For many businesses, sales are getting harder and harder to come by. The economy is slowing, consumers are more cautious, and businesses are cutting back. A period of drooping sales can throw a roadblock in front of your plans to earn a profit.Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true strategies to focus your business and get profits flowing again. Here are three things you can do today to almost certainly get sales jumping.
Write down your USP and promote it.
Your USP is your Unique Selling Position. It's
one thing you have that your competitors don't. When you promote your USP you get more customers. It makes your business easy to remember. You stand out from all others.
Your USP could be a product or service that people want but others don't sell. It could be something a bit more intangible like friendly service.
One search engine promotion firm I worked with NEVER answered email. Another always replies within hours. There is never any question which will get my business.
Put your Unique Selling Position on your business card, in your newspaper ads, and front and center on your web site.
If everybody in your business keeps their prices a big secret, publish yours right out in open where anyone can examine them (you might be surprised how many of us won't buy if we aren't given price without having to ask).
If all others have same products, point out how your products are original, one of a kind, first to market.
Flaunt those customer comments!
Nothing sells products and services like good comments from past customers. Prospects believe word of a customer long before they'll buy into even best written ad or most lavish TV commercial.
But how do you get good testimonials, especially if your business is new?
1. Nobody says YOU can't provide testimonial. If you have personally used product you are selling and truly believe it's best thing since sliced bread--put that in a testimonial. Put your own words in quotations.
2. Get someone who is a recognized name in your field to say something good about what you sell. Let them mention their own interest in testimonial. This is why blurbs on book covers go, "Best book I've ever read," Joe Blow, author of How to Get Rich. Joe lends his good opinion as a way to get a mention for HIS book.
