3 Hot Tips For Building Trust And Increasing Sales!

How many times has it happened to you? You walk through the doors of a place of busineess and here he comes - perfectly groomed with a smile planted across his face in greeting. Within two minutes he has talked non-stop and promised you everything, including the stars if you purchase his project. You lift and eyebrow, and think to yourself... "Yeah, right!"

The distrust between consumer and salesman is a longstanding feeling. After all, you know they are wanting to make a buck off your purchase. Sure, you don't mind them making a few dollars... everybody has to make a living... but heck, it would be nice if they were at least a little concerned about what your needs are too!

Let's face it... customers aren't likely to buy from you unless they feel confident that you will deliver. There are a few easy steps that you can take to give them the confidence they need to take the plunge.

1. Let Previous Customers Make The Claim
The proof is in the pudding... No one can say that you deliver and make good on your promises like a satisfied customer. It pays to use customer testimonials. Now, we're not talking about blindly pasting testimonials everywhere... a little business sense and organization will be helpful in making the most of them.

Choose testimonials that are exact and talk about specific aspects of your business. "Thank you so much for your hard work!" is wonderful, but "Thank you for spending 2 hours with me yesterday. Your personal attention is greatly appreciated." says a lot more. Yeah, the reader knows that you are willing to take whatever time it takes to help them through the purchasing process.

Be sure to get your customer's permission to use their testimonial as part of your advertising campaign. While you're at it, get as much personal information about them as you can. Their occupation, city, etc., create a more realistic appeal to their testimony.

2. Be Specific In Your Claims
Specific claims are more believable than vague, generic brags. Order today! It's Fast, Easy and Cheap! Sounds much better when you say... Order Today! Take 2 Minutes to Fill Out Our 7 Step Order Form and Save 20% on Your Purchase!

Specific numbers don't always come out even. In fact, readers tend to believe numbers that have decimals are more accurate than whole numbers... even if the real number is exactly a whole number!

3. Be Realistic
Don't alienate customers with claims that sound too good to be true. Yeah, we all know the old saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Unrealistic claims steal your credibility and leave the customers with a raised eyebrow.

Think of it this way... what if you do understate the benefits? When your customer finds out the truth, he'll just be that much more satisfied! Marketers suggest that you under promise and over deliver to create the greatest customer satisfaction.

Customers who believe in you aren't afraid to buy from you. That means higher sales numbers and greater profit.

3 Crucial Elements For Jumping Sales Numbers

Marketers from every niche have common ground when it comes to bills. Yeah, every month there’s a new stack of bills demanding to be paid. Will there be enough profit to slide right through bill paying time without a flinch? Or do you find yourself fretting about whether you’ll even break even? You don’t have to be victimized by envelopes and 8x10 sheets of paper. Implement these 3 techniques to boost your sales.

1. Find More Customers
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of making more money is getting more customers through our doors. In fact, the majority of advertising focuses on doing just that. There are several things you can do to entice more customers to buy from you.

Implement Follow-Ups
Marketing gurus have discovered that follow ups can increase your customer conversion rates by as much as 50%. Now, that’s a whopping improvement! Don’t let potential customers fade away.  Keep the doors for future communication open, and watch the drastic growth in your profits.

Encourage Referrals
Every satisfied customer will tell 3 friends or family members about your business - without encouragement. Imagine what would happen if you start rewarding their efforts.

Get Free Publicity
Nearly everyone keeps a sharp eye on the local news. Hey, it’s funner to know what’s going on when you personally recognize the names and faces in print! Find ways to make your business newsworthy and catch the attention of potential customers without even paying advertising fees.


2. Sell More Per Customer
Think about it... how can you get every customer that walks through your doors to spend more money before walking back out the doors? Here are 3 sure-fire, profit increasing tips:

Increase your prices.
Hey, that might not be as bad as you think. Along with the price increase, focus on increasing the perceived value of your product. Yeah, we all expect to pay a little more for high quality stuff. Not everyone is bent on finding the absolute cheapest price in town... they may be more interested in lasting quality.

Add some higher end products or services to your business.
It’s never wise to put all of your eggs in one basket. That’s why wise marketers diversify their products and services. Think of it this way... higher priced products may not make as many sales, but each sale will bring in a much greater profit. You don’t need to make as many sales to come out on the best end of the deal.

Upsell
Offer every customer an additional product that accents his current purchase at the register. Hey, maybe they forgot they’d need batteries to go with the toy they're getting for their niece's birthday gift! You can be a hero... a richer hero.

3. Sell More Often
The fact that it’s easier to sell to the people who know and trust you is obvious. Sometimes we get so focused on new customers that we miss the gold mine in our own back yard. Take advantage of the hard work you’ve invested in winning the loyal customers you already have with these ideas:

Create a Special Deal
Show your customers you appreciate them and understand their needs with a special offer catered just for them. You’ll be thanking them, and selling more in the process.

Add New Products
Increase the number of products you already have available - especially products that your customers have asked for. They’ll know that you’re looking out for them, and you’ll take their thanks to the bank.

Communicate
Resell yourself on a regular basis. Don’t forget to let them know about upcoming specials that they’ll appreciate. Most of all... keep selling them on the benefits of the products or services you offer.

12 Sales-Boosting Strategies

The competition is fierce and ad budgets are tighter than ever. If you’re looking to boost profits and gain market share, there are some things you can do to gain a bigger piece of the pie.

Give your product a distinct personality.
OfficeMax’s Rubber-Band Guy is an instantly identifiable, highly memorable character that has boosted sales and brand recognition. It personifies the brand while selling the message that whatever customers need they can get at OfficeMax.

Give them an interesting history lesson.
Some of the most common products we use today have the most interesting development histories. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, left historical records of a powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help heal headaches, pains and fevers. By 1829, scientists discovered that the salicin in willow plants was the key ingredient in aspirin, which was later repackaged and marketed by Bayer.

Sing your product’s praises.
Create a memorable catchy song, poem or jingle that that hooks in people’s minds. Gillette sold millions of razor blades using “The Best a Man Can Get,” which continues to stick in consumers’ heads, leaving a positive impression about the product’s unbeatable performance.

Re-package your product for the customer.
Create new convenience packaging that makes your product easier to buy, use or refill. Motor oil used to be sold in cans that required a punch-in can opener or separate punch-through spout. These were messy and troublesome to use. Now oil is sold in twist-open, easy-pour plastic bottles.

Let consumables take the lead.
Drop the price of your product, then promote and sell its consumables. Computer printers can be bought for as little as $20, yet the ink cartridges sell for $29 apiece. So don’t worry about making a big profit on devices, let your consumables take the lead.

Use viral marketing.
Viral marketing is any word-of-mouth or “tell a friend” mechanism that induces users to re-convey a marketing message to other sites or users. Leveraged by the power of the web and email, viral techniques can create exponential growth in your product’s visibility.

Customize your product.
Try to give customers exactly what they want by creating apparently customized versions of your product. Consider the success of Cycle 1, 2, 3, 4 Pet Foods, or Burger King’s “Have it Your Way.”

Go high tech.
Exploit the latest technological advancements in media to underscore your message. For example, explore the use of audio chips in magazines, brochures or mailers.  The novelty of these devices gets people talking, and there’s that “V” word again (viral marketing).

Promote product sharing.
This can be done by showing how your product brings friends and family together. An emotional appeal like this can be very memorable. A good example is Almond Joy’s, “you can share half and still have a whole.” Another is the ubiquitous Friends-and-Family discount, which abounds in everything from cell phones to vacation packages.

Show your product being used by experts.
If possible, establish your product as the one used by recognized experts in the field. A case in point is Canon’s use of photojournalists to endorse its 35mm cameras.

Make your product sui generis.
Establish the fact that your product is generically in a class by itself. Consider Porsche’s use of the line “there is no substitute.” Or products that have become household words: “blow your nose with a Kleenex,” or “make me a Xerox copy.”

Think outside the demographic box.
Attract a new category of customers by thinking outside the box. Consider gaining younger or older buyers by expanding the utility and style of your product, e.g., cell phones for ‘tweens, or health bars for seniors.

10 Low-Cost Sales Boosters You Don't Want To Overlook

You don't have to spend a fortune to boost your sales! Take a look at these 10 quick and easy ways to send your profits to the moon without digging into you advertising budget.

1. Test and Evaluate
Have you ever wondered just how much of your advertising budget should go toward experimenting with the latest marketing strategies? Marketing gurus say... spend 20 percent looking for new and improved marketing methods, while the remaining 80 percent uses the "tried and true" marketing strategies to keep the profits flowing.

2. Capture Attention on your Website
Use headlines that leap out and grab the reader's attention to moment they open your Web page. Hey, they're just like you... if their attention isn't caught immediately, they 're ready to surf on the more exciting things!

3. Use the Best-Kept Marketing Secret - Postcards
Postcards are quick and easy to read, not to mention the fact that you can shave off a great deal of wasted advertising expenses by targeting your market. Hey, they're cheap and convenient for you, and they get read more than other types of advertising materials... a winner all the way around!

4. Let Customers Sell You
Some things sound better coming from someone else. Yes, it's hard to brag your business up as effectively as a satisfied customer. Testimonials are evidence that you deliver what you promise. Paste them across ads, your Website, and any other sales copy you happen to distribute.

5. Just Ask
Great salesmen take the time to listen to the questions the customer has, identify their wants and needs, then ask for the sale. That's right, they're not afraid to just ask them to buy! Sometimes customers just need that little bit of pressure to cement the deal.

6. Raise the Value
Sometime value is only in they eyes of the beholder. You can raise the perceived value of your products by pointing out benefits that consumers may have overlooked. While you're at it, raise the price. Yeah, we all know that more valuable items have higher price tags! Don't be surprised if your profits skyrocket.

7. Make it Easy to Decide
Have you ever had a hard time deciding what to buy? Uh-huh, you don't always come to a conclusion immediately. Every time a customer walks out of the store without making a decision, you take a big chance on losing the sale. Keep the options to a minimum to maximize the sales numbers.

8. Break it Down
Got a big ticket item? Break the price into bite sizes for more appeal. Yeah, 90 cents a day sounds much cheaper than $325!

9. Create Bonuses
An unexpected bonus with a purchase makes it seem like you got a lot more for your money. Keep customers smiling when they walk away from the cash register, and they'll keep coming back for more.

10. Handle Customer Complaints With a Little TLC
Don't waste time getting to the bottom of the problem. Customers want to feel they are being heard, or they wouldn't take the time to complain to you. Are you afraid that you'll be losing profit, if you have to bend too far backwards to accommodate them? Think of it this way... an unhappy customer you turn into a happy customer will become a loyal customer. Yeah, it'll pay in the long run.