Rev Up Your Revenue #5: Optimize
Rev Up Your Revenue #5: Optimize
Are you thinking outside the box when it comes to sales in your business?
Should you be?
Or is it more important to make sure you are thinking inside the right box?
In this post, I’ll identify the three best practices to create sales. Many times the reason sales aren’t happening is because business owners are stuck thinking inside the box… the wrong box. It’s easy to play follow the leader in sales. We look at traditional ways to sell and think it is the only way. Instead make sure you are thinking creatively in a way that meets the needs of your ideal customers and where they hang out. Here are three tips
- Network offline and in person–Are you trying to drive sales to your website by marketing online when what you really need is to network offline, in person with your ideal client? Think about how you decide to buy something. Do you trust what you see on online? Or do you believe the recommendation of a friend or colleague? Are you impressed with the daily sales emails that you receive or do you shop with someone you’ve gotten to know and trust? While you need an online presence, to establish credibility for your product, you’ve got to get out from behind the computer and connect with your clients. As you connect, you are learning their needs and making sure your product is a good fit. Then follow up those connections with a real snail mail card or phone call. You will be memorable and real in a world that has gone virtual and forgettable.
- Find a strategic partner–Are you positioning your product in a typical and routine sales venue? Unless you are the next Van Gogh, your creative canvas in a world of paintings may not stand out. (And to be honest, even Van Gogh was not too great at sales. Most of his fame came after he died… I know. Not what we are going for here.) Your book will be lost in a sea of books even at your local indie book store. Instead look for a strategic partner that complements your product and create a sales system there. Sell your paintings at interior designer or realtor events. Sell your jewelry or books at conferences or trade shows. Position yourself where you are one of a kind instead of another fish in a big pond.
- Make it simple–Are you making it too complicated and confusing to purchase your product because you provide too many options? A confused customer doesn’t buy. While you may think that you are offering lots of choices, in actuality, you are asking your customer to make too many decisions. You have to strike a balance. Instead create two or at the most three products or packages which differ in key aspects such as time frame and price. Be clear on your focus and expertise. Then develop a relationship with your client so they know that whatever package they pick, you will deliver a quality service based on their particular needs.
