11 Ways To Increase Sales!
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Posted by Asma Zaineb, Manager Marketing Communications
Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 05:44 AM
An increase in sales does not mean the acquisition of a new business or product. It could simply mean selling again to your existing customers. Entrepreneurs or organizations who understand the importance of acquiring and retaining customers will find successful ways to increase their sales amongst a steady customer base. Here is a list of some common, yet inexpensive, ways to increase sales amongst existing or new customers.
Follow up on a sales lead. Lack of follow-up on a sales lead equates to the loss of prospective and existing customers. Follow up with customers to know if the product they purchased is earning them satisfaction.
Stay in touch with your customers. It is crucial to stay in touch with your customers besides the fact that they bring business. Many entrepreneurs or organizations venture into new businesses to increase their customer base and forget the existing ones. A call, card on occasions or festivities adds a personal touch. Alternatively, you can send updates on the existing or new products and services through newsletters or mail, asking if they are satisfied with the product. Connect at a personal level to service your customers.
Enter into a strategic alliance. If your organization and your client share a common customer base, consider entering into a strategic alliance or partnership with them. You can tap into their customer base and vice-versa.
Delegate, delegate, delegate. For new start-ups or small businesses, it is common for the owner to don many hats of administration, accounting, managerial functions, etc. As the business expands, the entrepreneur should focus on creating sales, while delegating tasks to other employees or by outsourcing it.
Employees are the face of any business. If you have an under-performing employee, or one who has a low morale or is rude and lazy, ask him to change as it shows up the company in a bad light. Train your employees to treat your clients with care and respect.
Sift your profitable clients from your non-profitable. Often, organizations devote time to those customers who dilly-dally during a sales process. An astute organization should be able to identifying time-consuming, non-profitable clients and eliminate them.
Hire a PR agency. If you need to advertise your organization and you are short of time, hire a PR person or firm to manage your advertising needs. PR is a powerful tool to increase your company’s sightings and earns you some valuable points. Design ads that speak to your target audience or allow social media networking sites to promote your organization.
Tell your customers about an upcoming promo. Keep your customers informed if you have any promotion or sale coming up. They will come back and bring along some of their acquaintances or friends.
Ask for referrals. The simplest way to increase sales is to keep your client informed of any new or different services or products, your company offers. Alternatively, ask for referrals.
Offer vouchers, coupons, etc to your customers. Airlines reward their customers with loyalty points or customer reward points, just as banks offer points on purchase through credit cards. A discount coupon on purchase, spa voucher, meal voucher, movie tickets, chocolate boxes, etc can easily be showered on the customers on various occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, etc.
Give free product samples to your customers. Distributing free sample of other products entice the customer to buy the new product. The customer will think of your company and spread the word about your products.
Finally, treat each customer with the same importance, respect and care as you treated your very first customer. Customers are more likely to stick to those organizations who offer them first class treatment. As the company grows, as an entrepreneur, you are bound to take up more responsibilities. Take some time off to keep in touch with your customers and sales operations. The payoff will be good.
Do share your thoughts on the same.
Related posts:
- Steps to Retain Existing Customers!
- Customer Acquisition and Retention Through E-Learning
- Product Training for Sales Team
Tags: Retention of Customers, Sales Process, Tips to Increase Sales
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Another great thing we should all be doing is cross-selling and up-selling to our existing clients. Take a moment to think about complementary products or services we can offer our customers which relate to what they’re already ordering. Would they benefit from a larger order to save time and money when it comes to reordering? Should they know about any peripherals/accessories that go along with their system? Could they benefit from an extended warranty or the next tier of service level agreements?
Think of these things for each client and mention them the next time they call. It’s also a great reason for corresponding with a client to whom you haven’t spoken in a while (”Noticed we’ve recently discounted they type of toner you use and was thinking of you…”).
There’s plenty of business to be had by tapping into your creative cross-selling and up-selling talents!