Your Clientele Is The Biggest Key To Your Business’s Success
Starting a business takes serious discipline.
There are many factors that drive the companies success.
You will discover that sales is what will keep you business thriving.
Here are some amazing steps to building a clientele from scratch.
#1 – Set Your Target Market
Who will you sell to?
It is very important to identify who will be your target market.
Are you selling directly to a middleman or are you selling directly to the consumer?
Are you selling your services or products to corporations or directly to the consumer market?
Learn to identify your target as this is the foundation to a successful clientele.
#2 – Make Contact
Make contact through the use of emails, phone, or social media
Now that you’ve established who your target market is, you’ll need to begin making contact.
This may be through social media, direct emails, or cold calls. Reach out to the target and let them know what your business is about.
Note: DO NOT get discouraged when someone says no.
They’ve done you a favor by not wasting your time. Turn the page and move on.
You will get no’s and maybes for an answer.
Here’s what to do when someone is interested!
#3 – Make Them Aware of Your Problem-Solving Skills
Stand out from your competition!
It is important not to drag the conversation solely about you or the business.
Let them know just enough about who you are and what your business is about without it being all about you.
The prospect should know how your services or products will benefit them!
Ask them a little bit more about their business, make them feel comfortable and get them engaged.
How will your business be of convenience to them? Remember, convenience sells so if you offer more than one product or service, make sure you’re vocal about these ‘solutions’.
Encourage them to see the value of your business by making them aware of your problem-solving skills.
Get a feel of the conversation, did you sell it?
Congratulations!
If you didn’t, no worries.
This takes time and take this as experience! If they ask you to follow up with them and provide them with more information this is perfect.
Put them in your data base, let’s get one step closer towards closing the sale.
#4 – Follow Up
80% of Prospects Say ‘No’ four times before they say yes Keep following up! How to get clients for your new business.
The sale is in the follow up. It is vital that you are consistently following up with your prospects.
Your first follow up should address the initial contact.
Thank them for their time and remind them why your service/product is an amazing fit for them or their business.
Don’t be discouraged if they do not respond immediately.
Often times, it will take a few follow ups before the prospect requests a quote or buys from you.
Change your strategy each time you follow up, make them remember you.
#5 – Keep Feeding The Pipeline
Feed the sales pipeline! How to get clients for my new business.
Continue to make contact with new consumers/businesses in your target market.
It’s better to keep your pipeline full rather than realizing you have no business because you were so locked on a few prospects that seemed interested that now you have no one to follow up with.
Avoid this mistake by consistently updating your client database and keeping track of who’s interested, who you’re in the talks with already, and who you’ve closed with.
Continuously strive for making new clients, don’t settle.
#6 – Client Retention
Keep Your Partners Happy!
Client retention is the ability to retain clients over a period of time. In order to create a successful clientele you must be able to maintain your clients from using your competitors products or services. This is the part where actions speak louder than words. You managed to sell yourself and your business, now it’s time to prove why your business is the best of the best. Client retention is fundamental to a long-term partnership with your clients and customers.
Here are 7 amazing tips that are sure to keep your customers coming back.
Exceed their expectations by overdelivering.
Present a positive attitude at all times.
Show initiative to want to help.
Be a team player!
Appreciate them for their business.
Build a solid relationship.
Take care of their needs so they take care of yours.
Sales are a universal language in business. Every industry requires a sale to be made in order for the business to grow and become profitable. You will learn that these tips are applicable no matter what industry you are in.
Welcome to Franknez.com – most of the excerpt will be based on taking the actions to bring in new clientele to your business. These are the best strategies to increase your sales.
#1. Cold Call Method
The cold call method is a great strategy to use when making contact with a prospect for the first time. Cold calls:
Sales Tips and Strategies For Small Business Owners
Demonstrate willingness to make contact at a more personal level
Presents your character (be charismatic, uplifting, energetic, thankful)
Allow you to get a feel of the prospects personality (tone, mood, interest, etc.)
Is the best way to sell yourself to a prospect through the use of attitude and dialogue
Perfect for extroverts (if you’re an introvert, step out of your comfort zone and use this method to gain new skills in sales)
The cold call method is a great way to introduce yourself to a company or prospect and sets the mood for potential business in the future.
Increase your sales by selling yourself and your service or product in order to make a lasting impression.
#2. Cold Email Method
Cold emails are a great method to follow up on prospects. They can also be a great means of making a quick and presentable first-time contact. You may alternate and follow up with a call based on the success rate of response. Cold emails:
Use cold emails to increase your sales
Are quick and efficient
Advantageous for skilled writers
Don’t take much time from a prospects busy schedule
Perfect for introverts
If you’re sending out a cold email to make first contact, be sure to follow up with a call when necessary. Some prospects appreciate cold emails due to having the convenience of reading and responding to them whenever it is most convenient to them.
If you’re sending out an email to follow up after a call, be sure to thank them for their time and be clear on your proposition(s).
The most effective way to increase your sales is to alternate between these two methods in terms of first contact and follow up.
Experience
Every lead and choice of execution will result in a variety of ways to present and close a sale. I have emailed prospects who immediately responded requesting pricing after making initial contact with a cold email.
I’ve cold called prospects who advised I made contact at the perfect time as they have actually been fed up with their current vendor.
There has been prospects who have been open to working immediately, some who would like to see samples first, and some who are willing to run test projects before committing to more business.
#3. Schedule Meetings
If you’re after a prospect who isn’t biting, who is giving you the runaround; try scheduling a meeting. Meetings are a great way to present or demonstrate your service or product to a prospect. You may also schedule a meeting with current clients in order to add flame to the relationship.
A meeting may take place in your prospects workspace environment or in your facility. Meetings are very personal, sell yourself, your product(s)/service(s), and your abilities that confirm why you’re the best choice for this prospect.
Establish an awesome relationship with your prospect(s). Impressing them will boost your probability of establishing a new client which in return will increase your sales.
Experience & Tips
Scheduling meetings with current clients is a fun way to increase your sales. This strategy will allow you to form a deeper connection with the company and with the client.
There has been a few instances where clients have actually wanted to meet up and see how product was produced at our facility. After one particular meeting, I followed up with the coordinator to advise they are more than welcome to stop by anytime and to bring the rest of the team next time around.
Months later I met another coordinator who wanted to meet in person and see how we conduct business. They were very impressed and super enthusiastic about continuing to doing business together.
This experience has served as a great means of connecting with our clientele which has strengthened the business relationship. At some point in your sales career you will need to meet with your prospects or clients in order to further establish your credibility and increase your sales.
#4. Become An Expert In Your Industry
In order to continuously increase your sales, you’ll need to become an expert in your industry. Yes, you can naturally be a great sales person and understand the importance of catering to a company and really know how to sell yourself.
However, when you become an expert in your industry, you have an insight and advantage far greater than any other sales rep in your circle.
This is one of those ‘extra credit’ strategies that will help take your skills, expertise, AND knowledge to another level in your career.
Understand your industry, and become an expert in your service(s) and product(s). Here are some advantages to being an expert in your industry:
The Ability To Serve Your Clients Quickly & Efficiently
Being an expert in your industry allows you to serve your clients quickly and efficiently. You are able to provide instant answers to your customers questions regarding your services or products in a confident manner.
The Ability To Effectively Solve Problems
Being an expert in your industry means you have the ability to effectively solve problems. Your advantage is that you have the answers to just about everything in your niche, which translates to finding better solutions when discrepancies arise in your workplace.
Your Reputation Exceeds You
Whenever people think of the services or products in your industry they think of you. When you’re an expert in your industry, your reputation exceeds you. People want to work with you.
All of a sudden you aren’t chasing prospects anymore, they’re chasing you. Becoming an expert in your industry is an absolute way to increase your sales.
#5. Feed The Sales Pipeline
You should consistently be feeding your sales pipeline and lining up prospects to follow up with, meet, and close new deals with. I personally suggest creating a client database to reflect the status of your leads. This will help you keep track of who just spoke with, who needs more from you, and who’s in your pocket.
Feeding the sales pipeline will increase your sales due to the consistency of reaching out to new prospects.
One highly effective strategy to ensure a constant influx of potential clients if you’re in the mortgage business is to invest in buying mortgage leads.
When work slows down in your industry, you’ll have this amazing client database you can tackle before things start to pick up again.
Tip: Never let your sales pipeline go empty as you’ll have no leads to follow up with once your industry slows down.
#6. Follow Up To Seal The Deal
Grant Cardone says the sale is in the follow up and it’s true. Increase your sales by continuously following up with your prospects and current clients. Here are some ways you can follow up with prospects:
Regarding initial contact
On provided quotes
Follow up on scheduled meetings
Or questions you might have
These points show prospects you have potential of earning their business and highlights your attentiveness to serve.
Here are some ways you can follow up with existing clients:
In regards to satisfactory upon purchase of product or services
Provided quotes OR re-orders
Referrals
New business
Status of processed orders
These points show willingness to help and demonstrate an effort to accomplish a set of goals. Being proactive with follow ups will increase your sales as you’re consistently on your clients or prospects radar. Remember to create a client database where you can keep track on your prospects.
Tip: Your follow ups should always be strategized so they do not become robotic to the receiver. Alternate between emails and phone calls for the best results.
#7. Think Of Your Customers Needs
Understanding how to cater to your customers needs is a definitive way to increase your sales. Everyone you meet, encounter, or come into contact with will have similar needs. You will come to understand that everyone has unique needs. It’s when you learn to differentiate these two that you will gain an advantage over your competition.
Put yourself in your prospects or clients world for a second. What will make them buy from you? How can they think you to be the go-to-person? In order to understand how to cater to your customers needs, you must form a relationship with your current clients, or creatively asses your prospects wants.
Tip: Always think of your customers needs.
#8. Overcommit And Overdeliver To Increase Your Sales
Overcommitting is saying yes to a rush project. It’s saying yes to the tight deadline and the extra work it will require to make it happen.
Overdelivering is not only accomplishing the goal but it’s having completed it while exceeding the customers expectations.
Increase your sales by demonstrating to your clients that you are trustworthy and a reliable partner with whom they can count on for ANYTHING.
When you overcommit it is up to you to do whatever it takes to see that promise through. When you overcommit you close the deal. Now make sure your delivery is phenomenal. Think long-term success when catering to your clients needs.
Sales really are a universal language in business. Every industry requires a sale to be made in order to grow and become profitable. Use these strategies to help you further your career in sales and stay ahead of your competition.
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Leave me a comment below if you are already implementing any of these strategies in your industry or if there’s anything else you can input to the related topic!
