Selling Approaches
Selling is about shifting your stock of finished goods or ensuring a throughput of sales for your service. Through your marketing activity you will hopefully have created an interest in your product. By selling, you turn that interest into income.
Arranged meetings
Where the product or service is targeted at other businesses it is worth arranging to meet with key people in the other business to present your goods or services personally. It's important to prepare well for such meetings and to focus on the benefit of your product or service to the potential customer.
Where the product or service is targeted at other businesses it is worth arranging to meet with key people in the other business to present your goods or services personally. It's important to prepare well for such meetings and to focus on the benefit of your product or service to the potential customer.
A training course in selling or sales techniques might help you be more confident in such a situation. These are mainly available from private training and business consultants. Some further education colleges and universities may offer this type of training either as part of sales and marketing courses or as standalone extra-mural programmes. You local library will have a range of books and publications on sales techniques.
Special offers
To kick start a business or increase flagging sales you could run a special offer. For example 'two for the price of one', or 'first purchase free' could entice customers to try your product or service. In the short term this will reduce your profits but if you attract a reasonable number of new customers it will be beneficial in the long-term.
To kick start a business or increase flagging sales you could run a special offer. For example 'two for the price of one', or 'first purchase free' could entice customers to try your product or service. In the short term this will reduce your profits but if you attract a reasonable number of new customers it will be beneficial in the long-term.
Telesales
Cold calling on the phone can be hard work but it can also be an effective way to sell your product or service. Potential customer lists can be drawn from many sources and it is essential to target telesales rather than take a blanket approach.
Cold calling on the phone can be hard work but it can also be an effective way to sell your product or service. Potential customer lists can be drawn from many sources and it is essential to target telesales rather than take a blanket approach.
Door to door selling
For products or services with a local market, particularly those targeting individuals rather than businesses, you could undertake a door to door approach. However, this is very time consuming and needs to be balanced against returns.
For products or services with a local market, particularly those targeting individuals rather than businesses, you could undertake a door to door approach. However, this is very time consuming and needs to be balanced against returns.
After sales service
It is well known that it is much harder to get a new customer than to keep an old one. For this reason once you have made a sale to a customer it pays to follow it up with a phone call to make sure they are satisfied, or to find out if they need anything. You could also send a letter to keep them informed of new opportunities to buy your product or service.
It is well known that it is much harder to get a new customer than to keep an old one. For this reason once you have made a sale to a customer it pays to follow it up with a phone call to make sure they are satisfied, or to find out if they need anything. You could also send a letter to keep them informed of new opportunities to buy your product or service.
