How to help your business sell more
At the end of the day, regardless of the nature of your business, your company exists to sell something to customers.
Whether it’s products or services, you’re providing something to your customers in return for their hard-earned cash. But as we all know, they’re not always keen to part with it. So what can you do to get more sales for your business? There are countless strategies, but we’ve picked out a few simple adjustments you can make or new ideas you can try that could reap substantial rewards.
Focus your pitch
It’s common knowledge that consumers want choice, but often too much choice can be a bad thing. Overwhelming your customers with endless options can lead to them not picking any of them, according to studies. This can be true of both bricks and mortar stores and online e-commerce sites, so simplifying your offer – be it one stand for one product or one webpage for a single service – can often clarify things and give you a boost in sales.
Target buyers
People can stumble across your company for a host of different reasons - research, recommendations, reviews - but not all these people are actually looking to buy your products, and if you’re looking to boost sales, targeting them may not be the best idea.
There are lots of ways to make sure you’re appearing in front of the people who are actually considering or intending to make a purchase, from targeted Facebook advertising that captures buying behaviours to following up with those that abandon shopping carts on your site. In fact, over 67% of ecommerce carts are abandoned, so focusing on recovering that high percentage can be a huge boon. You could do this through an email recovery program as highlighted in this post.
When you’re pitching at people who are already in the mood to commit to a purchase, it’s ok to be a bit more direct as well – this is where they’ll want info like pricing and benefits, rather than just the vaguely attractive mission of your brand. Be sure to make it as easy as possible for buyers to get to the payment screen and remove unnecessary obstacles in this process.
Get a small commitment first
People who have committed to something, no matter how small the way in which they have done so, are far more likely to commit again. Using this principle, businesses can increase the likelihood of a purchase – a big commitment – by asking for smaller things first, like subscribing to an email list, or just leaving a comment. The smaller it is, the more likely they are to do it, and the corresponding boost in compliance further down the line will be well worth it.
Let them try it
‘Try before you buy’ has been a well-known sales tactic for many years now, but it is perhaps underused in the modern business world. Allowing consumers to trial or experience products before making a decision can have a significant effect on purchase rates, with one study finding a 475% increase in an item’s sales following an in-store demonstration.
Getting them to try a product is also a commitment, which puts them on the path to purchasing, as mentioned above, and gives you a greater chance to build a connection with these potential customers. If going through a demo gets them onto three pages of your site, rather than just one, you’ve got significantly more opportunities to make an impact, gain trust, and capture their interest.
Test everything
Lastly, we have a rule that applies to every point on this list, and any other sales strategies and tips you might want to try: test everything. Record what you do, how it works, and keep improving. We live in an age where so much data can be captured, allowing us to fine-tune details right down to the colour of our call to action button – there’s no set answer to that, but plenty of interesting information. So whatever you do: test, record, repeat, and good luck!