Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Strategic vs. Tactical Approach to Sales

Most association sales directors are very good at managing the process and developing effective tactical tools. They produce attractive media kits, hire, train, and supervise good sales people, and manage the sales pipeline so that they know their market and the players in it. These are each important and valuable tools that are key to effective sales results, but they are all tactical in nature. In order to be more effective, a strategic approach must be integrated into the sales process before the tactical tools can be put to use. This approach helps your organization answer the question, "what do we want to be and how are we going to get there?"

I have developed a program called the 2 Hour MBA that takes the basics of business and marketing and applies them to the sale of print and web advertising, exhibits and sponsorships. This process involves analyzing each product and the environment in which it is competing. It looks at both the internal and external factors that have impact on an organization's products and the ability of the organization to sell them. Then, it assesses your integrated communications strategies by looking at who is really the buyer of your products and how to best deliver your value message to them. The result of this process is that you develop a highly effective strategy upon which the tactical steps are built and executed.

Feel free to contact me to learn more about this approach. It takes the methods used by corporations, product managers, and leaders in the business community and customizes them to fit the unique needs of the association leader. To learn more contact: rsilverstein@AdSalesExperts.net.