Sales Promotions

Guide to Easy Sales-Boosting Techniques

Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Make the cash register ring!
By Carol Smalley

The phones aren't ringing. Your Web site receives just a handful of daily hits. Your sales numbers are in a slump. Employee morale (including your own) is in a downward spiral. Stop pouting and do something about it. It doesn't take a miracle to turn around your sales figures, just a little creative thinking. To boost your numbers, you need to:

1. Get creative.
2. Motivate your employees.
3. Revisit your sales plan.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Develop a customer loyalty program Keep customers coming back and entice them to purchase more with a loyalty program. Popular programs include frequent buyer clubs and loyalty cards. Reward your customers with discounts, cash back, store credit or a free gift with purchase.

I recommend:  Purchase low-cost punch cards from Business Card Source or Grip Marketing or order custom loyalty cards from Arthur Blank & Company, Duracard or GE Consumer Finance.

Up-sell and cross-sell Think of a customer who's ready to buy as a customer who's ready to buy more. Up-sell to a higher-end product or service and cross-sell with products and services that complement the one being purchased.

I recommend:  Not sure how to up-sell or cross-sell? Ecommerce businesses can discover techniques at Elastic Path. CRM software, such as MySAP, can help you analyze customer buying patterns to determine cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

Create a referral rewards program Turn your satisfied customers into your best salespeople by launching a referral reward program. For every one, two, or ten referrals you receive from a customer, reward them with discounts on products and services, free gifts or free shipping on purchases.

I recommend:  Ask for referrals on all your customer communication materials. Slip a pre-addressed, postage paid postcard asking for referrals into shopping bags or set up a referral form on your ecommerce site.

Lure customers with coupons Coupons can entice new customers to give your products or services a try. They can also encourage existing customers to buy more than they normally would or to make a purchase today rather than next week or next month.

I recommend:  Place coupons in coupon mailers like Valpak, or take a digital approach with online coupons (at Coolsavings.com) or text message coupons.

Motivate your sales team Pump up your sales team and your sales will get a shot in the arm. Financial rewards and commissions aren't the only way to energize salespeople. Setting goals, providing training and offering opportunities for growth within your organization can help light a fire under your team.

I recommend:  Find a list of sales training courses from Dale Carnegie Training.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Follow up on all sales. The first sale is the hardest. Use it as a springboard to build the relationship with the customer.
• Use the word 'free' with caution. Some free offers may turn potential customer away. A free product should have value to the customer (not the company) to be effective.
• Offer a guarantee for all products and services. By removing the risk, customers are more likely to spend money.
• Surround yourself with sales experts -- your customers, employees, suppliers, and partners. Ask for their opinions. Integrate only what you think would be beneficial to you, your company, and the bottom line.