As a small business, you already know how important it is for you to generate sales to drive revenue. Your sales and marketing efforts are your best resources to grow your customer base and grow your business. Here are a few tips and techniques to boost sales for small businesses.
Increase Sales with Existing Customers
Your existing customers are your primary source of revenue generation. They should be your main focus when it comes to marketing and sales strategies. Your current customers know your products or services and already trust you enough to buy from you.
Offer Impeccable Customer Service
If you want to establish a long-lasting customer relationship, you must offer high-quality customer services. This will motivate your customers to buy again from you, hence helping increase your sales.
Research Customer Behavior
Conduct thorough research on how your customer base uses your product or service. This can be done by manually requesting feedback through an online survey or by reading and tracking customer reviews. This will help you understand their needs and how to best improve your product or service.
Request Customer Feedback
Always prompt your customers to leave their reviews about your business and what you provide. This can help you to identify any shortcomings your business may have and to put the effort into improving the most necessary areas.
Run Exclusive Promotions
You can also run marketing and sales promotions exclusive to certain groups of customers. For example, running a promotion for just your most loyal and repeat customer base can make them feel appreciated and even more committed to making future purchases from you.
Increase Sales with Future Customers
While current customers are an important asset, you need to gain new customers to grow your business. You have to ensure that your target audience knows your brand and what you have to offer.
Offer Free Trials, Deals and Packages
To attract new customers, you should offer free trials with no obligation to purchase as much as you can. This will encourage new customers to at least try your products and services. The more people you get to try, the higher your conversion rate will be.
If you are a retail shop, this could mean the option to test the products you sell right in the store. Folks are much more likely to buy something if they can experience it first. If you are a services based business, you might want to offer free consultations or even a small portion of your service could be free – think of it as a way to get your foot in the door and build trust with new customers.
You can even offer promotional deals and discount packages to entice new customers, people love to save money. Try offering something of value that none of your other competitors do. This will help you stand out and act as an incentive for customers to give your business a try.
Use Social Media
Social media channels are a very common place for customers to search for products and services. You must optimize and regularly maintain these profiles so it is easier for your target audience to find your business. Your business can also gain customers’ loyalty by engaging with them in real-time and answering all their queries and concerns through your business’ profiles.
Running paid adverts and promotions on social media are a great way to increase sales for small businesses. It can be intimidating but you can do it. You don’t have to create complicated graphics, you can set specific budgets and only target specific audiences.
Call-to-Action on Your Website and Emails
Whether it is your business website or an email newsletter, you must include a prominent call-to-action (CTA). This can be anything from “buy it now” to “subscribe to our newsletter” or “click here to download for free” and so on. These CTAs will entice your current and potential customers to take action on your site.
Train Your Employees
Training your on-site and online sales reps and employees is a must. Host regular training sessions to keep them up to speed on the company’s sales strategies and targets. Use senior employees to train their juniors and teach them the dos and don’ts of the industry.
While cheerful and agreeable customers are an ideal scenario, teach your employees how to deal with difficult ones. They should pay attention, stay calm, and show they are actively listening by repeating back what the customer is saying.
Your employees must thank the customer for bringing their grievance to the company’s attention and explain the way forward. Always follow up with the customer, be sincere in your efforts and make all complaints your top priority. This will help convert disgruntled customers into loyal ones that can help increase sales for small businesses.
