What Sales Channels To Sell Your Product
Editors Note: Expert content needs an expert content writer and Yorkshire Powerhouse is pleased to publish this business advice article on growing a business and identifying sales channels, kindly written by a real expert in his field – Richard Charlesworth from Charlesworth Business Growth Services.
Please consider contacting Richard for any aspect of business growth – just click on the advert links above or below – and please mention Yorkshire Powerhouse if you do make contact.
Think back only to the final couple of decades of the last millennium, and the options were simple: open a shop; have an office; operate via a mail-order depot; supply a third-party retail outlet. The list of where and how to sell was limited quite simply by the huge logistical problem of the delivery of your product or service to the end-user.
But now, thanks to the advent of the Internet, as well as consumers’ embracing e-commerce as a sales platform, the choices faced by businesses looking to deliver their products and services are greater than ever before. Online, offline, bricks & clicks, last mile fulfilment, drop shipping – the list goes on.
But, which do you choose when making your decision, and how do you go about implementing your choice? The fact remains, we’re now almost spoiled for choice, and yet, in that eternal conundrum that is ‘business development’, almost nothing has actually changed. Allow us to explain that last sentence, as we’re already running the risk of descending into sheer confusion.
The point is that any successful business has to provide something that their ‘public’ – in other words their target audience – actually wants, in a manner that is accessible and desirable.
So, the fundamentals of selling are still broadly the same, despite three decades of solid technological progress. It’s the methodology of the supply and delivery that differs.
Think about it – whatever happens in the wider tech landscape, businesses and end-user consumers still want and need your products and services. But, their preferred method of delivery has been expanded by the advent of mobile devices, always-on Internet, apps and other innovations we now take for granted. And what this means is that, as a business, you need to adapt and finesse your offering, to reach your preferred target client, customer or consumer.
Sales Channels are all about where your customer sits!
In essence, this means being aware of where your customer sits, in terms of what makes it easier for them to complete their transaction with you. So, ask yourself this question: Which route to market represents the simplest way for your customer to take delivery of your product and, at the same time, pay you for that unit?
Is it an app? Is it a website, packed full of e-commerce loveliness? Is it a mail-order offering where your customer browses online or in your shop or via an email, then chooses, pays via card or PayPal, and then you use a fulfilment house to deliver?
There are a myriad of ways in which the physical transaction can take place, ranging from a good old-fashioned shop visit or office meeting, right over to a credit/debit card or PayPal-linked app purchase. But, whichever route the payment and hand-over of goods occurs, there’s one vital thing to remember – customers, whether they are business-to-business or end-user consumers, always respond positively to a strong brand and good customer service.
And what that means is that – especially where the transaction is a remote one – it is essential to build a good rapport with your customer, by majoring on service differentiators, which will make them feel positive about your business.
In essence, therefore, while it’s very true to say that “everything has changed” since the advent of the Internet, it’s equally correct to make the point that, in reality, customer service and a recognisable business proposition are even more important than they have ever been. Indeed, in a crowded and increasingly accessible and global market, these two pivot points are the mainstays of how your business can stand out from your competition.
Understanding your customer helps you understand your sales channels so seek expert help and support from growth focused suppliers who can help you with the objectivity needed to help your business grow!
Straight talking advice from Yorkshire Powerhouse on sales channels
Now you’ve read our article on sales channels – have you any more questions?
Here at Yorkshire Powerhouse, we’re happy to help as much as possible – is there anything else we can do to help you, do you have any further questions or can we help introduce you to an expert – please let us know:
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