Have you ever wondered why some businesses always seem to hit their targets and quotas? Most of the time, it’s because they’re aggressive salespeople. This business approach is known as sales orientation.
This sales-centric model prioritizes what businesses should do best—selling. Basically, the idea is simple. They sell as much as they can (and as fast as they can) to generate a rapid increase in revenue—regardless of whether the customer initially wants the product/service or not.
In any case, this approach is not rare at all. In fact, about half of your possible customers are simply not a good fit for your product or service. But with the right sales strategies and a sales mindset, this can change.
Now, if you’re curious and find yourself asking, “What is sales orientation?,” read this guide to know more about why it’s a game-changer.
Sales orientation: what is it?
Sales orientation is a business approach centered around aggressive sales tactics and strategies. This approach is often associated with a strong emphasis on aggressive sales tactics, convincing customers to make purchases, and achieving high sales volumes.
The goal is to generate high sales volume—even if the product doesn’t initially fit customer needs or preferences. Clearly, the business philosophy is to sell, sell, sell. This comes with the belief that volume sales are the primary driver of healthy revenue.
Key characteristics of a sales-oriented approach include:
- Focus on sales volume: The main objective is to maximize the number of products or services sold. There is less emphasis on other factors like customer satisfaction or long-term customer relationships.
- Aggressive selling techniques: Sales-oriented companies tend to use aggressive sales tactics, like high-pressure sales pitches, promotions, discounts, and other strategies to persuade customers to buy.
- Short-term profitability: The emphasis is often on generating immediate profits, even if it means less focus on long-term customer relationships or brand reputation.
- Sales targets and quotas: Sales teams in such organizations are typically given specific targets and quotas to meet, and performance is often measured based on achieving these numerical goals.
- Product-centric focus: The company tends to be more focused on the features and benefits of the product or service rather than understanding and meeting the specific needs of individual customers.
While a sales orientation can be effective in certain situations, it may not be suitable for all businesses or industries. There are other orientations, like a customer-oriented or market-oriented approach, which prioritize understanding and meeting customer needs and building long-term relationships.
Ultimately, the choice of orientation depends on various factors, including the nature of the product or service, market conditions, and the overall business strategy.
Sales-orientation approach vs. market-orientation approach
The market-orientation approach assumes that the customer is the king. The priority shifts from simply selling products to understanding the customer’s needs, wants, and preferences. These businesses invest a lot of time and resources researching their target market so their products and marketing strategy align with the customer needs and preferences.
Additionally, this strategy is aimed at building long-term customer relationships and loyalty rather than just making one-time sales. It’s a holistic view that considers the entire market environment—including market feedback, competition, and trends.
In today’s business setting, understanding this difference is crucial for choosing the strategy that works best with your business goals.
Why does sales orientation matter?
For simplicity, let’s look at the sales orientation model’s impact on revenue. Because it might help 45% of sales leaders who want to beat sales targets. In this approach, you can expect noticeable short-term revenue boosts. It’s like pouring all your energy into making sales right now, so it really does pump up your numbers.
This model gives a definite direction to your organization. Everyone in the sales oriented company (sales team, including the product development team, marketing, and customer service) has one ultimate goal: make those sales numbers go up. This creates a highly motivated and focused team, all moving towards the same direction.
Lastly, this model is a good push for your market presence and brand visibility. Pushing your products or services for sales also makes your brand more visible. You’re securing your place in the business world, promoting yourself, and making your name known. Such tactics can be especially useful in markets where getting noticed is half the battle.
5 examples of industries that are sales-oriented
Interested to know which industries actually apply the principles of sales and product orientation in their daily operations? Let’s explore them:
Pharmaceutical companies
Pharmaceutical companies are a prime example of a sales-oriented company because their markets are highly competitive. With many pharmaceutical companies competing to get their meds into the hands of healthcare providers and patients, sales reps work really hard to persuade doctors to prescribe their drugs. This might include using extensive product knowledge and persuasive arguments.
Insurance providers
According to Statista, the insurance industry is one of the biggest in the world. As per most sources, insurance premiums written in 2021 totaled around 5.5 trillion U.S. dollars.
So it’s quite obvious—the whole business model necessitates a strong sales push. Insurance isn’t something customers might naturally think about or understand the need for, right? That’s why insurance providers use sales teams to actively communicate the benefits and importance of their products to potential customers. Their measure of success is also largely dependent on the number of policies sold and the premiums generated with incentives as a reward. As a result, sales agents are constantly motivated to increase sales.
Auto dealers
In the automotive sector, sales are determined by monthly and quarterly targets. That’s why auto dealers often employ aggressive sales strategies like promos and incentives to entice customers. Sales staff aren’t just encouraged but often required to push hard to meet these quotas. This pressure translates into a very direct—sometimes intense—sales approach. Sales agents of auto dealers negotiate, offer deals, and do whatever they can to seal the deal.
Fast food restaurants
Fast food restaurants are among the sales-oriented industries because they thrive on selling large quantities of food. The more they sell, the better their bottom line looks. It’s a numbers game, so every burger, fry, or drink counts. Consider all those combo deals, limited-time offers, and upsizing options to have an increase in your average purchase size, pushing sales figures up. Fast food chains also invest heavily in advertising and marketing—keeping the brand top of mind.
Retail
Here’s the deal: in retail, particularly in high-end outlets, the entire setup is designed to encourage transactions. Sales staff are on the front lines, trained to engage customers, identify their needs quickly, and then guide them into making a purchase. Yes, sales staff are not just there to help but to sell. They do this by highlighting a product’s strong features or suggesting additional items that complement what the customer is already interested in.
What is sales orientation in marketing?
In the context of marketing, sales orientation refers to the tactics and strategies commonly used to support the sales-centered approach. But it’s quite simple: these are marketing tactics designed to maximize sales.
Aggressive advertising and promotions
Aggressive advertising and promotions are common tactics for sales-oriented businesses because they’re great for grabbing attention and driving immediate sales. In most cases, these ads create a sense of urgency like “limited time offer” or “while supplies last” which help in pushing customers to act fast. This persuades people to buy on the spot rather than wondering if they should wait to make a decision.
Product-centric training
This is the process of empowering the sales team so they become product experts. Think about it: if you’re going to convince someone to buy something, you’ve got to know that thing inside out. It’s important that the customer-facing sellers understand every perk and every advantage that they can use to persuade the customer.
Direct advertising
Direct advertising is everywhere. It’s in the marketing emails you receive about a weekend sale, the online ads that pop up as you’re browsing, or even the flyers you find in your mailbox. Because marketing in a sales-oriented business involves reaching as many potential customers as possible with a compelling message. The message usually describes what the product is, what it does, and why it’s better than the rest.
Incentives
Suppose you’re shopping and see a sign saying, Buy now and get a free gift! or Earn double points with your purchase today! You’re drawn to it, right? That’s the power of attractive incentives. Incentives work because they appeal to our desire for a good deal. When a business offers a bonus, like heavily discounted prices on the next purchase or a free item, it’s like selling an added value. Who doesn’t want more for less money? Bonus packs can even boost sales by up to 73 percent.
Sales events
You got it. This is about hosting a sales event. This creates a sense of exclusivity, drawing your target audience in to see what the excitement is about. At these ‘exclusive’ sales events, your product is the star of the show. Customers get a first-hand look, maybe a demo or a trial, and this direct experience can be incredibly persuasive.
Characteristics of a sales-oriented business
When we look at sales-oriented businesses, there are some traits that they share. Here are six of them.
They use high-pressure sales tactics.
Sales-oriented businesses often use high-pressure selling strategies to convert leads into sales opportunities in the shortest possible time. Their sales teams are assertive and persuasive, working fast to close deals. Some tactics they might use include pressing for immediate decisions and confronting objections forcefully. Another thing, the salesperson of a sales-oriented business might be very persistent in following up and may even downplay any hesitations a potential customer who might have.
They prioritize short-term sales goals over long-term customer relationships and customer loyalty.
In the sales orientation approach, all the focus is on the here and now. So it’s like, how much should we sell this week? This month? Hit the target, reach the quota, and be fine—everything is a short-term goal. You should make sure that in every report, the sales graph climbs steadily upwards. The emphasis is on the volume of sales, not necessarily who’s buying or why.
They often use aggressive promotional tactics.
Making a big, bold statement is often a characteristic that defines a high-energy sales-oriented business. These aggressive tactics can be a bunch of ads on your social media feed or those bright billboards that catch your eye when driving. It’s a matter of creating urgency and excitement around their products or services.
They usually set high sales quotas for their staff.
When a company sets high quotas, it sends a message that it expects a lot from sales. That’s a highly competitive environment. Salespeople know meeting these quotas is crucial for their success and job security. So a sales rep must reach or even surpass a specific (often challenging) number. But here’s a noteworthy remark—while these high targets can motivate and push the team to perform, they can also create a ton of pressure. 16% of salespeople list unrealistic quotas as one of the biggest reasons for turnover.
They dedicate a lot of training for the sales team.
In sales-oriented businesses, there’s a strong belief that the sales team is the engine of the company. So, these businesses invest heavily in training their sales team. On average, sales training yields an ROI of 353%. That’s giving them the product knowledge they need to close a deal. But this training entails more than product knowledge and includes learning persuasive communication, negotiation techniques, how to handle objections, and even how to think like a customer.
Harness the power of a sales-oriented approach
Here’s what we can say about sales orientation: when it works, it can work wonders. The laser focus on driving sales can produce some pretty impressive results. First, the approach can quickly drive sales to fill your pipeline and keep your cash flow healthy. Then, there’s the motivation factor for sales teams to hit those targets, earn commissions, and be the best.
However, it’s worth noting that this approach isn’t without its challenges. It can sometimes lead to burnout, customer dissatisfaction, or a focus on quantity over quality.
Want to double the sales orientation power? Start selling with your ideal customers—and that’s where our expertise at TaskDrive comes into play. Our team specializes in aligning your sales efforts with qualified prospects. Book a call today and leverage the power of a well-executed sales strategy.
