Startups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are already juggling a million priorities, so why add changing sales strategies to the list?
But, startups are built for speed and adaptation. Big companies are bogged down by layers of approvals and meticulous planning. Instead of trying to mimic corporate giants, startups should lean into their unique strengths for sales — and, of course, use the right tools. By embracing bold artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools and even bolder decision-making, they can turn these qualities into powerful sales advantages.
Ready to bring some innovation to your sales? Let’s dive into the strategies that can help you stand out and win in the modern, ever-changing, sales landscape.
What we’ll cover:
Improve sales with smarter onboarding
Customer onboarding is the key to turning buyers into happy, long-term users. A great onboarding experience helps new customers quickly understand your product and start seeing its value. Smart automation makes this process even smarter by adapting to each user’s needs.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, AI personalizes onboarding based on how customers interact with your product. Customers who navigate the product easily without needing much help, get minimal guidance, while those who seem hesitant receive step-by-step assistance. If a prospect struggles with a feature, AI steps in with the right help at the right time — no need to search for tutorials.
AI also learns from your most successful customers, identifying which onboarding steps actually lead to long-term engagement and refining the process accordingly. By asking quick, well-timed questions, it gathers valuable feedback to improve both your product and how you introduce it.
This kind of personalization doesn’t just help customers — it also gives your sales team a real edge. Tools like Sales Performance Management help connect onboarding goals to sales targets, track how reps are doing, and make sure every handoff between teams feels seamless.
As customers learn the basics, AI gradually introduces more advanced features tailored to their needs, ensuring they get the most out of your product. With smarter, more intuitive onboarding, more customers gain confidence, stay engaged, and fully experience the value of what you offer.
Automate surveys to maximize ROI
When a prospect sees that real customers love your product, they’re more likely to try it themselves. This all starts with customer feedback
For startups, this creates a powerful cycle: You get feedback, make your product better, showcase happy customers, and attract more business – all without a huge marketing budget.
Gathering customer feedback can happen in many forms — a short emailed survey, social media requests, calls to a contact center, polls or one-on-one interactions with customers. These are sometimes called “feedback loops,” because they form the basis for how startups continue to improve upon their products and services as they get ready to scale.
Pro Tip: Use customer feedback to shape your content. In the beginning, most feedback points out problems, and that’s okay. As you improve, happy customers start sharing their experiences. Share their stories to show others how you solve real problems and attract new customers.
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools help you keep track of all feedback in one place, so nothing gets lost. They spot trends in what customers are saying and highlight glowing reviews, making it simple to turn them into powerful testimonials.
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Being featured in newspapers or magazines is exciting, especially for a startup. It’s proof that your idea is worth talking about. Most companies share the article on social media, add a logo to their website, and move on. But that media mention can do much more.
Press coverage is third-party validation — it tells potential customers that your business matters. Use it to build trust and drive sales. AI-powered marketing automation tools can help by pulling the best media quotes into sales emails, tracking which ones resonate with prospects, and timing press updates strategically — keeping momentum going.
There are plenty of ways to extend the impact:
- Summarize the key takeaways into an executive-style brief to use in sales conversations.
- Turn media mentions into LinkedIn posts or blogs that answer follow-up questions and address potential concerns. Share them before meetings to shape the conversation.
- Highlight strong quotes from press coverage in your video marketing to show that credible publications are taking notice.
What can your small business do with marketing automation on
Salesforce CRM?
Personalize customer engagement
Smart AI tools personalize customer experiences by analyzing digital footprints and past interactions. It tracks the products customers browse, what they click on, and how they navigate through the page.
Beyond shopping habits, AI analyzes interactions with your business. Did they open emails without clicking? Contact customer support about specific issues? Abandon carts at certain points? These details create a holistic picture of each customer — and they answer a lot of questions for the startup.
Using this data, AI curates personalized experiences. Frequent sale shoppers get early access to discounts. Travelers browsing accessories might receive helpful packing tips featuring your products. Customers who purchased hiking boots see trail recommendations suited to their gear.
This personalization extends beyond recommendations to email timing, communication style, and design. The result feels less like marketing and more like helpful service, building stronger customer loyalty.
Max out with predictive lead scoring
Predictive AI looks at your past successful customers to find patterns in who buys from you. It checks things like their company size, which web pages they visited, and how they interacted with your emails.
When new potential customers come in, the AI gives them a score based on how similar they are to customers who have bought from you before. Your sales team can spot leads and opportunities that matter most with AI lead scoring. Tools like Sales Cloud come with built-in scoring features to help you work more efficiently by prioritizing the right prospects, tailoring conversations to customer interests, and closing deals faster. The system keeps getting smarter over time as it sees which leads actually become customers, all without anyone needing to update it manually.
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Automate lead nurturing
An AI-powered CRM can help you stay connected with potential customers at every stage of their buying journey through smart lead nurturing.
When someone shows interest in your product, it automatically sends them helpful information based on their actions. If they download a guide about your product, they might receive tips on how to use it. If they visit your pricing page but don’t buy, they might get a message answering common questions about costs.
AI recognizes when a human should take over. It alerts your sales team when customers show strong buying signals, like opening every email or watching your demo video multiple times.
It shares information that matches where customers are in their decision process. Someone just starting their research gets introductory content, while someone close to purchasing receives more detailed information.
Mistakes happen, but this strategy helps prevent them. It ensures you never miss a follow-up with interested customers. You stay present in customers’ minds while they’re making decisions. And, your sales team can focus on meaningful conversations instead of sending routine emails. Smart AI tools, like Agentforce for Sales, help teams prioritize leads, personalize outreach, and automate follow-ups, so no opportunity slips through the cracks.
Sales strategies for startups: Turn challenges into wins
As a startup, you’ll move fast, make quick decisions, and build real relationships. Winning deals is about playing to your strengths. And, selling should be just like building a product — test different approaches, tweak your pitch, and let AI do the heavy lifting.
The best startups don’t try to fit in — they stand out. Embrace what makes you different and turn it into your biggest advantage.
Start your journey with a Starter Suite today. Looking for more customization? Explore Pro Suite. Already a Salesforce customer? Activate Foundations today to try out Agentforce.
AI supported the writers and editors of this article.
