How to drive organic growth:
7 ways to beat your
sales target

quick links

Reduce the
length of
your sales
cycle

Improve
your
questioning
techniques

Introduction 

All salesmen are dreamers. And the bigger that dream, the greater the ache if and when they’re unable to fulfil them.
It may seem like an easy task to plan a flawless sales strategy, but it is far easier to fall short of achieving those sales targets.   
Sales is an extremely demanding job when compared to most others. You could be chasing a prospect for months. And all the hard work that you’ve put in could fall apart at the very last minute. It’s frustrating to say the least!

“Only 24% of salespeople exceed their quota every year.”- Marc Wayshak  

But hard work doesn’t always equate to smart work. Your marketing team might be generating a lot of leads, but it’s pointless unless your salespeople are able to convert them. More often than not, a simple re-evaluation of your strategies can work wonders.   
Here are seven things you can do to scale the heights you planned to reach and achieve all your sales targets without having to invest in additional resources.

1. Measure your metrics

Unless you keep track of your performance consistently, you are never going to see results. It will also prevent you from improving your sales performance.

Keep a close eye on metrics such as the length of the sales cycle, sell-through rate, cannibalization rate and lead conversion rates. It is more practical to measure it regularly as well.

By keeping track of your company’s sales performance, you can fix the sales process effectively. There are numerous tools available, which allow you to measure your campaign’s performance.

It is essential to measure your metrics to get a clear picture of your sales process. In sales, you cannot gauge the bigger picture without first examining it with a metaphorical magnifying glass.

With well-defined metrics, it is easier to focus on minute sales details, which in return will take care of bigger concerns.

Need help with measuring your metrics?

2. Improve your content

Content is king, and content marketing – the future. To survive in today’s hypercompetitive environment, it’s necessary to post optimized quality content on a regular basis. Most salespeople rely on crafting content to help achieve their monthly/annual sales targets. To thrive, you need to produce content that stands out.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not. – Content Marketing Institute

Post regular blogs, videos, and infographics that aim to educate your audience on various subjects. Build expertise in a certain niche by publishing well-crafted content. Over time, your audience will recognize you as a thought-leader in your sector.

You don’t need extra resources to write great content either —a bit of research and time is all that is needed.

Invest in content marketing and improve the material you produce in order to witness a significant rise in organic sales.

3. Automate your sales process:

3. Automate your sales process: There is no doubting the fact that automation IS the future. And sales automation software offers a lifeline to overworked salespeople and their ever-frustrated bosses. With the help of A.I, you can schedule meetings, track customer information, and even generate sales reports.

“65% of salespeople spend too much time on non-selling activities and not enough time on activities that lead to closing.” – SiriusDecisions

By opting for sales automation, you free-up the professional schedules of your existing salespeople. Instead, they can focus on tasks that are of more importance and will ultimately lead to the generation of higher revenues. They will be able to spend more of their time pursuing leads and reaching out to other prospects. 

Automating the sales process can further shorten your sales cycle, ultimately, meeting sales targets and drawing in more revenue.

Automation can transform your business

4. Reduce the length of your sales cycle

4. Reduce the length of your sales cycle A long sales cycle can be frustrating. It might not bear expected results either. All salespeople find a lengthy sales cycle undesirable because of one simple reason – it gives prospects more time to ponder, and subsequently increases their chances of disagreeing with your pitch.

“Over the last six years, the average sales cycle has increased by almost 25%” -SiriusDecisions

By engaging your existing resources in a longer sales cycle, you cut short new opportunities. If your sales reps spend most of their time chasing cold deals, they are bound to fall short of their sales targets.

Develop a sales cycle that is short, precise, and allows you to use your resources in a more uniform manner. It’s necessary to communicate clearly, be transparent, and care about your customers.

Also, follow-ups with prospects should be more frequent, as it ensures you waste less time on deals that won’t happen.

By shortening your sales cycle, you end up saving on time and other resources.

5. Ask for more referrals:

Referrals might be the best way to build your reputation as a salesman. However, the concept of referrals is, unfortunately ignored. Referrals cost next to nothing and speeds up your sales process. 

Furthermore, a referral is also an indication of trust in your service.

“People are four times more likely to buy when referred by a friend” – Nielsen

Reach-out to existing customers. Ask them to refer you to their friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. 

 Set goals on how many new customers you wish to acquire per week. “Word of mouth” is one of the most effective ways to boost your sales. Your loyal customers can become your brand ambassadors. This will also render your business trustworthy.  

Referrals are a great way to reach out to more prospects and reach your organic sales targets.

6. Improve your questioning techniques

Your sales process is a game of questions! If you want to succeed as a salesperson, you should start asking the right questions. And using the correct techniques as well.

First, you should have a flawless understanding of your product to be in a better position to eradicate any doubt your prospect might have. This will allow you to frame better questions.

Ask impactful, high-value questions that provoke your customer’s thought process. Design these to keep yourself a step ahead of your competition.

You are in a better position to understand your audience when you ask the right questions. Be it with regards to their pain points or difficulties, ask them the right questions to provide better solutions.

The right questionnaire can make a lot of difference when achieving your organic sales targets.

Acquire new customers with ease

7. Be Persistent

This may seem obvious, but statistics suggest that salespeople now quit earlier than ever before. It takes an average of 8 calls to reach a prospect. However, as many as 44% of sales reps give up after one follow-up call.  
Yes, the sales process may seem like a drawn-out process at times. However, an unanswered call doesn’t mean the deal is dead-in-the-water.

The deal is over when you decide it is!  

A couple of missed calls don’t cut it. When pitching you need to put yourself in the shoes of your prospect, even if they really don’t need your service. In short, be persistent.  

Use emails, social media, and other networking channels to reach out to them. If you want to reach your sales targets organically, you need to keep pushing.  

Most importantly, ensure that if and when they do contact you, you offer them incentives in the form of discounts or other offers. This will cause your prospects to come back to you for more.  
To reach your sales targets, be consistent in your efforts. 

Conclusion

Achieving your sales targets, no matter how meticulously planned, is always a difficult thing to do. A team effort is what is required along with consistent evaluation, consideration, and planning. 

You can do plenty to meet sales targets without having to invest in more resources.

Keep regular track of important metrics, while monitoring your sales pipeline. Continue to publish quality content through your blogs, and use automation software liberally. 

Don’t hesitate to ask for referrals, since they’re the equivalent to an established form of trust.
Most importantly, persevere.

Too many deals fall apart due to passive salespeople. Be proactive, persistent, and patient. You’ll achieve your sales targets organically, faster, and all with your existing resources.

How do your sales teams achieve their targets?

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An established author and former B2B content marketer, Joseph has been around long enough to see content marketing grow from a buzzword to an industry. Currently a freelancer, he also plays an advisory role with ReachStream’s content team. During his time off, he enjoys a quiet day by the beach with his three dogs.