1. Up-sell to your customers. For starters, they already know
and trust you, plus they have demonstrated a willingness to buy.
So if they are given the option of a volume discount, for
example, they just might jump at the opportunity to buy more.
2. Cross-sell to your customers. People appreciate convenience
and choice. Be sure to provide both by making additional
products or services available that complement and enhance your
customers' buying experience. For example, if a customer buys a
product from you that requires batteries, be sure to offer him
batteries at the time of purchase. Otherwise he's likely to be
frustrated when he gets home and discovers that he needs to head
back out to get some batteries... possibly from someone else's
business.
3. Ask your customers for referrals. The best place to find new
customers is through your existing customers, assuming they are
happy of course. So ask them. Believe it or not, they'll be glad
to help.
One way to do this is to generate a list of prospects you think
one of your customers may know. Show her this list and ask if
she knows anyone on it. If she does, ask if you might use her
name as a reference, or better yet, if she might make an
introduction for you. If she doesn't know anyone on the list,
ask if she knows of someone whose name should be on the list.
It's a simple approach, but more times than not, it will get you
in front of a warm lead.
4. Develop a CIA list. If you want to grow your sales, you need
to get the CIA working for you. That is, the Center of Influence
Advocates. These are people, other than yourself, whom your
clients consider to be experts. Identify these people and get to
know them. Show them what you can do for their customers and
find out how you can help them as well... joint marketing or
lead sharing, for example. After your customers, a lead from a
CIA member is as strong as they come.
5. Create a value driven seminar/talk. This is a great way to
get your message to your market while positioning you as an
expert in your field. It's one of the most powerful ways to
generate sales because for a significant period of time, you
have the undivided attention of a group of prospects. It doesn't
get much better than that.
6. Systemize your sales processes. Every prospect is different,
but if you think about it, you probably go through many of the
same steps each time you make a sale. If you have a team of
salespeople, find out what the best ones are doing and write it
down. Then, turn the best ideas into a repeatable sales system
that everyone on your team can utilize. You'll find this one
simple concept will bring your entire sales force up at least a
couple of notches from before.
7. Stop selling and start helping your customers to buy. This is
really the difference between the traditional sales model and
the new consultative or customer relations model. Buyers are
significantly more sophisticated today than they have ever been.
They will still buy, but in this age of information, they're not
looking to be sold. They're looking for an expert who will help
them make the intelligent choice that is just right for them.
The customer relations approach to selling means you might not
make a sale every time, but if you focus on your client's needs,
rather than your own, you'll make a life long customer.
Something that, over time, is significantly more valuable.
8. Track and analyze your sales processes. Once you have a sales
system in place, you'll want to keep improving it. The only way
to do this is to carefully track your results. There are many
ways to do this and as many software titles available to help,
but what's most important is that you stay the course. It's
impossible to pull good information out of a system that no-one
is using consistently. In fact, partial information can be more
problematic than no information at all. So begin by getting
everyone on board. Then track your progress and make your
improvements. You'll be successful if you think of it as a
marathon, rather than a sprint.
9. Hold regular sales meetings. Meetings can be a big waste of
time, but with a proper agenda, schedule and leadership, they
can also be the catalyst that ensures your success. So don't
discount them. Your salespeople need to set goals. And regular
sales meetings are the key to keeping them on track, holding
them accountable, and giving them feedback on their progress.
10. Create a variety of lead generating (prospecting) systems.
The more fishing lines you have in the water, the more fish you
are likely to catch. So keep on experimenting and every time you
find success, turn it into a repeatable system. For example, a
healthy mix might include advertising, publicity campaigns,
public speaking, direct marketing, customer appreciation events,
and so forth.
About the author:
About the author:
Mark Wardell is President and Founder of Wardell Professional
Development, a business consulting firm, focused on the unique
needs of small/mid sized growth companies.
Wardell Professional Development http://www.wardell.biz Email:
info@wardell.biz Phone: (604) 733-4489
Written by: Mark Wardell
The Wholesale Plasma Television Guide - Tom Ace You've finally made the decision to purchase that wholesale plasma television that you have been dreaming of, but you don't want to spend a lot of money. What do you do? Here's a simple, straightforward guide to buying your plasma television at...
10 Killer Ways To Multiply Your Sales - kenji sakamoto Making the first sale is not difficult task but the most
important task is how to make more sales by previous sales.I
just made 10 tips to boost your salees by using information of
privous sales.
1. When you make your first sale, follow-up...
When Year-End Sales Resemble Coal And Leave No Room For Gifts - Teena Rose
December can be a trying time for small businesses. The year-end rush to close clients in order to meet target year-end sales goals can leave a person feeling stressed, overworked, and definitely, not in the holiday spirit. Last year around...
Copywriting for Sales - Understand Your Audience's Need - George Dodge
Regardless of what you're selling, marketing or promoting, you have to have a good understanding of your audience before you can create effective copywriting. Without knowing who you're writing for and what they hope to get from the copy you...
