1. Emphasise what makes you different from the competition
Define your unique selling points (USPs). This could be about the price of your
product (or special discounts or promotions), the delivery mechanism and the
products you are prepared to offer, the speed of service you offer, after-sales
service or methods of ordering.
2. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes
Focus all your efforts on emphasising the benefits of your product, other than
highlighting obvious points, such as product features. Wherever possible,
mention the words ‘you’ and ‘your’, as this will help make your customers feel
more individual.
3. Your message should be snappy and clear
Test it out on friends and family – do they understand what you are trying to
say? You should be able to get any benefits across about your product in 30
seconds or less, so think carefully about your choice of words and how to
deliver them with the most impact.
4. ‘New’ and ‘free’ are words that sell
Try and include these as often as possible, within reason. People are often wary
when it comes to new products or services – offering trial periods or money-
back guarantees can help to reassure potential customers. Special offers also
have a wide appeal.
5. Justify every pound of your budget
All customers theses days have a budget in mind and are constantly looking for
deals, explain in detail the full package on offer. By going in to every detail
about what you offer, you build up greater value in your product/service.
6. Ask your customers for product endorsement
Testimonials are like gold dust. Whenever anyone says anything positive about
your product or service, ask if they would mind providing an endorsement for
you. The more testimonials you put together, the more confident your
prospective customers will be of the service you are delivering. MAKE SURE
ALL TESTIMONIALS GO ON ALL YOUR MARKETING MATERIAL SO YOU CAN
REFER PEOPLE TO THESE!
7. Word of mouth works wonders
If existing customers recommend your service to friends, colleagues and
associates, you stand a great chance of getting new business. This is a great
way of marketing, as it involves no cost to you and the new business you get is
likely to be a warm and long-lasting relationship. Consider offering incentives to
existing customers if they can drum up new business, for example by offering
them a scalable discount.
8. Attract customers with incentives
Too many business people miss out on sales because the customer has no
reason to act immediately. Offer customers an incentive to sign up straight
away, for example via a discount or free product. Whatever you’re selling,
always remember to include a time-close or deadline and state it clearly.
9. Act on feedback
No one knows more about what your customers think than your customers
themselves. Take on board as much feedback as possible about your product,
and take every opportunity to ask customers what they think about your
product. Make sure you act on feedback (both positive and negative).
10. Know when to follow-up
Whenever a conversation takes place or you get a new lead, set a date for a
follow-up, even if it’s 6 months away. If you’ve made the effort to make initial
contact with a customer and even sent information, it’s criminal to miss out on
the sale because you didn’t follow-up at the opportune time. The best sales
people are those that follow-up religiously.