also help build trust, show you’re confident in what you’re offering, and enhance the chance of the user actually purchasing from you.

Though these 5 strategies would be a great place for you to start, there are many more out there and it’s just up to you to identify the ones that work best for your startup. Whatever strategy you choose, make sure it resonates with your target market and provides value that others do not offer.

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