Are you running a business and looking to take things to the next level? Maybe you have great products and/or services, and the only thing holding you back is a limited sales strategy preventing you from reaching potential customers. If so, this is a great time to rethink your tactics and come up with a smart plan to help you succeed in 2021.
You can look at new tactics, of course, factoring in the latest innovations in cloud computing and automation technology - but that really isn't necessary.
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The fundamentals of the sales world haven't changed much in centuries, and the key to picking up more conversions probably lies in a method that dates back to the early days of bartering.
To help you see where you're missing out on opportunities to convert, we're going to look at four vital sales tactics that will never go out of style.
Work them into your yearly business plan and you'll surely see an uptick in overall performance.
Offering free gifts and other incentives
So much of the sales world pivots on the final part of the decision-making process: the part where the prospect can proceed or opt to walk away.
There are various reasons why the latter occurs so often, but the biggest one is a simple matter of inadequate value.
Even if someone initially believed they were getting a good deal, their inherent desire to avoid risk can make them doubtful at the end, pushing them to leave their final choice for later (essentially abandoning it).
Free gifts are fantastic for nudging people through that last-minute indecision. If you can set out a strong value proposition then throw in some kind of extra value as a convincer, it can lead a possible buyer to think that they're getting an extra-special deal.
And the more you put on the line, the more important such convincers become: you need something to make the risk worth it.
The biggest risks are posed by so-called YMYL sites (YMYL standing for your money or your life).
These are sites that, if handled poorly, can damage the health or financial wellbeing of their users.
Think pharmaceutical services for the former or online casinos for the latter. Before you sign up for such a site, you need to be absolutely confident that it's trustworthy and reliable - but even if you're convinced of that, you'll still have that underlying concern holding you back.
To combat that concern, online pharmacies will often throw in free video consultations, giving away valuable time with medical experts to receive a chance of getting an order.
Similarly, consider how the best gambling sites use complex systems of welcome bonuses to make potential players feel that they're sure to profit overall by boosting their short-term chances.
Leaning heavily on social proof
Peer pressure has always been a huge seller, whether it's explicit (people encouraging their friends to buy certain things to fit in) or implicit (buyers following along with what most other people are doing).
This is one of the reasons why social proof is so powerful for online stores - with the other being that reviews offer invaluable insight into product and service quality.
If you're not already drawing upon your best reviews and testimonials (particularly from industry influencers), then it's time to change that.
Concentrating on customer referrals
On the topic of dealing with supporters, the best marketing resources you'll ever have are your happy customers.
Why?
When you say your company is great, it doesn't mean much. When they say it's great, it means something.I mentioned using incentives: if you offer each existing customer a discount or other reward for every new customer they bring in, you'll establish a new lead-generation pipeline.
Because they'll praise you to other possible customers, and their praise will be more convincing than your standard marketing could ever be.
When there's unlimited stock for an item, shoppers know they don't need to rush to get it.This means doing your best to keep customers happy (listening to their feedback and working on the flaws in your service) and giving them reasons to drive referrals.
ReferralCandy has some good incentive suggestions, so look through them at your leisure.
Introducing artificial scarcity
They can wait indefinitely, which is great in other ways because it often allows prices to come down.
But scarcity drives them to act. If you're looking to buy something and you discover that stock is running low, it'll give you a pressing reason to act immediately instead of waiting.
This is really powerful because it can push you past all the possible objections and doubts.
There's no time to think clearly when you're worrying about missing out, and it only takes one bad experience of seeing "Out of stock" pop up to motivate you to be faster in the future.
This is why so many online stores show messages saying "Stock is going quickly!" or "Almost out!" - and why artificial scarcity (deliberately having fewer products than you could supply) is useful.
Stay tuned with us for more updates.
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