How to Increase Sales for Your Small Business
As a small business owner, it is likely that you are constantly thinking about how to increase sales. While there are countless sales approaches out there, it is important to figure out which ones will work best for your business, and incorporate these methods into a unified business sales strategy.
Are you wondering which sales methods are the most effective? Below we list five of the best ways for both owners and employees of small businesses to increase their sales.
1. Ask for Referrals
Do not be afraid to ask friends, relatives, colleagues and existing customers for referrals. It may not always occur to others that you are actively looking for new clients. It’s as simple as asking people you know if they can spread the word regarding your products or services. Who better to sing your business’s praises then a satisfied customer, friend or family member? According to Forbes Magazine, “your best source of new business is referrals from happy customers or clients.”
2. Attend Networking Events
It is important for you and your employees to participate in events and social engagements that help to build your network. Having a large network will provide you with a larger prospective customer base. Even if those in your network are not in immediate need of your products or services, they serve as an audience in which you can promote your brand and build credibility among other business professionals in the marketplace.
3. Build an Online Presence
These days, it's crucial for businesses to build an effective online presence as part of their business sales strategy. Customers are tech savvy and tend to research new products and services online, and if they can't find your company in their search, then it’s a missed sales opportunity for you. As Forbes Magazine puts it, "you can build customer relationships [online] by creating an easy-to-use website, presenting clear contact information, and providing excellent customer service."
Once you create your website, you can start engaging in social media platforms such as Twitter. It is important to make sure you are not limiting your prospective sales by only promoting your services offline in your local market.
4. Become a Problem-Solver
Wondering how to increase sales by solving people’s problems? The reality is people have many problems; whether they are hungry, busy, tired or are dissatisfied with their current service providers. If you take the time to ask questions to gain a better understanding of a prospective client’s needs, then you can sweep in with one of the best tried and true sales closing techniques — the solution. According to Inc., the "best salespeople engage the client and understand their challenges and provide solutions that are tailored to each one's requirements."
If you can save the day by emphasizing clearly to prospective customers how you can solve a problem and make their life easier with your product or service, then you are likely to secure a sale.
5. Build and Nurture Relationships.
The final on our list of top sales closing techniques is the importance of building and nurturing relationships with existing and prospective clients.
Building a relationship with a potential client is not a one-time interaction. Relationships take time to nurture, and involve regular touchpoints with your client in a relevant and professional manner in order to keep you and your services top of mind. It may seem time consuming, but keeping the relationship strong with customers will translate into repeat sales and positive word of mouth for your business.
If you were wondering how to increase sales for your business, you are now equipped with five of the top sales techniques that have worked successfully for many small business owners and their teams. Adding just one or two of these techniques to your existing sales strategy could be all that it takes to grow your sales considerably.
Since 2008, Fora Financial has distributed $4 billion to 55,000 businesses. Click here or call (877) 419-3568 for more information on how Fora Financial's working capital solutions can help your business thrive.
