How to Increase Your Sales by Plugging the Holes in Your Sales and Marketing Strategy!
When times are good and business is booming sales and marketing strategy plans often take a back seat for most small businesses. There’s too much else to do and if customers are knocking at the door of their own accord and sales targets are being achieved, then researching new, innovative or experimenting with other tried and tested marketing techniques becomes a low priority.
Whilst it is easy for business owners to fall into this trap during the good times, I’ve always been a strong advocate of ‘Don’t Dig Your Well When You’re Thirsty!’
And, of course, we’re not in boom times anymore: in the UK we are still in recession.
When the good times come again (and yes, they are coming according to stock market prediction!) rest assured the businesses who survive are those who have implemented sales and marketing strategies to ensure they are in a strong position to mop up absolutely every prospect and convert as many prospects into sales, paying customers and clients.
Here are my 5 Top Sales and Marketing Strategy Techniques that every business should be considering in their sales and marketing strategy plans for 2010.
#1 – Direct Mail With A Difference!
Jon Goldman, CEO of Lumpy Mail says. “Flat mail yields flat response rates”.
Coming up with innovative, maybe quirky, but ultimately thought provoking and targeted direct marketing strategy mail campaigns can really help get your business in front of the right people who are in a position to buy your product or service.
Forget the boring brochure type of mail-out. It’s just not compelling enough and more often than not, it just gets binned. Get creative in your direct mail shots and target those on your database who you know need your products and services and get their attention!
# 2 Postcards alternative to E Marketing Strategy
What’s great about a postcard is that the recipient doesn’t need to open anything!
Postcard mailing campaigns are also really cost effective and can help to stimulate interest in those people who have been sitting on your database for ages and who have yet to respond to your marketing emails.
They can also be used to drive more traffic to your website. By simply ensuring you have an attractive call to action, enticing people to claim their free report, CD or e-book or something, you’ll soon rekindle the relationship and begin to funnel them into your sales pipeline.
# 3 Sending Thank You Cards
Simply send a greeting card to thank a customer for their business. It is an inexpensive polite gesture that leaves both parties feeling great. It also increases the possibilities for referrals and additional sales.
Have you got this simple process in place for your business? You will be amazed at the results this can bring over time as well as the feel good factor it generates!
# 4 Teleseminars or Webinars
Conducting free, information rich teleseminars or webinars is a great way to reconnect with people on your database as well as recruit fresh prospects to your marketing funnel.
Time is precious and how many people can you catch up with to share your latest industry news in spite of all good intentions of phoning or attending a coffee or lunch meeting?
Running free events via teleseminar or webinar enables you to add value to your contacts by sharing some great content as well as provide you with an opportunity to entice them to buy from you.
# 5 Compelling Testimonials
Putting a process in place to collect powerful testimonials will really help your marketing strategy.
Compelling testimonials can be used in so many ways; in your web copy, in brochures. Consider also recording an interview happy clients. They can be played as audios or sent out via CD to other potential clients.
Consider creative ways to use testimonials to help generate more sales enquiries as well enhancing your conversion rates. Consider also an effective the process of gathering testimonials.
