Helpful Sales Tips

Sales Edge: Limited Time Offers – Do They Really Work?

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A big part of getting someone to buy into your offer is playing up the value vs. cost factor, which is heavily influenced by presentation. A great way to get people to instinctively buy is to make an offer that would seemingly be a mistake if turned down. Also, make sure that it is followed by a strict deadline in order to create a sense of urgency.

For example, I’m sure you’ve all seen those late night infomercials that claim “If you order within the next 30 minutes, we will double your supply of XYZ Cleaning Solution!” Would you believe that this simple solicitation can increase the amount of interest as much as 83%?

Keep this type of initiative in mind when deploying your next sales campaign, it will benefit you just as much as your customer perceives its value!

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Don’t Waste Valuable Time – Qualify Your Prospect

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Great salespeople follow strategic steps in order to be successful. Using a systematic routine can help solidify your sales process and increase your customer acquisition rate. In order to flourish, you need to focus on qualifying your prospect before getting too far into the sales cycle.

Pre-qualifying a potential client can save you time, effort, and a lot of future headaches. You have to qualify not only as it relates to price, but other relevant factors as well. Does your client have a need for what you offer? Do they have the authority to purchase what you offer?  These are some of the questions you should find out in advance to avoid wasting time on an unworthy prospect.

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Don’t judge a product by its package

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When promoting your product, you want to sell what’s behind the whole picture. Consumers can see and read what the box or package says, but they also want to know what benefits come with buying the product.  The key to selling a product is simple; focus on aspects that will enhance the consumers’ life.   This concept is known as What’s In It For Them.

For example when you sell health-food products, you don’t want to promote it with the typical “good for your body” gimmick.  Instead, provide consumers with more detailed information on the benefits of your product or service .  Consumers are more receptive to the outcome of the product, than the general benefits associated with it.

Fill in the holes surrounding your product or service, and let your consumers know what’s in it for them.

Sell For The Next Sales Opportunity

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Getting that first sale from a customer can be one of the hardest tasks in generating new business. Regardless, the next few sales afterward your first are the ones that really count. Repeat sales show that your customer has instilled trust and dependability into your company. Make sure to follow through and give great customer service throughout the sales process is the key to attaining recurring revenue.

Learn from your past experiences and mistakes and use them to guide your future sales. If you keep your customers happy by showing that you really care about them, they’ll keep coming back to you for more. Just make sure you always seek the BEST solution for your client. Try not to focus solely on the revenue aspect. In today’s competitive marketplace, a little thought and consideration in favor of your customer can go a long way.

Increase Your Site’s Visibility With Web Directories

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Web directories are a very valuable tool for your inbound linking strategies and can also aid in your web site’s search engine placement. You can find plenty of good directories by searching on your targeted keyword phrase in any major search engine. A lot of times you can locate highly targeted directories, with substantial amounts of traffic, for little to no cost at all. Directories tend to be very easy to navigate and serve as a quick way for your target market to locate your business.

To evaluate the value of a specific web directory, consider the ranking of the page where the link placement of your site will occur. The ranking is indicative of how important search engines may find a specific page in that directory. Directories are a great way to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your web site which will in turn lead to higher client conversion ratios.

Why Ask Why?

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To become more effective in your sales efforts, you should always include a well rounded strategy for questioning and learning about your prospect. This type of approach allows you to really dig deep to find out what your prospect’s true objectives and goals are. Always ask questions that require more than a “Yes” or “No” response and that deal with more than just pricing, standard procedures, or technical issues. Formulate your questions so that you can make apparent what the prospect’s thoughts and motivations are. This way you can really assess their needs. Understand what it is that they are looking for from you and tailor your responses to best address these things. Always ask for more information if necessary so you can better position your products/services to show that you understand the client’s objectives and needs.

Become An “Expert Speaker” to Increase Consumer Confidence

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It is a well known fact that people buy from people they trust. Getting up in front of a group of individuals and speaking on topics that you have a great deal of knowledge about gives you instant credibility. Besides, would you be the one speaking if you weren’t an expert? People will hire you because they trust you, and have the confidence that you will be a great resource for them. Take the measures to get out there and promote yourself by becoming a speaker at your target market’s events. This is a great way to build up your consumer’s confidence in the products/services that you have to offer. Put yourself in the position of someone who will be viewing the event, and think about what types of things you would want to learn about if you were them. Develop your speech with a clear message and simple information they can implemented very easily on their own. When the time comes to tackle some of the more complex issues, you WILL be the one they call on.

Those who have been able to prove success in their particular business or industry have a higher chance getting people to be confident in them and ultimately purchase from them time and time again.

Combating the “NO” factor

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Creating an effective and compelling sales presentation is an art that not everyone can master effortlessly. Some people are great at delivering gripping presentations that capture their audience and others are better with the follow-up/persistence necessary to obtain a new client. Even with those two vital skills in hand, we often overlook some of the deeper underlying aspects that go beyond just the initial sales pitch.

Learning to deal with objections quickly and tactfully can take you from an average sales person to a great one! If you really consider the overall aspects of selling, you find that a big part of your message is geared towards convincing a client to see and believe in your product or service the way that you do. If you can’t make that connection with them in a matter of seconds, then you need a well thought out action plan for dealing with objections. Never put a prospect in a position where they feel they are forced into making a decision but you have to be ready for them to come back with objections such as “I am not interested”,” I already have one” or “I don’t have time for that”.

Take a quick assessment beforehand and find out exactly what it is that you are trying to convey. Write down every possible objection you can come up with. This short but important exercise can tip the scales in your favor and dramatically improve your closing ratio!

Total Team Effort

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The total sales effort by an organization is a key to growth and longevity in any business. For smaller companies, it is crucial to make sure that your staff is aware of the overall sales process as well as recognizing sales opportunities when they present themselves. Having full-time sales people on staff to pursue potential clients and follow leads is good but having a well rounded staff of individuals who are able to step in and get the job done effectively is greater. There are times when sales opportunities may come up unexpectedly and ensuring that each person in your organization is familiar with the sales process may be the difference in taking that lead to closure. Going forward into the new year, make sure that your sales strategy involves educating all internal parties on your sales process and see your closing ratio continue to rise!