Sales expert Tanja Stachowiak (pictured) says: "The hurdle of picking up the phone is still high. Many companies associate it with cold calling. But objectively, it's about offering good services and products." (Photo: © Elisa Prodöhl PHOTOGRAPHY)
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December 2025
Acquiring new customers, maintaining relationships, reactivating old contacts – active sales is essential in the skilled trades. Tips from sales expert Tanja Stachowiak. She says: "Those who neglect sales are missing out on valuable opportunities."
Tanja Stachowiak, a consultant from Düsseldorf, supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as founders in setting up their sales activities professionally and helps to find pragmatic solutions.
Often, it fails at the very first step: the acquisition call. Many entrepreneurs immediately think of sales as door-to-door sales and reject it. However, sales activities should be just as much a part of a tradesman's toolbox. "And the best part: It doesn't require large budgets or expensive software," emphasizes the expert in Guest article for the German Crafts Journal:
Even though no two companies are alike, experience shows that those who neglect sales are missing out on valuable opportunities.
Building new business relationships, retaining existing customers, and reconnecting with previous contacts—all of these are tasks that must be addressed regularly, not just when there's time.
Economic periods are characterized by fluctuations. During peak periods, many companies are so busy that they have to postpone or even reject orders.
It then seems only logical to forgo additional sales activities. But this is precisely where the fallacy lies: Sales isn't just about selling—it's primarily about an inner attitude.
Those who remain visible even in good times, maintain relationships and provide new impetus ensure that the order book remains well filled even in quieter times.
The entrepreneurs I work with are true experts in their field. They've built their own businesses with passion and dedication and are fully committed to what they do.
But that's often precisely where the challenge lies: everyday business life is characterized by a variety of tasks – from core technical tasks to customer care to organizing the entire business. This often leaves little time for day-to-day sales.
And smaller, and often even larger, companies usually don't have their own dedicated staff to deal with this. As a result, important tasks like acquiring new customers, responding promptly to inquiries, or following up on offers quickly fall by the wayside. This doesn't require sophisticated sales concepts or complicated strategies.
What matters are simple approaches that are tailored to the company and can be implemented on a daily basis. Often, it's enough to make small adjustments – and then translate these changes into established processes. It's important to note that you don't have to change everything at once.
I recommend first looking at: What's already going well? Where is there a need for improvement? Then you can identify specific tasks, prioritize them, and—very importantly—distribute them across multiple departments. Nothing has to be perfect from the start. The key is to get started, gain experience, and derive the next steps from that. Sales should be a good fit for the company.
Before taking any initial measures, it's worth taking a step back: a look at your own business from the outside. Friends, relatives, employees, or even external advisors can provide valuable input. It's not about turning everything upside down—it's about specifically questioning where you stand and where you want to go. Some questions that can help.
• Where do I want to go – and am I (still) on the right path?
• How has my market changed?
• What is the competition doing – and what is it perhaps doing better?
• Who are my customers – and how do I reach them?
• How visible am I – online and in my immediate environment?
• Does my appearance – website, images, texts – suit me and my company?
• Who takes care of maintaining the website, be it on your own homepage or on platforms such as LinkedIn or Instagram?
• Who will take care of personal networking – perhaps within the guild or club? Is this even my path – or is there someone on the team who can take it on?
• Do we attend trade fairs? Will an advertisement, billboard advertising, or sponsorship help us?
• Are our good services being recommended to others – or how do we specifically promote this?
• And how do we deal with negative feedback?
It’s about finding the right ideas for your own business – and implementing them step by step.
You have an attractive website, actively call potential customers, and follow up on offers – and yet there's still no response. In such cases, it's worth questioning your usual practices.
Where can time – and therefore money – be saved? Are processes clear and efficient? Or is the competition simply faster, more present, and better prepared for current requirements?
Because not every measure works on its own. It's the right combination of different activities that makes the difference. And one thing must not be forgotten: business is conducted between people. A personable and competent demeanor is – alongside price and performance – an invaluable factor for success.
Getting started in sales doesn't necessarily require special software. What's crucial is that customer information is clear and accessible to everyone involved – while respecting data protection, of course.
In many cases, a simple Excel spreadsheet that the team can access together is sufficient to start with. It's also helpful to develop a clear guideline:
• Who is responsible for approaching new customers?
• Who follows up on offers and when?
• Who documents feedback?
Such questions should be resolved jointly within the company. Not only the structure is important, but also regular communication within the team – how often this occurs is something most entrepreneurs themselves know best.
Everyone on the team can contribute something – whether through direct customer contact, by pointing out new inquiries, or by offering ideas on how to better present the company to the outside world. Often, the best ideas arise precisely where we work with customers on a daily basis.
My tip: Continuity and clear processes help keep sales under constant review – and thus ensure consistent workload. What are the advantages of bringing in external support? An outside perspective can often provide the decisive impetus.
External consultants not only bring fresh perspectives, but also the right "toolbox"—proven methods, ideas, and the necessary intuition to get things moving. They ask the right questions, recognize patterns, and help challenge established processes.
It's invaluable when the support staff knows the region and the specific characteristics of the businesses, allowing them to find solutions that can be discussed directly at the table and implemented pragmatically – without long detours. This way, even stagnant sales situations can be revitalized. And yes, even seemingly unpleasant tasks like cold calling can be temporarily outsourced. This takes the pressure off – and creates space to focus on your own strengths.
The hurdle to picking up the phone remains significant. Many people associate phone calls—especially cold calling—with negative experiences or unpleasant situations. But objectively speaking, it's about offering good services and products and thus running your own business successfully.
A phone call doesn't have to be intrusive. Here, you can ask yourself how you'd like to be addressed. Ideally, this means being polite and getting to the point about the reason for the call, combined with a simple, friendly introduction. Phone calls can thus be a direct and highly personal addition to other sales efforts.
It's important to approach the conversation with a positive attitude. Because you should always assume the best. This creates professional and respectful conversations on equal terms – even if an order doesn't follow immediately. You've been remembered, and when demand increases again, visible and accessible companies will be preferred.
And last but not least: No one has to become a sales professional. It's not about perfection, but about presence. With simple tools and regular practice, a lot can be achieved – and often, "doing" is the decisive step to setting yourself apart from the competition.
Guest article by Tanja Stachowiak, Independent Consultant, Sales and Processes, Düsseldorf
What is allowed and what is not allowed in acquisition? Cold calling by telephone to initiate contact and acquire new customers is only permitted in Germany in the business-to-business (B2B) sector if there is a legitimate interest in establishing contact. However, promotional emails require the recipient's express prior consent; otherwise, they are prohibited. Cold calling is completely prohibited in the private customer (B2C) sector. If in doubt, you should contact the advisors at your Chamber of Crafts or Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
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