There are almost hundreds of ways you can increase your sales – here are some of them …
Know your customers
Target your product to the correct customer base by knowing who your customers are and what their motivations are.
Surveys
Create a survey to find out what motivates your customers to buy and have questions whose answers will tell you where and how to reach your target market. Do remember to offer a gift or discount for completing your survey.
Free information / factsheet
Use a two-step approach to increase conversions. First, offer free business related information to potential customers that showcases your expertise. Add these potentials into your mailing list and build a relationship with them by connecting with them often.
Mail special greeting cards
From your survey, you would have gotten the birthday dates of your customers. Mail special birthday greeting cards to your customers and include a coupon or special offer or tell them about your product that they should give themselves as a gift. You can duplicate this with other special occasions as well.
Partnerships
By teaming up with another business which is related to your product, advertising costs can be shared with that company so that you can print high-quality and larger ads more affordably. Companies that have products which complement yours are potentially great partners to work with.
Commitment and consistency
Studies showed that a repeated message is often well remembered. Commit to consistently sending mailers to the same group of people in your target market. For advertising, do it whenever affordable.
Making the call
Using the phone will allow you to achieve faster results with minimal costs. Research has said that response from 100 phone calls is similar to 1000 pieces of mail. In addition, you will also generate greater input and feedback.
Increase Pricing
People often associate premium products with higher prices therefore, it is advisable to raise your prices because that separates you from the crowd and implies that your product is better and deserves the premium price. However, do take special care that the customer must see the value of the higher price.
Credibility of trends and current events
Consider tying your product or service with trends or current events because this allows you to gain valuable credibility and interest by association with popular groups.
Personalize your business
Utilize photos of you and others in promotional materials because this conveys friendliness and builds confidence in your company. Conversions are dramatically higher when pictures are used.
Limited Time Only Specials
Use time limits on your offers and promotional materials. This is to encourage action to be taken by your potential customers.
Fear or pain of loss
The fear or pain of loss is a very powerful sales-boosting tool. Emotions such as these can be stimulated by products that increase personal security, personal safety, personal safety or health. Make your potential customers feel that if they don’t get your product or service now, they will miss out on something.
Media relations
Pitch to local publications about your business by sending letters covering topics related to your carpet cleaning services. Add an extra edge to your pitch by connecting your services to some current event that is making waves in the market. This helps you to gain wide exposure as your name and business will be printed together with your letter if it gets published and you will be perceived as the expert in your field.
Long term advertisements
If you are buying advertisements, buy those that last for months. Some examples include, magnetic signs for cars or vans, car decals, putting signs on truck tailgates and rear windows, stickers on T-shirts, design the outside of the brochure to be permanent and the inside for future changes etc.
Promotional Materials
Business cards, letterheads, brochures and packaging materials are to be examined to be first class but they do not necessarily need to be expensive.
Business Cards
Your business card can often be the first impression a potential client has of you. Research and see what your competitors are doing and test them against yours. Does yours stand out or is it exactly the same as every other carpet cleaning business out there? Give your business cards to business associates who might be able to promote your business, to everyone you meet and you could even put a few in every letter you send out.
Be grateful
People remember your kindness. There are many things you can be grateful about, someone who refers business to you, reliable suppliers etc. You can thank people with a special offer, make a personalized thank you card, phone phone call, discounts, flowers, dinner or even a commission.
Business Cards for All Employees
Your employees will be proud to leave the business cards you print for them customized with their names with every customer and every prospect. They may even pass cards to their friends and relatives and your name will be in many more places.
Follow the successful
Identify the winners in your industry and analyse their marketing strategies. Pick out the ones that you can use to improve on them and adapt them to your own business.
Organize Parties / Events
Send out party invitations to clients and friends and plan an event to demonstrate your service. Make the buying process easier for your customers by eliminating all the long winded, overly complicated payment methods. Let the media know about that you are unveiling interesting new products.
Sincerity
People can feel it when you want to sell them something and that is an uncomfortable feeling. Genuinely offer customers useful products and services that make you and them happy. Follow your passion, do what you love and the money will follow.
Set up an advisory board
For a business to grow, you need honest feedback from people you can trust. Some of the feedback may be harsh but this is a good thing because you can take those opinions and work on improving your business. Get these people (friends, family, business associates whose opinions and judgment you value) to critique every aspect of your business so that you can get a different look at your business.
Use A Dipstick Now And Then
During the course of your presentation in explaining your product or service to potential clients, pause every now and then to ask the audience a question. This is to check whether your explanation has been received by the other party. You can’t sell your product or service if your message is not being received.
Never Assume
Assumptions are often stumbling blocks even before you present your product or service to a potential client. It often stems from you not having the confidence in your product or service. Have a strong belief in your business and the need it fills.
A bite at a time
How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time. Reputable and successful companies did not start out exploding millions of dollars in profit, they started out small. So continue to stay focused and determined about the success of your company even though you are not at the pinnacle of success yet.