A growing number of startup businesses are turning to sales consultants. The aim is to get someone on board with relative experience who can guide a sales team and put the right processes in place, so the company progresses. With that in mind, we’re looking at how a sales consultant can help your startup business and what they bring to the table.
How a sales consultant can help startup businesses
- Offer first-hand support
- Understand the niches of the business
- Turn sales performance around
- Network access
- Set goals and targets
The benefits of sales consultants for startup businesses
First-hand support
Most startup businesses aren’t quite at the stage where they can hire a head of sales with years of experience. And even if they are, there are still many benefits to bringing in a sales consultant or sales consultancy.
They give you first-hand support during the early stages of conception, adding an element of experience that might be lacking from the setup. As a CEO, you might have a sales background already. But in most cases, business leaders come from other areas, such as tech. Therefore, while they’ll have an idea of the sales process, they aren’t experts in the field.
An experienced consultant makes up for that lack of foresight, walking you through how the sales process should work at the startup. They’ll look at how to avoid particular issues while also putting practices in place to help acquire more leads.
Gets into the particulars of the business and stays on top of trends
Being a professional with years of experience in a specific field means you understand what works and what doesn’t while having your ear to the floor, so to speak. Sales consultants will be on top of the latest trends, especially if they specialise in your field.
To illustrate, a sales consultant who has a background working with SaaS companies will know how to navigate that sector. They will understand which approaches work for companies and other business leaders operating in the tech space.
Or if they’re used to working with startup businesses, the sales consultant will understand the challenges of the industry. For example, you might have raised funding and have pressure for the VC to scale. A sales consultant with the relevant experience will understand those needs and can help you build at the right pace.
Boost sales performance
Sales teams at startup businesses may go through several periods, with varying peaks and troughs. A sales consultant can come in and minimise the low periods, increasing profit margins as they identify problems and develop a strategy to boost performance.
Top sales consultants put plans in place designed to turn things around. They’ll work with your sales team, helping them improve both individually and as a unit. And perhaps most importantly, they will play a role in the transition from being a product-focused company (something most startup businesses are, to begin with) to a customer-first setup where methods are developed to find the right type of prospects.
Give you access to their network
Another benefit of sales consultants lies in their network. Professionals with years of experience and at the top of their career will have spent time building a highly reliable list of contacts, expanding their network in the process.
You can potentially tap into this network, whether it’s to gain more advice and insights or find potential clients. With the right sales consultant, your business world expands, so you have more people to call on and a greater overall reach.
Setting benchmarks
The primary goal of a sales consultant, and the number one way they can help a startup, involves putting a defined process in place. A consultant will examine everything from an outside perspective and set the benchmark, identifying where you can improve.
They’ll assess competitors, look at your team’s performance, and provide suggestions to help give you an advantage in the space you operate. The result will be a leaner sales setup and more transparency over how to move the business forward.
A helping hand for startup businesses
A sales consultant is there to offer advice and actionable insights. For many startups, having a consultant on hand can see the business move in the right direction as you lean on their findings and put processes in place to attract more clients and increase sales.