How can I sell more? This is a question that anyone working in sales asks themselves on a daily basis. Increasing sales is always the main goal, whether for the company as a whole or for you as an individual salesperson. But just because the question is common, it doesn’t mean there is an easy answer.
To increase sales, you need to try out different methods, theories, and strategies, and finally find what works best for you or your industry. Below we have listed some of the most effective methods. Read through the list and choose one or more to try.
Activities to increase sales
1. Increase sales to existing customers
If you need quick results, start with your existing customers and increase sales to them. Get to know them even better and deepen your relationship further. Make sure to constantly develop your approach to upselling and cross-selling.
You can read more about upselling and how it works here.
2. Take over your competitors’ customers
In order to take over your competitor’s customers, you need to get to know them and how they work. If one of them suffers a setback, such as a quality problem or the departure of an important person in the company, it may be time to step up. Focus on the larger customers who are most profitable. Build a competitor database where you list each competitor’s customer portfolio. This will allow you to be quick on the ball when an opportunity arises.
3. Ensure a common and successful approach
Are you and your salespeople aligned on the same goal of increasing sales, or is there someone in the team who isn’t willing to do what it takes? Perhaps there are signs of resignation and uncertainty as to whether you will actually reach the goal. Make sure everyone in the team is equally motivated and working towards the same goal. If there is no ambition to increase sales, neither sales skills nor sales activity will help.
4. Increase sales activity
It may sound obvious, but increased sales activity leads to increased sales. However, the extent to which sales increase or not is not relevant here, but rather how you should go about increasing your sales activities. Focus on streamlining your work to make a few extra calls or an extra visit a week.
5. Focus on customer value
The goal here is to conduct a good needs analysis and solve customers’ problems. This is often an effective way to increase sales.
6. Developing sales skills
As a business owner or self-employed person, you are probably very busy and you hardly have time to think about your sales strategies and skills. It’s important that you set aside time to train and develop your skills. Attend lectures and courses, read a book, or learn about sales strategies online. There are lots of ways to practice your sales skills, what’s important is that you set aside time.
Schedule you and your team for sales training with Salesonomics. We help salespeople sharpen their skills so that customers want to buy from you, instead of being talked into it.
7. Shape a selling organization
By training your entire workforce to be good salespeople, you can create a selling organization. We promise it will greatly increase sales. Work especially on the sales focus of your customer-facing staff.
8. Simplify the organization
Make it easy to buy from you. This activity is of great value if you run an e-commerce business for private individuals. But making it easy for your customers is always important, even when you sell more complex products or services to businesses. Find out what the whole buying process looks like for a new customer and try to make it easier.
9. Review the business model
If you find that sales are slow, it’s a good idea to review your business model. Maybe, you need to develop how you work in your company. One tip is to look at how new companies work in other industries and see if you can use the same model. By reviewing your business model, chances are that you will discover new ideas on how to increase your sales.
10. Copying other successful businesses
One activity to increase sales in your business is to look at how other successful businesses sell and then copy them. Don’t think that you need to have a unique strategy for your business to succeed, the most important thing is that your strategy is successful.
11. Clearer offers
It is common to offer far too many things, both on the website and in in-person sales meetings. You make it easier for the customer by offering fewer things, making the offer clearer.
12. Use social media
Social media is an excellent sales channel that offers great opportunities to increase your sales. If you haven’t tried social media yet, you can start by looking at what your competitors are doing and emulating them. Then finding your own niche is always an advantage.
13. Offer samples
While it is always more beneficial to charge than to give things away, an effective tactic can be to give away a sample of a product or service. However, be sure to make it clear that the gift is to try and find out if they want to buy more. The person receiving the sample should also be in need of the product or service.
14. Try new things
The sales industry is constantly changing, so it’s important to keep up with developments and try out new methods and strategies. Many of the things that worked in the past don’t work at all today. By staying current, you won’t miss out on anything new and effective that can help increase your sales.
15. Ask for feedback
Another activity to increase sales is to receive feedback. This is how you know what you can do better. When you ask your customers for feedback and show that you care, you will also get more honest responses. You can then act on your feedback and become even better.
16. Start a newsletter
Email is one of the best channels to reach out to customers. Therefore, if you don’t have a newsletter, it might be a good idea to start one. If you already have one, see how it could be developed by offering more knowledge related to what you sell.
17. Get a reseller
It is not particularly difficult to get a reseller. Today there are a variety of solutions. You can either contact companies and ask them to become resellers, or you can use intermediary agencies or look for online services that can resell your products.
18. Improve your website
A good website that helps you sell is very important. Therefore, to increase sales, you could review your website and make improvements to help boost sales. The role of a website is to generate sales through e-commerce or indirectly through potential customers.
19. Make sure you are visible in many places
Visibility is always important to increase sales. Can you get press in the local newspaper, or sponsor something to get in front of many potential customers? You could also participate in a trade fair or network.
20. Stand out from the crowd
Customers tend to remember those businesses that stand out from the crowd. So make sure you stand out in everything from marketing to product names to how you conduct your sales meetings and negotiations. You don’t have to be extreme, just find a niche that makes you stand out from the rest.
