Photo by CC user http://nyphotographic.com/ and http://thebluediamondgallery.com/
Are you happy with where your business sales numbers are at?
If the answer is yes, keep doing what you are doing. It is important that you never become complacent with what got you to where you are today.
On the other side of the coin, if you are not pleased with where you sales numbers currently sit, what do you plan to do about it?
Some business owners may feel like there is not much more they can do to see an uptick in their revenues.
Others, meantime, will pull out all the stops to try and move those numbers higher.
At the end of the day, do you feel like you have truly cashed in on as many sales as possible?
Don’t Leave Any Stone Unturned
If you sense your business has not done all it can to increase the sales numbers make sure you are doing all of the following:
- Marketing – One of your biggest strengths should be your marketing output. Yes, you do pay for your fair share of marketing outreach, but other aspects of it are essentially free. If you’re not already using social media (see more below), that needs to change moving forward. Also make sure you are doing everything necessary to receive customer referrals. The best way to get these word-of-mouth gems is by providing top-notch customer service (see more below). When you do that, it oftentimes results in customers telling those they know about your brand and how good it is;
- Payments – How are you going about accepting payments from customers? While some businesses still resort to cash-only payment setups, many others accept credit cards, personal checks, mobile payments etc. When you give customers myriad of payment options, you undoubtedly increase your customer base. For example, if you can get a free credit card reader, you increase the ease with which customers can make transactions. With the credit card reader in your possession, you are able to adjust your tablet or smartphone (Android or Apple) where it works as a mobile credit card reader. By doing so, payments are easy and quick. Also note that other than cash payments, credit cards are a great means of doing business. Whereas checks take several days to pass through the banks, credit card transactions move at a faster clip. Finally, you probably know yourself as a consumer, shoppers are more inclined to spend additional funds when items are going on plastic and not coming out of wallets or purses in the color of green ;
- Customer service – Along with making payments for customers easier and faster, you also should be making sure you answer any and all questions they have, along with addressing any issues. For example, a customer makes a purchase from your store, only to realize when they get home that it is damaged. They bring the product back to your store with the receipt. Along with replacing the damaged item with a replica (or giving them their money back), you should throw in a small complimentary item too. Unfortunately, such customer service is all but unheard of today, so that’s why doing such will endear you in all likelihood to them and others they relay the story to;
- Social media – Another way to get those sales numbers higher is by turning to social networking sites. Yes, some business owners will pass on social media for this reason and that reason, but countless others know how powerful of a tool it can be. When you apply your time and effort to social media, you are promoting your brand essentially 24/7/365. Keep in mind that your posts stay out there on social sites indefinitely. In doing so, social posts can be shared by thousands and thousands of consumers, giving your brand more attention each day. Social media is also beneficial in monitoring what consumers are saying about your brand, especially after they have made a purchase or purchases. Along with the positive feedback, it is good to know of any negative feedback, allowing you to make any necessary adjustments on your products and services moving forward. Whether you are a startup or have been around for a while now, don’t miss out on all social media has to offer your sales efforts.
In order for you to increase the odds of cashing in on more sales for the remainder of 2016 and down the road, make sure you do all you can to get the attention of consumers.