One of the tricky things about running a business is that you have to take on multiple roles at once. This is especially true if you are your only employee, but even once you take on more workers, you’ll probably find yourself trying to keep multiple balls in the air.
Some people are fantastic at selling a product. Some people are less fantastic but have strengths in other areas.
You don’t have to be the best salesperson in the world but, even if you’re more comfortable in the back office, you do unfortunately have to be able to make a sale or seventy in order for your business to succeed.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you make that sale.
What you can expect in this article:
1. Marketing
You could be a fantastic salesperson oozing with charisma. You could have the best product in the world, and with a fantastic price that any customer would bite your hand off for. You could have a whole team of customer service specialists to make sure that every potential customer is satisfied.
Unfortunately, none of this will matter in the slightest unless your customers know that your business exists.
Product design, customer service, and pricing deserve separate articles of their own, but if you want to make a sale, you need to make sure people know about what you have to offer. This is where marketing comes into play.
Marketing is essentially your way of introducing yourself to potential customers. Use digital marketing techniques and plan your branding to ensure that you reach your target audience. From there, you can make the sale.
2. Building Customer Relationships
People buy products from people they like. They like the personal touch, and this is where building relationships is so important.
You might remember a time when small business owners were primarily found in brick-and-mortar stores, where it was easier and possibly even more important to build relationships with customers.
But even in a world where business is often engaged online, you can still build these relationships. Content marketing is an excellent way for your customers to get to know you.
The key to any relationship is communication, so be as transparent as you can with your customers and, if possible, listen to what they have to say as well.
3. The Sale Itself
Once your customers have heard about you and like you enough to want to buy your product, it’s time to make that sale. Every customer is different, some prefer a pushier approach while others don’t like to feel pressured. The best way is to find a balance and learn when to stop trying to upsell a customer.
You also need to maintain a level of professionalism. Use technology like this POS system to streamline the selling process, as this is better for you and the customer alike.
4. Customer Retention
Finally, the best customer is a customer who comes back. Not every product or service is likely to result in repeat customers, but it’s still a good idea to maintain good relationships after the transaction.
Ask for feedback and make sure that your customer service game is on point. As well as potentially getting a repeat customer, you might find that word of your good service spreads through word of mouth.
