I am a commission only self-employed sales agent and I represent two different companies who sell different but complementary products and services. Here I show you how I put together a unified sales strategy.
Crafting a strong sales strategy as a commission-only self-employed sales agent requires a clear, compelling narrative that highlights the value of both companies’ offerings while reinforcing my unique expertise. Here’s how to structure the sales story effectively:
1. Identify Your Core Audience
As with any business the first step is to identify the core audience. It’s always tempting to go for the largest customer base; however, this will result in confusion. Counterintuitively you will end up with more enquiries, the smaller the core audience is. This is another way of saying – niche down.
Who are your ideal customers?
Firstly, who are the main ideal customers. Assuming you are already in business, this should be easy. Look at your current and past customers of both companies. What do they have in common? Is one market sector more profitable than another? What type of customer do you prefer working with? In my case this was easy as both companies I represent target the Beverage Industry. I can also specify this even more refined, like Alcohol, Carbonated Soft Drinks or Water.
What problems do they face that your products/services solve?
The next step is to define what problems your products and services can solve. You may have a broad idea of what benefits your companies give customers such as:
- Increase profitability
- Reduce waste
- Reduce costs
- Increase health and safety etc
These are first order benefits but you may want to pin them down further. You can check with your current customers. If you weren’t involved in the original sale, you may not know the reasons why they chose your company’s products. In that case ask someone who was involved, to see what the situation was like before the customer bought and what it was like after.
How do they make purchasing decisions?
What is their decision-making process? Many larger companies go through tender processes, this means that you will have to compete with other suppliers. Tenders are usually generated after a company has put together a specification. You might prefer to be involved with generating the specification before a tender is announced. This is where your good relationship with the customer will come into play. Either way it is worthwhile knowing what their decision-making process is, up front.
2. Define the Problem & Pain Points
After you have pin-pointed your ideal customer, the next phase of the process is to define what that ideal customer’s problems are that you can solve.
Clearly articulate the challenges your customers experience.
Assuming that you have identified ideal customers that you prefer to work with, you will know everything about their business. This means that you should be able to clearly articulate what challenges they have in their business. This might be from different business levels, for instance at the Executive level the challenge might be maintaining shareholder value. Alternatively, a senior manager will be concerned with maintaining productivity. Further down the chain of command, the key issues may be downtime on a specific line.
A good exercise is to think of your main contact, identifying their personal issue, then repeat going up and down the line of reporting.
Use relatable scenarios or industry-specific pain points.
Following on from this you can try to distil this information into a short pithy statement such as: “Many businesses struggle with [Problem A], which costs them time and money.”
3. Introduce Your Solution (Your Two Offerings)
Now that you have clarified the pain point, you can now articulate what your offering is, for both companies you represent. Position your companies’ products/services as the answer to these pain points. Highlight the complementary nature of the two offerings, in a way that will make sense to the customer. For example: “By combining [Product A] and [Service B], my clients get a streamlined solution that improves efficiency and saves costs.”
4. Establish Your Unique Value Proposition
Next, what makes your approach different from your competitors? Ie what is your Unique Value Proposition? How does your combination of products/services create a unique advantage?
An example statement around this would be: “Unlike other companies who can only offer [Product A] or [Service B] separately, I provide a holistic solution that delivers greater value.”
5. Use Success Stories & Testimonials
Share real-life examples of how customers benefited from your combined offerings if you have them. Quantify the results the customer gained where possible (e.g., “Increased productivity by 25%”). This is much more impactful than saying just that they increased their productivity.
If you have testimonials, start to put them together into a document you can share. Build this dossier up with new testimonials as you gain customers.
6. Overcome Objections Proactively
If you can identify common concerns and objectives ahead of time (e.g. price or implementation time), it’s a good idea to build answers to them in your presentation or during the sales conversation. Try to address them with logical, confidence-building responses.
For Example: “Some businesses worry about integration, but we offer a complete turn-key solution to ensure a smooth transition.”
7. Create a Clear Call to Action
Finally, finish off with a clear call to action. What is the next step you want your prospects to take? Guide them towards the next step. This could be booking a demo, a strategy call, or requesting more info.
Example: “Let’s set up a quick call to see how we can tailor this solution to your business.”
Craft a Short Elevator Pitch
Since you represent two different but complementary companies, you need a concise and powerful pitch. Here is the formulae for building such a pitch:
“I help [ideal customer] solve [problem] by providing [Product A] and [Service B], ensuring they achieve [key benefit]. Unlike [competitor’s alternative], my approach delivers [unique value].”
If you would like more tips on prospecting, read my post My Prospecting Process, where I go through my process from collecting names to phone calling.
In today’s competitive market, telling a well-crafted sales story isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. When you represent two complementary offerings, your story becomes even more powerful, as you’re uniquely positioned to deliver greater value than your competitors. The key is clarity: know your audience, understand their pain, show them the solution and demonstrate your unique edge. With a solid narrative and a confident delivery, you’re not just selling products—you’re building trust, solving real problems, and setting yourself apart. Now go out there, refine your story, and start more conversations that convert.
I’d love to hear how you handle objections. What’s worked for you?