วันอาทิตย์ที่ 8 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

11 Proven Ways to Skyrocket Sales

1. Advertise Smart
Nothing risked nothing gained... Wise marketers understand the good sense in trying new advertising methods, but don't go out on a limb to experiment.  Are the advertising campaigns you've been using working, but not setting off the explosive response rates that you are looking for?  Try this... experiment with about 20 percent of your advertising budget, and let the remaining 80 percent continue to do its job of keeping a steady stream of customers coming in.  

2. Reduce and Multiply
Big isn't always better, sometimes quantity is more effective.  Try reducing the size of your current advertisements and run more.  Surprisingly, short ads often generate more response than long ads.  Yep, keep it short and sweet, and watch the results.

3. Liven up Your Ads
Take a look at your current advertisements.  Are they full of active, lively, colorfully stimulating phrases?  Yeah, get rid of all those boring words and replace them with phrases like...it's as easy as 1, 2, 3... hurry! Don't miss out...Save, save, save!...Act now!...  That's right, keep things hopping and full of action for effective advertising results.

4. Give 'em the Warm Fuzzies
People buy products for the feeling they get from the purchase.  How do you feel when you get a new car?  Yeah, excited, proud and anxious to show it off a little bit.  Keep in mind these feelings, and draw word pictures with your advertisements that will stimulate them.  Yeah, you'll be surprised at the results you'll get from encouraging and dramatizing the desires of your readers.

5. Send Them a Postcard
It only takes a minute to read the back of a postcard.  Most people are just like you - busy, busy, busy.  Regardless of how busy we are, all of us automatically read postcards that are short, clear and concise.  Send postcards with short ads to your target audience, and watch the flood of response sweep in.

6. Pay Your Customers to Advertise
Nothing is more effective than word-of-mouth advertising.  That's right!  Your customers can say it better than you could ever say it, so why not let them?  Yeah, implement a reward program for referrals and watch your sales climb.

7. Say Thank You
It only takes a minute to put a thank you card in the mail to a customer, but the effects of your thoughtful act can create a loyalty that will last a lifetime.  Yep, we all like to be appreciated...your customers do too.

8. Sell to Your Current Customers
The idea that sales growth comes from new customers isn't always true.  Yeah, you can increase sales with the customers you already have!  Have you tried offering them a product that will complement the item they are buying?  What about follow ups?  It's a lot easier to sell more to your current customers than to get new customers through the door.  Don't overlook the potential that's in your store today!

9. Combine Items for Special Sales
Buying in bulk is ALWAYS cheaper...or is it?  Consumers tend to feel that buyer in larger quantities is saving them money.  Take advantage of that feeling.  Group a few products together and advertise a special sale.  Yeah, customers will feel pressured to shell out the dinero before the deal expires!

10. Surprise, Surprise!
Who doesn't like a pleasant surprise?  Yeah we all do, especially after we've made a purchase that our conscience is telling us we shouldn't have.  Do you want to get rid of those after purchase guilt trips for your customers?  Give them a surprise at the register!  They'll leave feeling like it was their lucky day, rather than struggling with the after-the-sale blues.

11. Count the Losses
When we look at sales, we often focus on what will be gained by the purchase.  What about the loss that results from failing to purchase?  Most of us are more affected by losses than by savings.  Let your customers know what they'll be losing by failing to take advantage of your offer.  

How many of these techniques are you using?  Try implementing some new strategies and watch for new results!  Yeah, nothing ventured... nothing gained.  Sometimes it pays to take another look at what we're doing, and take it up a notch.  Give these 11 tips a try, and watch your sales skyrocket!



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วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 5 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

10 top tips to become the worst sales person in your company!

Have you ever had sales people who just never seem to make it no matter how hard they try? These sales people are one of the main factors for decline in business. Your sales people are the heart of your company and without good ones you will find it difficult to succeed in selling your products. To train good sales people you sometimes need to take a different approach.

Here are 10 tips that will save you from becoming the worst sales person in the company:

1.    Not being punctual: being on time is very important to a customer. Take into consideration that many of your seasonal Christmas customers will be new. Your sales people will represent the first contact these customers have with your company. First impressions are lasting ones and your sales person need to make a good impression.  Being on time will give a good impression to the client and increase their confidence in your company.

2.    Poor presentation: some sales people just do not have all their ducks in a row and simply do not present the product well. A presentation is the first thing a customer will know about your product. If your product is not shown correctly to the customer he is very unlikely to buy.

3.    Bad attitude: rudeness and unprofessional behavior is not acceptable under any circumstances. It is quite surprising that you will meet some sales people who are just plain rude and short with you the consumer. This gives the potential buyer the wrong impression about your company. They do not get a proper picture of the product, as they will probably not even wait for the presentation to end. You will lose many sales like this. 

4.    Not being articulate: a sales person must know how to express himself with confidence and fluency. He needs to be able to greet the prospect and introduce himself with assurance. This will start the whole presentation off to a good start. When he actually presents the product he must be sure to do this in a confident manner. He should also be prepared to answer all questions concisely and well. If your sales person cannot do this, your sale will not go through.

5.    Not listening to a customer: a sales person should not only be able to present your product but listen to the prospective buyer. There is nothing more irritating to the consumer than having a sales person go on about a product and not letting you ask a few simple questions. After all whose money is on the line here? Worse still is when you do finally get to ask your question and instead of giving you a straight answer they go off on a tangent and have clearly not been listening to you. This will make a customer angry and they will probably never do business with you.

6.    Basing a sale on cost: it is extremely risky for a sales person to depend on cost to close the sales. The prospective buyer will be quick to take advantage when he sees that the deal depends on the cost factor. He will drive the price as low as he can and you will take a heavy cut in profits for the sake of a sale. The buyer may hold off and then not even buy.

7.    Not knowing when to close a sale: This is a common fault but a lethal one. Many sales have been lost because the sales person did not know when to close the sale. A good sales person is in tune with the prospective buyer and knows instinctively when to move to close the sale.

8.    Hard sell: Hard sell is when sales people try to push the sale on the prospective customer. This will make the buyer aggressive and he will try to get rid of your sales person as soon as possible. It is a proven fact that nobody likes to be sold to.

9.    Inflexibility: a sales person should be aware of different personalities and various situations. They must be flexible and able to adapt to different circumstances. The presentation may be the same but the buyers are rarely the same. Each buyer wants to feel special and expects the sales person to understand his circumstances. Inflexibility will cost you many sales. 

10.    Not following up a hot prospect: Follow up is very important. It is actually plain good manners. You have spoken to a person who has expressed interest in your company's product but may not have been able to make a decision yet. It is courteous and good for business to follow up with hem. You may even make a sale this way. If your sales person does not know how to do this you will end up losing valuable customers and sales.