Business Development

Streamlining Your B2B Sales Cycle

In today’s eCommerce landscape, shoppers expect quick, seamless transactions. However, the traditional model of B2B selling relies heavily on Sales Reps operating in the field.

While this approach is an important element in achieving success, it doesn’t have to apply to every sale. Most B2B organizations now rely on a healthy mix of products sold by their team in the field along with additional products available to customers for purchase online.

Streamlining your sales models can free up valuable business resources with friction-less e-commerce channels for selling products directly to your customers in the following ways:
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Drive Sales Through Channel Partner Marketing

A lot of specialty coffee industry companies use distributors and reseller partners to deliver their message and their goods to the end-customer in various B2B channels: Cafe, OCS, grocery, gourmet, restaurant, vending, c-stores, club stores, online resellers. However, many find that their partners are often lacking in driving new business and that they’re just handling that which is given to them.

At SOS, we work with clients to increase distributor sell through. Here are some useful tips we have learned. Continue reading

Why Your Trade Ads Don’t Work

It has nothing to do with the magazine or Facebook or Google, or any other form of media.

It has to do with what you have to say and how you say it.

Here are a few samples of headlines from recent coffee industry ads: “The Finest Coffee On Earth”, ”Absolutely Brilliant Coffee Brewers”, or my favorite “Create The Ultimate Vanilla Latte”. Continue reading

B2B Sales: How To Know When You Are Too Dependent On One Customer

Sure, it’s great to have a big contract with a big company. But how do you know when you’re too dependent on that one relationship?

It happens like this: A young, growing business finally gets the call it longs for–a massive company (Wal-Mart, maybe, or Whole Foods, or whoever the dominant company is in the industry) wants their product or service. A lot of it. A big, big contract awaits. Heaven on a stick, right? Continue reading