It’s amazing how often I am asked to help generate more sales for a business in a relatively short space of time. It’s a pressure situation and totally unpredictable especially as initially, I need to understand how the business has historically marketed and sold their products and services.
Before I list my 7 tips, here’s what I would do first…
– Gather all sales material and marketing material. This allows me to understand the products and clarify the messages the business has been using. Additionally, understanding which media the business has selected is important together with the results they have achieved using each type.
– I would talk to the sales team to understand what they say to sell a product or service. What are the key drivers in their sales approach? Are these the right messages that resonate with the market?
– Check out the market and the key competitors. What have they been doing or saying in the market that may have generated additional sales for them? Is there a way to sell or market effectively against these messages?
– If there is a national organisation, I would read their website and/or newsletters. I’m interested in the concerns, worries, interests that are captured and discussed. It could be there are changes within the industry that are having the impact of putting sales on hold.
– Finally, I’d also wish to see the most successful campaign the business ran. In particular I’d be focusing on which products or services were marketed, messages and price points.
Armed with this, it’s important to create a plan…fast!
1) Match your marketing to the marketplace
If there is a lot of chatter within an industry, then this topic will most certainly be receiving attention. It’s important to use this as a subject line and develop a campaign around it, wherever possible. This is an opportunity to create a leadership position from the business, which in turn could generate many followers.
Alternatively, if there isn’t an ongoing concern, then develop a message that will resonate with the market.
2) Social media activity
If the business is using social media then all activity must be increased. I would also link the activity to specific pages on the website with offers. These web pages should have a special report or some kind of downloadable information which will allow the business to capture email addresses of the visitor.
3) Look at existing customer base
Increase email marketing activity to existing customers. The easiest way to generate quicker sales is to contact those who have previously bought from you and therefore know your business, trust your business to deliver and would be confident in buying again.
Your existing database is always the best place to begin when you need to generate sales quickly. If you have looked after them then they are more open to buy from you again.
4) Create your best sales offer…ever
This could be a package of goods never previously offered, at a great price. After all, if you need rapid sales then you have to upsell at a great price. If the offer isn’t strong enough then there is no urgency for a customer or prospect to buy from you. It would be worth discussing the offer with your sales team. By understanding what they consider to be the offer of all offers, without giving too much profit away, this could provide the excitement and leverage to reach your sales targets.
5) Staff incentives
You could provide a special incentive to your sales team for 30 days to boost their activity. With their involvement and buy-in to the offer, you should expect to see quick results.
6) Joint ventures
This is by the far the greatest untapped resource in most businesses. By sourcing businesses that sell complementary products to your market, you could add some of their products into your special offer. Alternatively, you could run a joint marketing campaign which halves your costs. This is frequently seen on TV ads.
7) Direct marketing with endorsement
My final tip is to use the same joint venture relationships, but to market directly to their customer base by using their endorsement. This is extremely powerful. And could provide windfall opportunities for both your businesses.
There are so many ways in which a business can generate additional sales. Some take time to establish and others can be relatively quick. A great deal depends on the reputation of your business. A business with a good reputation, good customer service, good products or services will generate significantly better results than one that has struggled to perform at these levels.
For start-ups the message is simple. Select a product or service you believe you will be good at and market this first. Create simple and yet effective messages for the market and send them into as many media you can, but only those places you know your target audience visits e.g. if you sell to consumers then social media platforms can be ideal. Messages travel fast.
This article is meant to provide a starting point for you to generate more sales in a relatively short period of time. Whilst this is important, please remember that both your marketing and sales funnels must be constantly replenished throughout the year if you wish to be successful.
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