Business Marketing Solutions^TM

Business Development

1. How do you increase the number of new customers?
Increasing the total number of customers is the first step most business owners and managers take to promote growth. Although this seems to be the most obvious way to increase sales, it can be the most costly. However, when a marketing program is properly designed, implemented, and executed, it will efficiently produce new prospects. They are the ones who are ready, willing and able to buy your products or services.
You can also reward existing customers for referring new ones. This is an easy way business owners can use to increase the number of customers. It is easier to get referrals from existing customers than it is to find a one new who knows very little, if anything, about you.
The most commonly used methods to increase the number of new prospects are:
*Prospecting
1. e-mail (without spamming)
2. Internet Marketing: We are developing an entire section of our web site for this important avenue of business development. Keep checking back with us to find out what is new. We will even be offering a newsletter dedicated to the latest marketing changes.
3. Direct Mail
4. Telephone Canvassing
5. Cold Calling…
• Media Advertising: We will devote an entire section on the various media options. We will also discuss which one best suits your particular need or situation and the benefits of each.
• Sales Promotions
• Customer service and communication programs
• Personal sales calls, both in person and by phone

2. How do you increase the average sales?

• Don’t take your current customers for granted!
One of the most irritating things as a customer is to feel as if you are being taken for granted and not being appreciated by the selling company. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Companies spend most of their time and effort searching for new customers while overlooking the customers they see regularly. These repeat customers are usually ignored and left to conduct entire transactions without ever being asked if they would like to buy more. Reward them with special considerations and individual promotion.
•Complacency can be the undoing of a business: how expect customers to buy a minimum amount of product or service without asking them to buy more? This attitude can eventually cause customers to spend less money. Customers must be offered reasons to keep buying from you or they will start buying the same products and services from someone else.
•Cross selling and up-selling: These are two simple steps business owners can take to increase their average transaction amount by systematically offering customers more value via additional products or services at the point of sale. Cross selling is offering reasonably related items to the one being purchased, usually at a discount. Up-selling is offering discounts to purchase a higher valued item or adding accessories to it to increase the products functionality and perceived value.

3. How do you increase the repeat business and generate customer loyalty?
In an established business, an average customer purchasing pattern develops and (like the average transaction amount) is usually taken for granted and rarely improved upon. Make it a point to understand and track your customer’s buying patterns.
A customer’s repeat business is earned by the business who gives the customer what they want. Repeat business is gained by having basic marketing strategies or processes for consistently offering customers more of what they want.
Frequent communication with your customer is vital:
Newsletters and offers to past and present customers via telephone or mail generally increases their frequency of repurchase. It is one more step owners can take to grow their business.
• The internet, however, is one of the most underused marketing tools

4. How to train your staff to be familiar with sales and marketing objectives?

Marketing plans should transcend the entire organization. It should be like a battle cry: a rallying point to get everyone involved in promoting the company’s products or services. That is to say everyone in your organization is a sales conduit.

What do I mean by Sales Conduit?
Anyone in the company, who has any responsibility for processing, manufacturing, delivering, or in any fashion does anything for your company is a Sales Conduit: that should include all of your vendors and anyone you depend on to support your product or service.

By having a well trained staff, you increase your odds of success. A positive work atmosphere goes a long way towards promoting your company’s marketing program. Therefore, invest time in making sure that the people who work for you (including outside vendors) appreciate the value you place on each of your customers. Protect the customer’s worth by making sure your sales conduit pipeline is operating smoothly and creating a positive buying experience for your customers.
Marketing programs may be designed for the sales organization but they are oiled by the blood of the conduit. Don’t forget how important every employee is, especially those who answer your phone or talk directly with your customer. We have developed a simple outline on how companies should answer their phones. Click here to get more information on answering the phone properly.