Guest blog by Grant Leboff
How to increase sales and attract better quality or higher value business are perennial questions that companies repeatedly ask. While people want a ‘silver bullet’, the reality is that there is no quick fix or easy answers. However, there are actions a company can take to improve its sales performance.
Below is a list of 10 ways that a business can improve sales results.
- Lapsed customers – It is worth reaching out to people who have bought your products or services in the past but don’t anymore. Making contact with them can be a reminder that reignites some opportunities.
- Existing customers – One way of increasing sales is to sell more or more often. Looking at current customers – are there products or services they are not buying but could use? Is there an opportunity to increase the frequency of their purchases? Upselling to present clients can be an effective way of increasing the bottom line.
- Bundle products or services – Putting together attractive packages of products or services can make an offer appealing to prospects and is a way of increasing order values.
- Proactively obtain referrals – Using social media, for example LinkedIn, it is possible to see who is in the networks of satisfied customers. Proactively look at their contacts and then ask to be introduced to specific individuals. Over time, this can create a number of sales opportunities.
- Sales promotions – Run promotions which might create some urgency and get a business talked about and noticed. Make them contextually significant. For example, a winter promotion or a World Cup promotion. In this way, they will seem more relevant.
- Future use offers – Devices, such as coupons which give people £10 off their next purchase, or something for free on a following visit can encourage repeat work.
- Partnerships/Influencers – Getting in front of the right audience is vital to obtain sales. Ask, ‘who has the attention of my target market and is complimentary to my business?’. For example, a cinema and restaurant can partner together both offering discounts on the other service for a great night out. In professional services, an HR consultancy and Recruitment company can work together in referring business and creating content such as webinars and seminars. This material will be more interesting and valuable because of their joint expertise. Leveraging the attention that others have, and allowing them to utilise the attention you have, can be a very effective way of reaching more people.
- Make contact – It seems obvious, and yet many people who want more sales don’t actually invest enough time in generating opportunities. ‘Business is a contact sport’. Make sure you dedicate a certain amount of time each day to message, email, phone and meet people.
- Utilise media channels – Today every business owns media channels. Whether it’s a website, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, YouTube channel or Twitter account these can be powerful tools. The currency of media is content. Therefore, it is important that content which provides prospects and customers with real value is posted regularly. In this way, a business will be able to build credibility and an audience which, over time, will lead to business.
- Testimonials – Social proof – that is what other people say and do – is the biggest influencer on human behaviour. Therefore, testimonials and positive comments and reviews from customers are important. Today, the most powerful tool is video testimonials and every company should invest in having these.
Finally, it is worth looking at pricing and margins. Although companies are often concerned about putting up prices, a small increase can lead to a significant uplift on the bottom line. Moreover, even if some customers leave, the percentage increase can offset this and still leave the business more profitable. Knowing your numbers is important to sales success.
Grant Leboff is CEO of Sticky Marketing Club – www.stickymarketing.com His latest book is titled Digital Selling.
