Published on:: Thursday, January 28, 2021

How to increase sales: 49 Proven Techniques to increase sales 2-3x

Authors

Name
Darjan Hren
Twitter
@darjanhren

The challenge of selling is that it's a complex process of human behavior with no shortcuts. Marketing managers who are struggling to win customers may not be prospecting the right way or putting in enough effort.

If you're one of these marketers, here are 40 tips on how to increase sales.

1. Prospect in the Right Places

Looking for customers on the right channel could mean the difference between success and failure.

It's important to know the right places to prospect because marketers are either going after prospects who want what they have or wasting time and money by going after prospects who don't care about their products.

2. Show Personalized Offers

The old adage “one size fits all” doesn't work anymore in a world where people expect personalized offers for every purchase decision.

Marketers can offer personalized offers based on the customer location on a journey map.

You can look at it as a funnel that you can't escape from if you're not on the right path. You control the path the customer takes to make that sale.

3. Eliminate Opaque Tactics

One of the most important parts of making your offer seem more appealing is showing what customers will get out of it. If customers don't know what they'll get, they won't buy.

Offer transparency by sharing as much information about a product or service as possible with prospects to ensure that buyers are aware of all their options and add value to your offer. Doing this right can easily double your sales.

4. Be Patient

Customers will only come to you if they know what they want, and it's up to you as a marketer to give them time and information so that when the moment is right, they'll buy from you.

For products up to $15 it may take 7 seconds (if conversion rate optimization was done) for a customer to buy on your eCommerce store. But for some higher value products, it can take a week or two. Some really pricey products and services take months or years to sell.

That's how long the process can take, and it's important to be patient.

Don't worry about the sales, worry about your process, always improve it, sticky to it and believe in it. Systems are a great way to increase your productivity and improve your chances of achieving your goal faster.

5) Be Proactive

A proactive marketer is always looking for new ways to increase sales and develop innovative products. A reactive marketer will only do something when there's a problem.

When you're faced with an opportunity, don't be afraid to say yes!

6) You've got the prospect's attention now you need to convince them

Your prospects are waiting for you to ask them to buy. That means, your customer will likely tell you when they're ready to make a purchase decision - if you can get them into the mindset of being interested in what you have and not so focused on what's going on around them.

7) Once they say "yes" stop selling

Once the customer or client says "yes", you could ruin the sale by over-selling. You've got to stop selling them something else.

You don't want the customer or client feeling overwhelmed by too many choices, and that's what will happen if you keep pushing them to buy more than they need. You can easily lose the sale.

8) Be Flexible

There are three elements in a good product strategy: price, promotion, and place. The trick is knowing which one of these 3 parts can be flexible when times get tough.

9) Focus on increasing conversion rates

Always design a call-to-action button with contrasting colors and an imperative statement like "Order Now!" or "Buy now!". This will ensure that your customers or clients can't miss it.

10) Collect Feedback from the Customer or Client

Ask for feedback after the sale is made and use their responses to improve your sales technique. Get their testimonial or reviews that tell their before/after story and what they like/don't like about your product.

Reviews sell as we trust other people more than the company we want to buy from.

Here's a few examples of what good reviews or testimonials are:

A before and after picture of the person's weight loss
Photos or video testimonials
Proof that the customer did what they said they would do
The story behind how their life changed when they started your product or service.

Few examples of real testimonials are:

"After a month of using XYZ's weight loss program, I've lost 20 pounds and am eating healthier than ever!"
"I wanted to get fit before my wedding. So I hired XYZ trainer to help me out for two months and he did a great job! Here is my before picture on the left and after pic on the right."
"I was skeptical at first but then I tried it and now I love it!"
"It's the best product out there, you should try it."

11. Build Rapport

A rapport is a mutually trusting relationship between two people that allows for free interaction. This can be done in many ways including meeting them face-to-face, using social media to connect with them online, and making personal phone calls to chat with them.

12. Generate Trust

Building rapport will help generate trust and leads to long-term customer loyalty. You really want to turn as many customers as you can into fans. This will increase the lifetime value of each customer and will make it easier to market your products. They will even sell and refer others to your products.

13. Get a Raving Fan

A raving fan is someone who really likes your product or service, so much that they want to tell others about how great you are.

This person also tells other people what he/she has bought from you before, which is a form of word-of-mouth marketing. You want as many of these customers as possible because they'll keep coming back for more!

A key way to generate raving fans is to get them on your mailing list.

Write a short article that provides information on how to increase sales. You should provide specific steps and tips for companies struggling with the process of selling their products or services.

14. Provide Extra Value in Your Sales Offers

Give something away for free if they buy one of your products, offer a set-up service with purchase, give them access to a premium service for an introductory price, or provide an automatic warranty on all items sold.

15. Bundle Products

Put two complementary products together and sell them at a package price. Bundle two training courses, offer your products as part of a gift-giving bundle or package or put the purchase of one product in with another service offered by your company.

16. Work Within Your Limits

The power of social media is indisputable; there are more than 1 billion people on Facebook alone.

The majority will not take action because they don't have time to dedicate to learning how it works or simply finds it too difficult to navigate their personal lives.

That's not to say you should completely ignore the benefits of social media in your marketing strategy; a few minutes on Facebook or Twitter each day can provide the opportunity for meaningful engagement with prospects and customers.

17. Offer Guarantees

Customers are more confident about making purchases when they know that there is a backup plan if they need it. The only way you will be able to guarantee customer satisfaction, however, is by offering high-quality products or services in the first place!

18. Ask questions to learn more

Ask questions to determine your customer needs, then present your solution in a clear way.

Here's a step by step guide on how to ask questions and use the answer as a marketing message:

Ask open-ended questions to allow for a more natural dialogue
Listen carefully and note customer's body language as well as verbal cues
Find out what the customer needs, not what they want (so you can be of better service)
Ask only about relevant topics to your business

19. Encourage feedback

Reach out to your customers and get their opinion on new products or services before launching in order to gauge whether it will have enough demand, and don't be afraid to ask for feedback.

You can use Google Forms or HotJar polls to gather feedback.

20. People buy benefits, not features

Instead of listing features try to highlight the benefits of your product or service to make it more attractive. You can also use a B2B chart to compare your products and services with that of competitors.

21. Consider investing in SEO strategies

Use relevant keywords when you publish content, optimize website's layout for search engines by including meta tags and write keyword rich posts. It's the basics, but they work.

As Facebook Ads are getting pricey and bring lower ROI, a lot of eCommerce stores are focusing on SEO as the ROI is greater and it's long term. A $300 article can actually get you sales for years to come.

22. Have a growth mindset and be results focused

Being in a state of growth will help you find new opportunities, stay motivated and persist in the face of failure. You should also set clear goals and create systems to help you monitor your progress.

23. Act on what customers tell you

Customers are often happy to share their thoughts with marketers if they're approached in a way that makes them feel heard. Try doing this by asking for feedback or conducting an exit survey so that you can address issues before it's too late.

24. Identify the problem at its core

To fix something you need to find the problem, but some problems are just too hard to pinpoint. That's when you need to do something drastic, like taking a step back and evaluating the problem with fresh eyes or trying an entirely new approach.

Solving symptoms won't solve the problem and is a bad "band aid" to it. Identity core problems and fix those to also fix problems you never knew existed.

25. Bring in experts for their knowledge

People who have been there before know how to get through these tough situations better than anyone else. Tap into this resource by reaching out to people who are in your industry and asking them for help as needed.

26. Create a sense of urgency

Scarcity or urgency is one of the most powerful persuasion tactics that are having a great impact on the goal you want to achive. Examples of urgency and scarcity are:

Expiration date
Limited time offer
Stock clearance

27. Become the problem solver

Problems are just challenges waiting to be solved. Figure out how to best solve your customer's problem and provide a solution that will make them want to come back time and time again.

28. Connect with the buyer emotionally

We don't know about you, but we like it when someone cares enough about us that they feel our pain! When it comes to selling a product or service, showing customers that you care about their concerns, needs and desires is one of the most powerful persuasion tactics there is. It really

If you're one of these marketers, here are 40 tips on how to increase sales.

29. Prospect in the Right Places

Looking for customers on the right channel could mean the difference between success and failure. It's important to know the right places to prospect because marketers are either going after prospects who want what they have or wasting time and money by going after prospects who don't care about their products.

30. Show Personalized Offers

The old adage “one size fits all” doesn't work anymore in a world where people expect personalized offers for every purchase decision. Marketers can offer personalized offers based on the customer location on a journey map.

You can look at it as a funnel that you can't escape from if you're not on the right path. You control the path the customer takes to make that sale.

31. Eliminate Opaque Tactics

One of the most important parts of making your offer seem more appealing is showing what customers will get out of it. If customers don't know what they'll get, they won't buy. Offer transparency by sharing as much information about a product or service as possible with prospects to ensure that buyers are aware of all their options and add value to your offer.

32. Be Patient

Customers will only come to you if they know what they want, and it's up to you as a marketer to give them time and information so that when the moment is right, they'll buy from you.

That's how long the process can take, and it's important to be patient.

33. Be Proactive

A proactive marketer is always looking for new ways to increase sales and develop innovative products. A reactive marketer will only do something when there's a problem.

When you're faced with an opportunity, don't be afraid to say yes!

34. You've got the prospect's attention now you need to convince them

35. Once they say "yes" stop selling

Once the customer or client says "yes", you could ruin the sale by over-selling. You've got to stop selling them something else.

You don't want the customer or client feeling overwhelmed by too many choices, and that's what will happen if you keep pushing them to buy more than they need. You can easily lose the sales.

36. Be Flexible

There are three elements in a good product strategy: price, promotion, and place. The trick is knowing which one of these 3 parts can be flexible when times get tough.

37. Focus on increasing conversion rates

Always design a call-to-action button with contrasting colors and an imperative statement like "Order Now!" or "Buy now!". This will ensure that your customers or clients can't miss it.

38. Offer people a guarantee

A good sale doesn't end with the customer signing on the dotted line. Satisfied customers come back for more when they know that if anything goes wrong they can contact you without fear of being punished or getting an unsympathetic ear.

Examples of guarantees are:

A 30 day, no questions asked return policy.
A 100% money back guarantee for up to one year.
Your own guarantee that you will provide the service as long as the customer wants it.

39. Try bundling products to sell more

Bundling multiple products together in one price package will entice buyers to buy more than they originally intended.

40. Stop selling and start nurturing your relationships with customers

Reaching out to old customers and developing new relationships with them will help you reach the point where they are so invested in you that they can't imagine life without your products or services. Customers who feel connected to a company stay engaged, satisfied, and willing to spend more money.

41. Get Google Reviews

Increasing your Google Reviews has a direct impact on views and ranking of your Google My Business page. If you have positive reviews, people will be more likely to visit your page and click on the links in your "Additional Information" section that may take them to a new website or product listing for an advertised item.

42. Email is king

Getting emails from your customer creates your own channel that you grow and nurture. If there are prospects who have already expressed interest in your company's product or service and then simply contact them to say that they could receive a discount if they provide their email address (or agree to be contacted by phone).

Social media accounts can get deleted or their algorithms change so you may lose the reach and traffic when they do.

With the email list, you have control which you can always use on other channels.

43. Giveaways

These are great for awareness and lead generation. Whether it's a drawing, contest, or buy one get one free offer, giveaways work to generate sales by driving traffic and engagement to your page while creating the feeling of exclusivity with the prize at stake.

44. How To Increase Sales Via Facebook Ads

Facebook ads can be effective because they help build familiarity with a company's product among consumers who may be interested in buying from you.

Most companies use this one but there are still some who aren't using it properly. Make sure your ads look good by having attractive graphics and choosing copy that really grabs attention (but avoid being too aggressive).

Don't use Facebook Ads just to sell, try to engage and make friends.

45. Influencer Marketing

An influencer is a person with a high social media following who has influence over potential customers.

They can help you spread your message about the product or service that you offer to people who are more likely to buy it based on what they say and do in their posts and tweets, or in comments on their posts.

46. Put A Price Tag On It?

A study found that asking someone how much they'd be willing to pay for has an interesting effect on them. It turns out that if you have something priced at $50, and someone is willing to pay the full price for it without any negotiating, they will end up liking it more than if they got a discount or negotiated for an even lower price.

47. Target everyone at once

If there are too many targets within one audience segment, use this technique as a last resort to get rid of excess customers who are not profitable. To target multiple audiences simultaneously, make sure all email blasts include the same offer, but add a personal touch with the company's name and address.

For example, "Hi Joe from Acme Inc., you can find our latest products at"

48. Offer free products as gifts

Giving away a gift with purchase is a great way to make customers feel appreciated and valued. A free gift also often encourages buyers to buy more than they intended when the item was on sale.

49. Find their pain points toward your product

The best marketers find out what it is that their target audience cares about most by finding out what pains them. One effective way of doing this is through surveys, such as the "Pain Point Assessment."

In order for these surveys to be effective, use concise questions with very few options that are open ended questions. That way you actually get useful data without your own bias (they still have their own) and the provided feedback is relevant to the customer.

Conclusion & Takeaways

In conclusion, it is possible to increase sales. However, there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. The process of selling involves psychology and human behavior with a variety of tactics that take time and effort to implement.

If you're an eCommerce store, you should hire a conversion optimization consultant to increase your sales quickly and then reinvest that profit to run experiments, try new things, etc.

The end goal is to start thinking about growth and not just increased sales.