Whether you’re a salesperson or a business owner, boosting sales means more money in your pocket. There are countless programs, classes, and seminars that boast ways to double your sales overnight or start earning six figures in six months. These may or may not work for you, but there are some tried and true ways to consistently increase sales in your business if you’re willing to do the hard work behind them. Success is no magic trick, so you have to know what to focus on if you want to grow your business. Keeping your eyes on the prize will be both beneficial and motivational until you reach your sales goals.
Start With Where You Are
It may sound oversimplified, but you have to start where you are. You can save tons of time creating a new sales presentation if you simply focus on your existing clients. Using the book of business you already have in place is one of the simplest ways to boost your bottom line. These are clients who already know and trust you, so much of the hassle of prospecting and convincing has already been done. This means when you have new products, all you have to do is show them in your next meeting, and the client is much more inclined to buy from you. Even if you aren’t offering anything new, try to champion annual reviews or regular appointments to assess the changing needs of your customers. This will give you an opportunity to get back in the door after the initial sale, and it shows you truly care about their wellbeing.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for how you can capitalize on existing customers. Another way is to request feedback from your clients after meetings or after making a sale. You can do this through a paper survey, and email, an online form, or even just asking them in person for their feedback. Their answers will help to inform your business of what you’re doing right and where you could improve. Using your clients as a type of focus group can help you have a more keen insight into what your customers want and how to proactively adapt to their needs.
A third way to engage your current clients is to run incentives specifically for them. You could do a discount for referrals from current clients or for setting an appointment for an annual review. Whatever way you can work your profits to benefit them is a great way to get them talking to their friends. While you advertise these services, you also catch the eye of potential clients as well. They’ll want to get in on saving money with your company, so they might just open an account because they know they’ll get perks down the line.
Supporting Sales Staff
When you’re a business owner, it can be difficult to delegate the bulk of the work to a sales staff. After all, your monthly income will rest on their monthly work. That’s why it’s good to know a few ways to empower your sales team so they feel appreciated and energized. One easy way to do this is by instituting an incentive program. These programs or contests can be a great way for salespeople to make a little extra money for their work, which in turn makes them more eager to get on the phone or start knocking on doors. You can set these up a number of different ways, such as graduated bonuses for amount sold, a single prize for the top performer, or an extra percentage for each tier of sales met. Whatever fits in your budget and gives your salespeople a nudge in the right direction can be incredibly effective in boosting your overall sales.
Another great way to support your sales team is to encourage them to use suggestive selling techniques. Odds are, no matter what your business is, you have a few different products that naturally go together. For example, in insurance these might be hospital, accident, and short-term disability policies all issued to one person. If your sales team is actively mentioning other products that go well with what a prospective buyer is interested in, then they could very well be doubling or tripling sales when they explain why it’s good to buy more than one product. This is one of the easiest ways to boost sales in a single meeting, instead of having to go out and find three or four more clients.
Branding the Business
It’s hard to sell something if no one knows who you are. That’s why creating a powerful business brand is extremely important in the sales arena. Make sure your company has a clear mission clients can understand, and break that down into goals you hope to achieve with each account. This shows you’re serious about what you do and you care about your clients.
