Small business owners who are concerned about their sales and marketing capabilities could begin to see improvement by breaking down the term “sales and marketing” into discrete, manageable elements. You end up with a checklist that can be reviewed in order to prioritize areas needing improvement – a checklist that will serve as the groundwork for an effective sales marketing strategy.
1) MARKETS. How much do you really know about your current markets or future market? Why do your customers buy from you? What could you offer that would attract more non-customers? How can you sell to more of the profitable customers? If you add features or services, will people pay more for them or will they attract more customers? Are there bulk, institutional, industrial, or corporate markets beyond normal retail that you are ignoring?
2) COMPETITION. Who are they and why are they after you? What is the overall market trend and how are you holding up in terms of market share and profit position? How do you really rank against competitors? What substitutes are there to your products and how much of a threat are they? What sales marketing strategies  are they following ?
3) DISTRIBUTION. How can you get your products/services out to new outlets profitably? Are there unbranded opportunities? Can you bundle in your products with someone else’s? How can you incorporate them into your  sales marketing strategies ?
4) SUPPLY CHAIN: Are you at the mercy of wholesalers for your raw materials or product components? How can you manage suppliers and gain more buying power over them? Can you simplify your products and reduce your supply needs? Can you buy in bulk and store them somewhere in a cost effective manner?
5) POSITIONING. Where do your products/services fall in relation to the total market? Is this truly the position you want? Are you “all things to all people,” or should you move more toward a high-end position (charging a premium for a differentiated service), or a low-cost position (undercutting others’ prices but at a profit, due to high efficiency)? Can this be an effective  sales marketing strategy ?
So far we have examined the sales and marketing elements of markets, competition, distribution, supply chain, and positioning. Breaking sales and marketing into discrete elements lets you examine the sales and marketing elements separately and decide which areas you want to concentrate on to create an effective marketing strategy. Here are more elements of sales and marketing to consider
6) PROMOTION. What promotion tools make the most sense to promote your products yet are consistent with the marketing image you want to project?
7) PRICING. What is your pricing strategy? Does variable pricing make sense for different markets, perishable products, or time-based sales processes, or various customer types? Are you charging for everything you do?
SERVICE DELIVERY. How well and how consistently are you delivering/producing your products/services? What people problems must be addressed? Do you really train people in their overall role and mission, not just the mechanics of their job? How do you know your customer service is satisfactory?
9) FINANCING. What is your capital structure? That is, what are the proportions of cash, bank borrowing, other borrowing, invested funds, and net income to your operation Are there other sources of capital you should look at? Are there cheaper sources for say, bank loans?
10) STRATEGY. How can you build customer loyalty? How can you increase sales to existing customers (more frequent use or buys, selling a broader product line to them) or new customers (existing and new products)? How can you penetrate into new areas profitably What costs can be removed without affecting the value equation?