• Posted On Tuesday, January 05, 2016 by Robert Smith

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    Looking to attract new industrial clients and generate more sales? Here are some tips to help.

    Know Your Target Market

    You can't expect to sell industrial products or equipment to prospects without first identifying your target market. In other words, ask yourself: which industrial companies are most likely to purchase my products? If you sell forklifts, then perhaps manufacturing facilities or fulfillment centers would be an excellent choice. On the other hand, if you sell customized heavy lift equipment, perhaps scrap metal recycling companies would be a place to start. Make sure you are focusing your team's energy in the best places. 

    Create Segmented Lists of Prospective Clients

    Don't make the mistake of placing all of your prospective industrial clients into a single list, as this limits your ability to personalize your marketing campaigns. A better approach is to create narrow, segmented lists of prospective clients based on different criteria. For instance, you could create a list for prospects whom you've met in person; another list for prospects who've expressed interest in your products or services; and a third list for prospects with whom you've had no previous contact. Effectivly segmenting your database is a huge headstart to a more efficient sales team. 

    Focus on Providing Exceptional Customer Service 

    Few metrics hold the same level of significance in the industrial market as customer satisfaction. If a client isn't happy with his or her order, they may share their experience with other professionals. Generally speaking, decision makers are often a tight knit commuity; there are only some many plant managers within the automotive manufacturing sector. Take care of the connection you do have.  

    By providing exceptional customer service, industrial suppliers will leave a lasting, positive impression on their clients. Furthermore, it may also help to streamline your normal business operations. According to a survey of 200 marketing professionals published in the Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance, 71% of respondents said customer satisfaction is useful in managing their business.

    Automate Reoccurring Invoices

    If you offer a subscription-based pricing model for certain services, such as forklift service packages; consider automating them so you aren't forced to manually create and send invoices for each client. Assuming you only have a few clients on a reoccurring subscription, manually creating invoices shouldn't be a problem. But as your business grows and acquires more clients, you'll need to automate this task so you can focus on more attentive tasks.

    Follow Up With Leads

    Industrial leads are only useful if you actually follow up with them. Once you've acquired the contact information of a prospective client, don't wait to reach out and see if they are interested in your products or services. The longer you wait, the greater the chance of the prospect choosing a different company.

    If you're concerned that you might be reaching out to your sales leads to early, then don't be. This gives you an opportunity to nurture your leads with little pressure to buy at that time. You can send whitepapers explaing how to go about evauluating purchasing decisions for your products or services; or you could simply send a quick "check-in" email. Either way, the more time the better. 

     

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