Business Development Strategies Drive Growth and Profitability
Figure 4: Reasons for Accepting Sales Meetings | Credit: NAPCO Research
Referrals were the most common source of sales leads for providers with double-digital sales gains participating in Strategies and Tactics Powering Wide-format Sales. Referrals are effective because they help bridge the trust gap between an organization and a referred prospect. Asking for a referral can be one of the simplest ways to generate new business. Usually, the best sources for referrals are existing customers, especially after a job well done. Social media is another way to get referrals, and more than three-quarters of respondents reporting double-digit sales growth use social media to attract customers.
Lisa Cross is the principal analyst of NAPCO Research (a unit of NAPCO Media) where she conducts market research and analysis on emerging trends and changing dynamics in the commercial, in-plant and packaging industries, and the market forces that are driving those changes. With decades of experience covering the graphic arts and marketing industries, Cross has authored thousands of articles on a variety of topics, including technology trends, business strategy, sales, marketing and legislation.
