Sales are the lifeblood of any business and multiplying revenue while minimizing expenses is the goal of any successful sales strategy. While there are many traditional sales techniques, in this blog, we will explore multiplication and subtraction strategies.

These include tips that can take your sales game to the next level. You might have used multiplication and subtraction in math class. But is it possible to use these concepts to accelerate sales? Let’s find out.

What are Multiplication and Subtraction Strategies in Sales?

Multiplication strategies focus on expanding the size and scope of the deal. These strategies aim to increase the revenue generated from a single deal or customer.

How can you convincingly upscale a customer and make them keep buying from you? Or can you make them pick a bigger package by adding more services or offers?

In contrast, subtraction strategies focus on reducing the costs associated with acquiring and retaining customers. Is there new software you can use to automate processes and reduce your team’s size?

Is it possible to reduce the turnaround time for customers by implementing a new strategy? By minimizing costs, businesses can increase their profitability and reinvest in growth opportunities.

Planning Your Sales Strategy

Effective sales strategies begin with a well-defined plan. Start by identifying your target customers and understanding their needs, preferences, and pain points.

Then, develop a clear value proposition that speaks to those needs and highlights how your product or service solves their problems. This might sound simple when read in two lines. But in reality, this is the step where most big brands fall short!

Qualifying Leads and Opportunities

Not all leads or opportunities are equal. To maximize the effectiveness of your sales strategy, you must identify the most promising leads and focus your efforts on them. To do this, you need a solid qualification process that separates high-quality leads from low-quality ones.

For example, you might use a scoring system that assigns points based on factors such as company size, budget, and decision-making authority. This way, you can prioritize leads that are most likely to convert and generate revenue.

Another important angle is to invest more time pursuing leads that you know will convert. It makes no sense to sell and market to someone that won’t accept your budget or services. In such cases, addition needs to go out the window as you don’t need these prospects in your business portfolio.

Orchestrating the Deal

The orchestration of the deal is where the rubber meets the road in sales. It’s where you use your skills and experience to move the customer from consideration to commitment.

Effective orchestration involves several key elements. These include:

• Building rapport and trust with the customer
• Understanding their buying process and decision-making criteria
• Creating a sense of urgency that encourages the customer to take action
• Addressing objections and concerns

Multiplication Strategies

Multiplication strategies aim to increase the revenue generated from a single deal or customer. Here are some examples of effective multiplication strategies:

• Upselling: Offer the customer an upgraded or premium version of your product or service that provides more value or functionality.
• Cross-selling: Recommend complementary products or services that the customer may also find useful.
• Bundling: Combine multiple products or services into a single package with a discounted price, making it easier and more enticing for the customer to make a larger purchase.
• Retention: Offer incentives or discounts to encourage customers to continue doing business with you.

Subtraction Strategies

Subtraction strategies aim to reduce the costs associated with acquiring and retaining customers. Here are some examples of effective subtraction strategies:

• Targeted Marketing: Use data and analytics to identify the most effective marketing channels and tactics for reaching your target customers.
• Referral Programs: Encourage existing customers to refer new customers by offering incentives or discounts.
• Streamlining Processes: Automate or simplify processes such as onboarding, invoicing, and customer support to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
• Eliminating Unprofitable Customers: Identify customers who are not generating enough revenue to justify the cost of acquisition or retention and focus your efforts on more profitable ones.

Data and Metrics

To gauge the effectiveness of your sales strategy, you need to track key metrics such as revenue, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), and conversion rates.

These values will show you how much you are spending to acquire prospects, retain them, and serve them well. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and adjust your strategy accordingly.

For example, if your CAC is high compared to your CLTV, it may indicate that you need to focus on retention strategies rather than acquisition. Suppose you are selling some new SaaS solutions to global clients. If it costs you more to source international clients and less to retain them, it is time to decide what your priorities are.

Would you rather spend more + retain for less + for a long time?

Or spend less + retain for more + for a long time?

Or spend less + retain for less + for a short time?

There are unimaginable numbers of combinations to set this concept in. It is time to recheck your priorities and bandwidth to plan a strategy that works best for your business.

Implementing New Strategies

Implementing new sales strategies requires careful planning, testing, and measurement. It’s essential to start small and gradually scale up as you identify what works best for your business.

Here are some steps you can take:

• Pilot the strategy with a small group of customers or a specific product or service.
• Track and measure the results, focusing on the metrics that matter most to your business.
• Analyze the results and adjust your strategy as needed.
• Scale up the strategy gradually, keeping an eye on the impact it has on your business and customers.

Multiplication and subtraction strategies can help you expand your business and increase profitability. However, to be successful, you need to plan, qualify, orchestrate, and expand your deals with a clear understanding of your target customers and their needs.

Each company is different and it won’t work if you speak to experts and try to use their plan. Don’t make decisions all by yourself without speaking to key decision-makers and shareholders. Involve anybody who will get affected by such decisions for your business. Understand what your competitors are doing and compare it to what floats your boat.

By implementing these strategies, tracking key metrics, and adjusting your approach based on data and insights, you can build a sustainable sales strategy that drives long-term growth and success. If you wish to know more about these do check out our site on cracking winning deals.