One of the main questions that an entrepreneur haunts is how to increase the sales of his business. They have a good product, a nice place and they really want to sell, but the customers don’t come …
There are countless strategies to boost sales, some require large investments of money and others require a high level of creativity. Knowing the best way to promote your business depends on your budget, the business model, the industry in which you compete and many other elements.
In this article I want to share a list with fifty-one practical ideas to increase the sales of a business.
How to increase the sales of your business.
Give your business an identity. Take your time to design a unique and impressive corporate image. Create a logo, a slogan, a mission, a vision, a business name and any other element that distinguishes you from the competition.
Set daily, weekly, and monthly sales goals (if you don’t already have them). Every time you meet your goals, set yourself bigger and bigger goals.
If you don’t keep a sales record, it’s time to start. You can use Excel or some business management software that we have shared with you here. If you do not keep track of your sales, it will be difficult to know if you are growing or not and which strategies work and which do not.
Get to know your customers. Worry about knowing who they are, what motivated them to go to your business, where they live, what they like, etc. Any data can be very valuable for your strategies.
Build a customer database. Get their emails, their phone numbers, address and any additional information that may be useful to keep in touch with them and develop loyalty strategies.
The sales of a business can be drastically increased with small changes in the packaging of the products, decoration of the commercial premises, organization of the furniture in the premises, etc. In other words, the idea is to do merchandising so that the products are more attractive to the customer’s view.
Give your clients reasons to want to come back and to refer you to their friends. Don’t forget the basics: offer a quality product accompanied by good customer service.
Change the combination of colors used in the product, packaging, advertising, branding, commercial premises, etc. Remember that color can influence from 60% to 80% in the decision to buy a product.
Invest in advertising. Waiting for the business to grow on its own is a fatal mistake. You must allocate a monthly budget of the income to promote the business by different means. If your budget is limited, do not worry, it means that you must make a greater effort, but with a lot of creativity you can make very cheap and high impact advertising campaigns.
Create your own Web Site and publish information of interest to your market. You can also offer discounts and exclusive offers for your readers.
Social Networks are full of customers waiting for you, and the best thing is that if they like your product they will be willing to recommend you to their friends. Start by creating a fan page on Facebook, a profile on Twitter and a video channel on YouTube. There are many other social networks that can be very useful depending on the industry or type of company. You should not be on all social networks, only those that you consider convenient.
Surprise your customers by offering them positive experiences in the purchase and consumption of your products. Keep in mind that experiential marketing is very important to standing out from the crowd of competition and gain steady ground in the market.
Make life easier for customers when making their purchase. If you have a fast food business, a good idea is to offer “combos” (McDonald’s style) so that the customer orders several products instead of just one.
Train your salespeople to learn sales techniques and strategies that allow them to be more effective at every opportunity. Here you can find a lot of material to learn about sales.
Create a culture of healthy competition among your salespeople. Offer incentives to the seller of the month and other recognitions that motivate them to sell more every day.
Business cards continue to be an interesting tool, it doesn’t hurt to distribute them to your customers, especially if the card is accompanied by a nice message, a striking image or a useful resource such as a calendar. The idea is that it be special for the customer and not just another card.
Identify the competitive advantage of your company and exploit it. Find out what is special about you to offer the consumer and why they should prefer you and not the competition.
Who are you competing with? Identify and analyze the competition. Find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. If you consider it convenient, you can make alliances with them that generate benefits for both.
Design a quality and guarantee policy that gives potential customers confidence, especially when there are similar lower-priced products on the market.
Offer free samples (Demo) of your products or services. It is not a tactic that can be applied to all types of businesses, but whenever possible it is a very good strategy to implement.
Reward your most loyal customers. Show them that they are important to you. Call them on their birthday and give them a gift, offer them discounts and special offers, make them feel like they are special.
Pay attention to the complaints, claims and suggestions of each of your clients and give them a quick response to their request. In these times, a dissatisfied customer enjoys sharing his negative experiences with all his friends and contacts on social networks. Don’t risk it.
It offers free after-sales services and additional services. Technical service, advice, free shipping, etc.
Innovate constantly. Show that your business wants to improve every day. Launch new products, change designs periodically, renovate your store, etc.
Expand your business. Identify new markets, new sales channels, consider taking your products to international markets, enlarge your premises, open new branches, sell franchises or look for any other strategy that allows you to expand the scope of the business.
Take advantage of the seasons and special dates. The school season, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Children’s Day, Halloween and many other dates are characterized by a large commercial movement where consumers do not measure their expenses.
It offers various forms of payment, many people do not like to use cash for their purchases. Receive cards, implement electronic payment methods, sell on credit, etc. The idea is to make life easier for people when it comes to paying.
Door to door sales are an interesting option. Analyze if it is possible to implement them in your business model.
Be honest with the client and show them that they can trust you. Currently the consumer is more informed than ever and trying to deceive him will only make you look bad and will lose you important sales.
Make yourself accessible to customers through all possible means (E-mail, WEB, Telephone, Chat, etc.). They will want to contact you to request information, advice, ask questions, etc.
Pay close attention to market trends and align your business strategies where necessary. A product that sells very well today could stop being sued tomorrow.
Create alliances with other companies. It does not matter that they do not belong to the same industry, strategic alliances represent great opportunities for companies.
Do not over or under price products and services. Remember that the formula for business success is to ensure that the customer receives more value than he is paying. Carry out a price-demand elasticity analysis to see what is the most convenient price.
Organize sponsored events. A football championship, social events, conferences, seminars or any event that attracts people who may be interested in purchasing your products. It is a very good way to build loyalty and attract new customers.
The location of your business is key. If sales are low, it may be due to a bad location and it would be enough to find a more suitable area to boost sales.
Make your business premises comfortable and pleasant. Your product may be very good, but if the customer feels uncomfortable they will have little desire to return.
Use promotional gifts that are useful. Many companies give away personalized memories, USB sticks, calendars, pens, key chains, bottle openers, etc.
Create an App of your company. It can be a game, a useful application or something that complements your business. The important thing is that the consumer takes you everywhere on his mobile device.
Use neuromarketing techniques that impact the 5 senses of the consumer. Visual marketing isn’t everything.
Create an emotional connection with your customers. Sell them attitude, happiness, confidence, experiences, values, etc.
Design a referral plan where you reward those who recommend your business.
Find out what your client is looking for and give it to them. Some seek efficiency, others want good care and there are those who prefer complete experiences.
Every customer is different and should be handled as such. Look for a way to offer products, services and personalized experiences to each of them.
Hand out flyers, tweet, hire advertising on the radio or in the local newspaper, and carry out any other type of propaganda that allows you to position yourself in the local market.
Use signs with “magic words” that boost the desire to buy. Some of these words are: limited time offer, discounted, 2 × 1, half price, percentage discount, free, immediate delivery, guarantee, etc.
Low sales can be the result of poor focus. Remember to analyze and improve your business model periodically, especially if you are in a very dynamic industry (for example, if you have an online business).
Use psychological pricing. Prices ending in 5,7 or 9 more easily capture the consumer’s attention, make it difficult to make comparisons and make you believe that they are cheaper than round prices.
Constantly evaluate your marketing strategies to see which ones work and which ones don’t. You should focus your energies and resources on the strategies that work and put aside those that don’t have the greatest impact.
Hire passionate salespeople who enjoy their work and pass that passion on to customers. This strategy is one of the pillars of the success of companies like Apple.
Optimize logistics processes. Efficiency is key.
Carry out a satisfaction survey and find a way for customers to answer it honestly (you could offer an incentive), in this way you will know what your market wants.
