If you would like to see a dramatic increase in your sales or client acquisition, here are 3 areas to focus on along with some suggestions, to help you find the answers you need.
Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Why should someone hire you or buy from you, rather than one of your competitors?
Find the answer to this question and make it the cornerstone of your marketing message. It’s what sets you apart from the others. It’s what stops you having to sell, based on being the ‘cheapest’.
By the way, your answer can’t be ‘we try harder’ or ‘we offer the best customer service’. Your competitors already claim to offer that and it’s subjective. Your answer or answers must be based on something, which you can back up with facts.
2. How many of your clients or customers regularly recommend you, via a word of mouth referral?
If you are not seeing a steady flow of referrals from your existing clients, you must find out why and fix it. Find out who your most prolific referrers are and learn why they are so keen to tell the world about you. Then, share it with your other clients.
If none of your clients regularly recommend you, you need to know why. It could be a sign that you make it too hard to refer you or that they are not ‘comfortable’ recommending you to their friends.
3. How many sales leads or business enquiries does your website (or blog) generate each day?
Your website should be a lead generating machine for your business. It should be there, findable and ready, at the exact point when a prospective client or customer is looking to hire an expert or make a purchase. Please, do not scrimp when it comes to investing in your online marketing. This site generates over 100 emails a day and massively more client enquiries than I can handle. Your site should be working just as hard for you.
It’s insane to miss out on all that potential, because you’re using a DIY approach to Internet marketing. If you are not getting high quality, tangible results from your website every day, get expert help – otherwise you are going to lose a fortune in missed opportunities!
Finally
Those are 3 areas of marketing that small business owners tend to overlook, yet they can produce an exceptional return on your investment. I hope you find these ideas useful, but more importantly, I hope they motivate you to take action.
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Photo: Mauropm
Funny this is just what my wife & I were discussing yesterday, Jim. We ended the discussion agreeing to disagree on what our USP is. Nevertheless,we started negotiations and that means something is happening. I am looking forward to the day that we are generating the kind of activity that you are.
Another great article with lots of information! Thanks Jim
I thought point 1 was interesting. I would like to add to it. Over 10 years ago I was a Computer Technician for a PC World Store. PC World is part of Dixons Stores Group in the UK and sells computers to the domestic and business market.
Anyway, one day we were short of Sales Advisers on the shop floor. Because of my sales background I was asked to sell.
So there I am selling PC and extras to people. Half way through the the morning this guy asks me for advice on a PC for building web sites. I had built web sites and knew about hosting. So I gave him lot’s of advise. I realised that most of the machines were over spec or just not right for him so (My boss didn’t know this) I told him to try several competitors. He left looking very happy.
At the end of the day I was called over to the finance area by my supervisor to put through a sale. It was the web site guy (I had advised him about websites and hosting in the morning). I put through the sale and we had a really nice chat. Turns out he wanted to buy from me because he trusted me. Nice feeling.
Wow, this is precisely what it should be like and I sure hope that I can one day tell this same story.
There is nothing like feeling free to be honest and speak to your customer from the heart and then realize that you have helped him immensely by being just plain you.
Congratulations.!!
I must work a lot more on my site and fanpage. It’s not generating enough leads for me.