- Have a good product
- Engage with them
- Share the love, i.e. promote them and reward them
- Respond to their needs

How? Its not easy but here are a couple of tips to get you started.

Establish a loyal group of users by conducting a closed Beta program. For this to work the product has to be very near completion, user focused and as bug free as possible. Also it is fundamental that your company has the capacity to provide exceptional customer support and regular contact with all those involved. The aim is to develop a strong and loyal following of initial users as they will become the future sales force for the product (building a community).

Design and implement a referral scheme that rewards users for referring the product to others. Implementing a referral scheme early on is important, as it will help develop the future sales force of the product. Having one in place early on is also easier as everyone is on the same footing.
Note for this to work effectively the product has to be operating at a high standard prior to launch. Backed by committed and excellent customer support and service. It is also important that this is not functional until the product goes live.

Remember excellent products, a defined market and exceptional services is a great way to start.

Feel free to call on 0800 797 797 to discuss in more detail.

Each and every one of my previous employers and now clients always ask what’s the best thing we can do to increase sales, and of course spending as little money as possible.

In simple there is no silver bullet for this, however you can use what you have got to better effect. Customer service is as close as you’ll get to a silver bullet for the best sales technique at the lowest cost.

Educate all your staff on the importance of customer service, after all that’s why they have a job, no customer no money, no money no job, I’m sure they’ll get that.

How… If a customer has an issue you respond, get an email back to them with a simple “we got it and we’re onto it” then a follow up with in 12-24 hours (refer quick to respond is quick to win).

Do what you say, if you tell a customer that you will do something for them then DO IT, ideally faster that what you said, under promise and over deliver (its an oldie but a goodie).

Go the extra distance, remember that your customers issue is the most likely to be one of the most important thing to them at that very moment so go the extra distance and help them out. Better still give them a call back in a couple of days to see how its all going.

Simple things like this help to make a client know your there for them. If you can create superior customer service and support this will spin out into more sales for your organisation as clients will start to refer and endorse your business both online though social media and offline though conversation.

So online or offline its all about customer service – get it right and you’ll win!

Here are a couple of my favorite companies that do it well.

Xero

Balsamiq

From experience, when engaging in the sales process the time frames that you respond to potential clients (such as providing information or sending through quotes) provides insight to how the company you are representing will respond to their needs once the business is won.

Providing a quick response will also ensure you’re in ahead of your competition, keeping you at the front of the client’s mind and providing you with more opportunity to contact them on the information. The more opportunity to talk – the better the relationship becomes between you and your potential client.

So quick to respond is quick to win!

This will also provide you with the ability of seeing opportunity of how your offering can be adapted and when it is not suitable.

However in saying that it is good to know what you are selling, you don’t have to know everything. As in this is the ability to bring in an expert, especially if it is on a technical sale.

Bringing in the expert will help to reassure your client that you’re not just the slick sales guy saying yes to everything.
So knowing it is really in two parts knowing your product but also knowing when its time to bring in the expert.

For more on the conversation of selling…

Why would you risk this? Why is it a risk? Here are a couple of possibilities:

One computer one place, what happens if its stolen, damaged, hard drive crashes or a herd of Elephants tramples it? You’re screwed (You will have a few more issues if Elephants are in your office, but you get the idea).

If the hard drive get corrupted or computer breaks for any reason, your information is lost and once again you’re screwed!

Data kept in different places by different staff causes inconsistent information, causing delays and possible budget overruns, and again you’re screwed!

Using Excel also limits the ability for you to integrate with other systems, easily keep and maintain client notes, share information and mine the information. I.E. its for numbers so lets keep it that way!

Hope your getting the idea now. Its really simple to fix these issues.

Use a CRM tool or in the very least a Google or Zoho spreadsheet as they store your data on the web in multiple server though out the world “on the cloud”.

Not only that they are free or low cost. So there is no reason not to use them!

Here are a few to help you on your way:

Javerlen CRM

Sugar CRM

CatalystQUE

Zoho

Google Apps

The best thing about all of these tools is you can really start to keep info on your clients and start to market and sell to them more efficiently, forecast your sales and help grow your business.

This is one of the simplest things I do for my clients through Catalyst90 that is an easy win and helps provide them with a view to the future.

Oddly enough it is one of the most common issues I come across when helping companies develop their sales process, systems and methodologies.

For more feel free to drop me a line.

Tom Reidy

Catalyst90

tom@catalyst90.com

I pose a question to you: Can you remember your last bad sales experience? You know the one were the sales person did an absolutely horrible job… pretty easy; I could list a dozen in the last week alone.

Now the next question… can you remember the last great sales experience you had? Yes the one that you were so surprised and delighted with the experience… much harder? Even I struggle and I’m on the constant lookout for them!

So how do you make it memorable? This comes back to some of the basics, listen, and look, understand and solve issues. Going above and beyond is more important now than it ever has been!

Businesses to business sales – Bring the coffee and muffins! A simple ice-breaker, conversation starter and this approach will make it memorable for your clients as you have gone out of your way to make them happy prior to them committing anything to you!

Regardless of the sales you’re in, consumer or business remembering that the underling function in sales is to serve, as sales is all about customer service. In serving it is always important to listen, but remember also that serving is also about enabling those you serve to do great things and achieve their goals.

Also to clarify being a servant in sales is not to be submissive, but to be assistive – assist your clients, working as part of the team for the over all goals. The customer is always right and should always be served in an appropriate manor. However with a customer always being right it is important that you assist in educating them in making decisions or finding alternative or better solutions.

For more tips – check out The Conversation of Selling.

A great sales experience for both parties is one that ends with both people being delighted by the outcome. No deal should be too good to walk away from.  This is key to keeping calm as the sale you are working on now won’t be the last, so keep calm and never push the sale to close.

I had the uncomfortable experience once of witnessing the undoing of my sales manager a few companies back. He was so keen to get the deal he lost his nerve, visibly displaying his desperation and frustration that the client “didn’t get it” and with too many closed questions he pushed the client  into a corner. So far to the point where the potential client snapped – slammed their hands on the desk and asked him to leave. Not the best approach for repeat business or building a solid reputation. (Note this technique has its place, excellent if you’re in dodgy car sales, don’t care for repeat business or you’re simply an arse.)  

So to keep calm, stay in control.  It’s important to keep in your mind that this is not the last sale and be ready to walk away if it’s not right for both you and the customer, even if its just prior to signature on a contract. Staying calm will also make it easier to think on your feet and spot opportunities in a conversation.

For more tips – check out The Conversation of Selling.

As with marketing, the look and presentation is everything – why not the same in sales?

Of course it’s the same in sales. The presentation of the team has to be consistent, clean and tidy.

So many times I have been into a variety of retail stores and restaurants where the presentation of the staff is less than desirable which was also reflected in the service that was provided.

Why? Think of how you feel when your looking your best – you feel great and your energy lifts.  This may sound shallow but it is well documented that self confidence and how people view their appearance go hand in hand.

Depending on the industry a uniform is fantastic, as long as it is well kept and presented. If there’s no official uniform then its great to dress in a style that complements your industry or business.  Dress to match your clients or the industry you are in, most importantly always remain clean and tidy.

Dressing to match your client and or industry is an important approach.  Over dress and a client can feel intimidated, under dress and the value of your service will drop. So match them as best you can.

For more tips – check out The Conversation of Selling.

The answer to this was a simple one – improve your customer service!

Surprise and delight your clients with exceptional customer service and they will continue to buy and be sold too. Everyone loves a great sales experience! One that is truly pleasant and not over powering will create solid repeat business, but most importantly your clients will refer you to others and business will grow.

So what makes for great customer service?

That’s also simple … its in the name: 

Customer – that’s your client 
Service – is what you are there to provide!

When you are in sales you are there to serve your customer.

So keep the experience positive, keep the energy high and make sure your sales staff know their product, know how to listen and how to have a conversation. Most of all make sure they love their job!

Are you using the right words to excite them, or to show that you can fix their issues? Often slightly changing how you describe a product or service can completely change how people view the service.

Keep it professional. There’s no need to swear and curse – as my father always says people that use foul language in business discussions have no grasp on articulation and delivery of a message. Funny thing my Dad is bang on!

Using well-constructed language that reflects you and your company’s goals is critical for the elevator pitch to the discussions with clients and prospects. Language is just as important as marketing or branding. On the same topic of language, in the game of sales one of the greatest tools is the language of positives. This is simply speaking in positives so the message is always encouraging and exciting.

An easy example of this is: “that’s no problem to do” can be rephrased to “Yes we can absolutely help to achieve this for you”, same wording but avoiding using the double negative of NO and PROBLEM. Simple changes like this can have a huge impact on your results – and the motivation of your staff!

A further example using language in sales is to simply use last weeks tip (listening) to their issues then adjusting your language and how you describe your product or service to include the key “trigger” words and the sales process will be much smother.

I had great success with this when I was working for Calcium – the way the sales team was told to sell the product was on the merits of its marketing ability – these were fantastic solutions to problems most people did not know they had. After asking a number of prospects what issues they had with email, then changing the language I used to describe the same services, clients instantly understood how the tool could help them and sales took off!

“Sales is not the art of making people buy, but the art of conversation”
– Tom Reidy Catalyst90

For more tips – check out The Conversation of Selling.