Times are tough. Sales are down. Morale is low.
Sound familiar? Well it needn't be. Below are a few tips which are sure to help you re evaluate and succeed in pushing your sales margins.
1. Figure Out What Your Customers' Needs Are
This may sound obvious, but it is unbelievable how many people over see this one simple rule. Having a comprehensive understanding of your customers' needs will give you a perfect foundation with which to work your pitch. There are a number of ways you can do this from emailing out questionnaires to setting up one to one's with past clients. Which ever method you decide ensure that you are focussed on your goal to gain the relevant data to work with.
2. Allow For Flexibility
Whilst you may believe that you have the perfect product, it can be easy at times to not be able to see outside the box. Not every customer will necessarily know their need for your product - so it is important to not have a rigid take on selling. Allow for flexibility in your sales approach. Having a different approach every time will mean your pitch never becomes stale. It will also give you insight into what works and what doesn't. Remember there is nothing worse than hearing a tired rehearsed spiel - keep things fresh.
3. Don't Be The Tough Sales Guy
Going in with a hard sell approach will weaken your chance of a sale, as well as putting your customer at unease. Take time out to learn exactly what your customer is looking for and give good advice on what will work for them – hard sells never work out in the long run.
4. Constantly Communicate With Your Team
A company can be let down by serious miscommunication within their team. In order for you to boost your sales it is important that every member of your team knows your products and services inside out. So whether they are the receptionist or the shop floor assistant each individual needs to understand your products and why they would benefit your customers'.
The amount of times I have visited a shop and have asked for advice and have been met with blank eyes is unbelievable – so don't let yourselves down with staff who have a clear lack of knowledge.
5. Assumption Is A Downfall
Not every customer that makes an enquiry will buy - FACT. However, many sales are lost due to assumption that because a customer does not show immediate interest then they will never buy. Persistence pays off if approached in the correct way. There is no need to be forceful, a simple follow up call will suffice. This gives you another opportunity to reinforce the value of your service in a more relaxed setting which could possibly lead to an unexpected sale.
6. Evaluate Your Product In Every Respect
It is imperative to evaluate your product so as to gain insight into your products aims. Sometimes this gets lost when people pitch their ideas as they are too intent in telling you what their service is and how it works. By telling your customer what its actual aim is will enable the customer to understand how it will help them and why they should buy it.
7. Create More Products
In times like these it is important to establish what is working and what is pushing sales down due to lack of interest or need. Talking to your customers will help you with this. Listen to what they need and if you do not cater for that particular need then look into ways in which you can.
8. Good System
Losing possible new sales leads is easy to do, lack of communication between Marketing and Sales departments contribute to this. Switchplane's developers are currently trailing some new software to target this problem area . When completed it will make the whole Marketing and Sales department of a business easy to manage and will effectively cut down on lost leads. We will keep you updated on its progress.
9. Listen More Than You Talk
There is nothing worse than constantly talking over a client. How do you know what that particular customers' needs are? Listening to you customer and asking questions about their requirements not only shows that you are interested, but also allows you to make an informed recommendation. You are more likely to sell if you look at the over all picture rather than pushing a product which may cost more, but is worthless to the customer.
10. Be Passionate
Let's face it without passion, you will fail to motivate and inspire your customer.
If you find you're lacking in any of these areas, give them a try! I am confident these will help you to improve the quality of your pitch and hopefully boost your sales!
