Here are three proven ways that will increase your sales:
1. Implement A Risk-Reversal Strategy
Before a prospect becomes a client, they want to be 100% sure that your product or service will work for them. They want to know that you will deliver on your promises. The prospect has never used your products and services before, so they may be a bit apprehensive. This is because they're taking a risk (whether financial or emotional) to try your product or service.
You'll multiply your sales by reversing that risk. How do you do this? By implementing a risk-reversal strategy. This is as simple as having an uncommon money-back guarantee. It's a way of "putting your money where your mouth is." It gives the impression that you must have an outstanding product or service to be able to offer such a guarantee.
Sure, you'll have clients that may take advantage of this strategy, but if you offer a good product or service then you have nothing to worry about! You'll find that for every client that takes advantage of your guarantee, you'll attract many, many more genuine clients just by offering the guarantee.
2. Showcase Your Testimonials
If you have a great service, then there's no doubt you'll receive testimonials from happy clients. Put those testimonials on all your marketing materials. When prospects see client testimonials, it puts them at ease because it's proof that you deliver on your promises.
When you ask your clients for testimonials, make sure they specify how your service has helped them, and what their situation was like before they used your service. This will make the prospect that's reading the testimonial to consider their own situation in relation to that client, and how your service can help them too.
You can showcase testimonials on your web site, on the walls of your office, in brochures, or you can even make a booklet of all testimonials you've gathered, and enclose the booklet with any brochures or sales letters you send out.
Before using a testimonial in your marketing efforts, ask for the client's permission first. To increase believability and enhance credibility, ask the client if you can add their picture next to the testimonial, as well as their company name, job title and web site address or phone number next to their name at the bottom of the testimonial.
3. Give Something FREE
People love freebies. A "freebie" is another term for free samples, free gifts, free offers, perks or anything free for that matter. As a business owner, a freebie is an ethical bribe that you give to prospects and clients, for one or all of the reasons below:
* To entice qualified prospects to sample your product or service because you're confident that it will lead to a sale if they like it.
* To grow your in-house mailing list by getting the contact details of qualified prospects, so that you can market to them over and over again.
* To showcase your knowledge, skills and expertise in order to position yourself as an expert and attract more media exposure and more clients.
* To encourage referrals from your existing clients.
* To increase client retention rates.
Here are a few examples of valuable ethical bribes:
If you're an accountant, you may offer a free special report titled "How To Stop An IRS Audit"
If you're a consultant, you may offer a free newsletter or free half-hour clinic
If you're a realtor, you may offer a free one-hour live seminar or TeleSeminar titled "Ten Deadly Home Buying Mistakes To Avoid"
If you're a beauty specialist, you may offer a free make-up session or a miniature sample from your product range
If you own a restaurant, you may offer a free drink with every main meal ordered
If you're an author, you may offer an electronic version of the first chapter of your book for free
If you're an interior decorator, you may offer a free demo on CD that shows how to decorate a house, step-by-step.
If you're a dentist, you may offer a free 1000-word article called "Cheaper Ways To Maintain Your Teeth."
Get the picture? Some freebies may cost more to produce than others or take more time to deliver. The overall objective is to make sure that the freebie costs little or nothing to produce, and that it turns prospects into paying clients. To make certain that it appeals to your prospects and clients, ensure that the freebie is valuable i.e. it should be something that solves a problem that your clients face or something that your clients actually want.
Will your prospects and clients still need your services after you give them this valuable, problem-solving freebie? Of course they would! Your freebie is only a sample. What this means is that your service probably solves lots of problems for your clients but you base the freebie on just one or two of the many problems. For example, as an accountant, your clients come to you because of tax issues, bookkeeping issues, financial reviews etc. Your free special report titled "How To Stop An IRS Audit," doesn't cover the other problems or issues that your clients come to you for. The special report is based on a narrow topic.
These three elements are not the only strategies you need to grow your business exponentially, but implementing them will certainly increase your sales. Apply these three strategies diligently and watch your sales and profits explode.
Copyright © 2005 by Habiba Abubakar and Emprez. All rights reserved.
Note: You are welcome to republish this article as long as you do so in its entirety and the "about the author" bit at the end is included fully and unaltered.
Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. The Profit Diva, specializes in helping small business owners who are struggling to increase their client base and are tired of earning mediocre profits. Her FREE business-building newsletter covers proven, low-cost, and immediately usable marketing strategies. Sign up for your FREE copy at http://www.profitdiva.com
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or... Read More
In the 1990's we lived on a farm in Iowa.... Read More
Are you worried about whom you'll sell today so you... Read More
A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as... Read More
From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to... Read More
In our culture it is basically un-American for a prospective... Read More
Seems almost every situation in our lives is centered on... Read More
As a salesperson, your ultimate goal, of course, is to... Read More
It's not too early to start planning for the sales... Read More
If you've ever flown economy class on an international flight... Read More
Education plus Motivation is a powerful formula. But how do... Read More
In my youth I landed a job selling encyclopedias door... Read More
Your mission as a business owner is to develop a... Read More
It is always important that you use the right terms... Read More
As Financial Services Sales Professional you need to build trust... Read More
Unquestionably when the word hypnosis pops-up in a conversation or... Read More
You are about to speak to a potential client, go... Read More
Keeping up with what words are in and out isn't... Read More
What's that you say? You can't sell?Oh, you must be... Read More
In my dreams, I envision being the marketing consultant equivalent... Read More
What does it take to be a WINNER during these... Read More
In happens every year in June.Six months down and six... Read More
1. Give your prospects a f~ree trial of your software... Read More
How many names do you have in your business Rolodex?... Read More
Pareto's Principle {the 80/20 rule) is vividly illustrated in the... Read More
Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More
When I broke into sales in 1986, I read several... Read More
To isolate any objection quickly you can use this effective... Read More
So -- you've just gotten off of the phone with... Read More
Salesmanship is the force that moves business. Without it all... Read More
Setting prices is a dilemma most service business owners encounter... Read More
Mastering the "art of selling" is simply knowing how to... Read More
"Yeah right!" I thought to myself as I started to... Read More
Customers will ask you a question and you'll proceed to... Read More
Every sales presentation should start with the approach, or introduction.... Read More
Solving people's and organization's problems is ultimately what business is... Read More
When Thomas Edison's light bulb finally burned for 45 straight... Read More
When I first moved to Seattle, I worked for 9... Read More
1. Be on time. In fact, arrive a few minutes... Read More
First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have... Read More
Do you frequently hear that from a prospect?"I'll Think It... Read More
When I researched the field of using personality inventories to... Read More
"I need more clients!" wails Steve, a 32 year old... Read More
I just finished reading another sales copy ending with the... Read More
Have you ever heard of the Golden Hour? I live... Read More
Sales drive revenues, and revenues drive companies. Companies, then, are... Read More
"Yeah right!" I thought to myself as I started to... Read More
A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as... Read More
You built a very good web site...You have a great... Read More
Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More
We are all in sales. We all selling in every... Read More
There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".If you're... Read More
Here is a question I recently received from a young... Read More
What does it take to make a sale lately?In Sales,... Read More
Sales is still a must for any company who wishes... Read More
You do have a "Pipeline" don't you? You know, the... Read More
I've been getting lots of email from my readers lately.... Read More
We all want to belong. As humans we feel the... Read More
Just a few critical distinctions can supercharge your communication skills:1... Read More
Your mission as a business owner is to develop a... Read More
I have found that the best sales people are the... Read More
Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one... Read More
Marketing and sales co-exist and work in tandem beautifully if... Read More
Did you ever meet someone with whom you just clicked?... Read More
Performance and motivation are like chocolate & peanut butter; the... Read More
In my business, it has been an interesting and very... Read More
Sales Training |