Sales and Marketing – To Improve You Must Do This One Thing
No matter how much you spend on getting the message out for your small business, no matter how much you spend on making sure your voice is heard, on ensuring your potential customers understand what it is you do – there is one thing you need to do. Don’t do it and it all turns to mush.
You only have to look around at the last couple of purchases you made. If they were any more than ‘off the peg deals’ like a pair of jeans whilst browsing in Next, you know what I mean.
I mean your substantial purchases, new laptop, car, holiday etc. Something with some pain attached to getting it wrong; you can usually reckon on speaking to several potential suppliers, having at least a couple of Google searches before making the final decision.
We all do it, jeez, I’ve been known to do it over minor purchases. Part of the millionaire business owner mindset is taking a little longer over spending decisions (trust me).
Before you made the decision. The business selling the item may well have spent money and time on advertising, sorting out website copy, running social media campaigns, testing pricing – you know a shed load of work that goes into your modern marketing mix.
And, you made a final decision to buy. Based on what? Who knows – it’s always based on emotions and if it’s not, then you justify the emotional decision based on some facts. There is not normally any great rhyme or reason for one supplier over another – you get a feeling and then a decide.
Thing is I guarantee you one thing happened while you were deciding – the firm that did the best follow up was the one that finally got the business.
If it wasn’t on this purchase I’d bet good money that it was on the last one or will be on the next.
See follow up is the missing link in most sales processes. You as a seller never know at what point the decision is going to be made, sure you may think you are in control but really, the purchaser is. Go read Dan Pink’s book on the subject.
The internet has now given the consumer all of the information they require in order to make a buying decision – the only difference is which supplier?
So when that potential customer makes contact and doesn’t buy today you need to make sure that you follow up by the right amount, and keep doing so until you get a buying decision – and then make sure you note the itch cycle (three years for cars/laptops – five years for houses etc etc). Sales people are notoriously bad at this, which is why I always suggest an automated solution or if your business is big enough a dedicated team.
You will increase your sales greatly by making this small change.
Don’t forget if you are really stuck with any of this you can always borrow my brain. You get a ten x guarantee with it and it’ll move you forward to a new place where sales become easier.