At Franklin James we love to see our customers thriving, and we love it when our clients obtain new customers. So because ‘without sales there can be no credit control’, we thought we would take the time to share our knowledge on the best ways to increase your sales.

We all have something we can sell, be it a product, service or knowledge. So how do you sell more?

By telling people about it!

This will take a strategy, which means it won’t happen overnight. Think about the following:

  • How many more sales can you handle?
  • Is this for a new or existing product/service?
  • How are you going to mobilise your plan?
  • Who will be supporting you (infrastructure)?
  • What is the timeline?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, purely thought starters.

We have outlined below some tips as to how you can increase your sales.  If you would like to hear more information about any of them, contact us at FJCM.

Increase Your Leads

Also known as filling the funnel/sales pipeline/business development.  We have listed below some suggestions as to how this can be achieved:

  • Ensure your website is optimised – your site could have a lot of traffic, however, if visitors are leaving without leaving their information, that journey has been in vain (for you at least). If in doubt, seek advice from professionals.
  • Everyone likes something for nothing – run a giveaway. We have all seen them on social media:  ‘for a chance to win these tickets/product, tag 3 friends, like this post and share’.
  • Make yourself unforgettable – a simple (but effective) step is to direct people to relevant content via your email signature. TOP TIP:  Do not forget to test (and update it).

Stand Out From The Crowd

  • Take a step back and consider; when you have bought a product/service, what influenced your decision? Now transfer that into your own business.
  • Was it the marketing; after-sales offering; benefits? How does your business stand-up in those categories?
  • Alongside this, what are your competitors doing? Conduct some market research, however, not just in the short-term.  Check-in regularly and never take your eye off the ball.

Contact List

How many people have you spoken to about your business? It could have been through a referral; at a networking meeting; going about your day-to-day business.

Hopefully they are all in your CRM, (Customer Relationship Management platform/software). Or, like most people, there is a pile of business cards and Post-It notes squirreled away in your office.

Wherever the details are captured, start to work through it. Re-connect and organise 1-2-1s. Be warned – do not go in with the hard sell. Listen to what they need and follow-up. Your prospects will be more interested in the benefits of your product/service than the item itself.

Social Media

Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Instagram – whatever the platform, identify 15 people at least who fit your client profile. As above, re-connect and ask for a 1-2-1.

Remember Step 1 of the 7 Steps of the Sale – Prospecting and Qualifying. The aim of this 1-2-1 is not to sell to them from the outset. You are asking open (and closed) questions to ascertain if they might be interested in working with you.

Engaging Content

As soon as you reach out to people via social media, they will do their homework and look at your profile to refresh their memory; where did you meet, what is your business?

Make sure that you have something to keep them interested.  If your last post was more than one month ago, you may as well bring the conversation to a close (and we do not mean Close the Sale!)

Podcasts, tutorials, blogs, videos – keep content engaging, fresh, and most importantly, relevant.  Again, seek advice from professionals and maybe outsource.

Sell More To Current Clients

The Forgotten Army.  You closed the sale and have been working with this group of people.  Engage with them on a regular basis.  Their circumstances may have changed – do they have a need for anything else?

And all the while you have been networking and meeting new people, so have they.  Thinking back to something for nothing, are you running a referral/loyalty scheme?

Business Development

In 1924, PG Wodehouse wrote ‘if you don’t speculate, you can’t accumulate.’

Translated into current business, to increase sales might take some investment.  This could take the form of:

  • CRM – mentioned previously, a CRM is a piece of software for managing relationships for your businesses current and potential customers.
  • Training – once the leads come pouring in, who will be handling them? Maybe it is time to consider in some outbound marketing.
  • Conferences & trade shows – take a stand and talk to people. Get your feet on the street and do what comes naturally to all of us – speaking to people and forming relationships.

What’s next?

“A sale is not a sale until the invoice has been paid.” So as your business starts to grow, you must ensure you have the right processes in place to ensure you collect payment. This is where Franklin James comes in!

Our team here can work, white label, acting as part of your company to ensure that whilst you’re busy increasing sales, we are working hard in the background to ensure you’re getting paid.

Learn more about our outsourced credit control service today.