SMEs are the backbone of the British economy, but also face some unique challenges that do not apply to larger businesses or smaller independents – particularly when it comes to sales - which can hinder growth. For these reasons, which we will explore in this article, many SMEs reach a glass ceiling beyond which it is difficult to grow. To turn these obstacles into opportunities, we will look at each of the key sales challenges in turn and offer practical and cost-effective solutions that will help you drive more value and growth in your SME.
Developing A Strong Sales And Marketing Team
A strong sales and marketing function is crucial for any SME serious about its growth potential, and business growth is often limited by the time and resource constraints of the in-house sales team. The straightforward solution is to expand sales capacity by recruiting more people. However, recruiting and training the necessary talent in-house isn’t always straightforward, especially when capital is limited and skills are not widely available in your local area. However, there are several ways to overcome this hurdle:
- Make Your Hires Wisely – When hiring in-house, look for candidates with a solid background in sales and marketing, strong communication skills, and a passion for your industry. These aren’t always the most experienced and highly tooled candidates – promising young recruits or apprentices can also be a good long-term recruitment strategy.
- Invest In Training And Development – Ongoing training and upskilling opportunities will help your sales team stay competitive in an evolving business environment, increasing their value over time.
- Work with an agency/outsourcing partner – Remember that a strong sales and marketing function does not have to be exclusively based on in-house resources. Partnering with an experienced agency, such as JDR Group, will help your in-house staff resources go further, and magnify the total time, technology, and resource capital available to drive business growth.
Scalability Issues
As your business grows, you will inevitably reach capacity and operational issues that limit your ability to scale in response to demand. To successfully grow an SME beyond this point, you’ll need to find a sustainable strategy to maintain momentum while managing increasing demands. The most cost-effective approach to this hurdle is to engage the services of an experienced marketing agency, helping ensure that your SME is well-equipped to tackle scalability challenges head-on. Benefits of this approach include:
- Expertise – By partnering with a marketing agency like JDR Group, you’ll gain access to a pool of industry experts who can execute a fully-integrated and results-driven marketing strategy for your business, without you having to invest in the infrastructure internally.
- Time Savings – Let the marketing experts handle your marketing and sales strategy, enabling you and your team to focus on critical internal aspects of your business operations and decision-making.
- Cost Efficiency – Working with an agency can save you crucial money in the long run that can be invested in increasing your customer service and operational capacity, or on efficiency investments in other areas.
Time Constraints
Time is frequently a scarce resource for SME owners, who often have to wear many hats in order to keep the company going. To overcome this challenge and prevent it from impacting your sales potential, consider adopting a marketing automation platform and integrated CRM, such as HubSpot.
- Streamline Your Sales Processes – By automating routine but time-consuming tasks, such as email marketing, lead nurturing, and social media management, you free up more time to focus on strategic growth initiatives and business relationships.
- Personalise Your Customer Experiences – A marketing automation platform enhances the potential for customer engagement and personalisation, helping you retain customers and drive repeat business.
- Track Sales Performance – Leverage real-time insights to help you make better, data-driven decisions, optimise your sales strategy, and track your return on investment.
Technology Issues
Many SMEs struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing field of information technology, and it’s difficult to stay ahead of the curve and ensure sustained growth without sacrificing productive time that should be devoted to your core work. Working with an agency can benefit you by giving you access to the advantages of technology without having to invest time and capital into this field directly.
- Adopt Sales Enablement Technologies – An agency can set you up with tools such as cloud-based CRM systems, website chatbots, and video conferencing tools to maximise the potential of your sales team, improving their connectivity and efficiency.
- Stay Up-To-Date – Your agency partner will help you research and incorporate new technological advancements that benefit your industry and enhance our performance, without risking your time being wasted on passing trends.
Find Out More
Systematically approaching your growth restraints and sales hurdles head-on will empower you to overcome your day-to-day challenges and realise your business’s potential. To find out more about JDR Group and the approach we take, please get in touch with our team.
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