Boost Your Business : An Expert's Tips

In the face of falling demand and intense competition every order has to be fought for. Getting it right isn’t an option; it is a survival strategy. Business owners often become complacent leading to a haemorrhage of lost orders that can cripple a firm. Most failings are avoidable. Here are twelve tips to help you survive tough times.

• A good media advertising representative wants you to succeed. A small advert placed frequently works better than the occasional larger one. Always use USP (unique selling points). Special offers or Free Pillows for example.
• If you live in a bi-lingual area it doesn’t cost much to make your website bi-lingual. You wouldn’t put a notice on your door: ‘English Speakers Only’ would you? If the wording of your website or brochure is amateurish you will invite ridicule, not orders.
• Make better use of e-mails. They are real sales boosters when you know how. They have at least ten advantages over the telephone.
• Poor signage is a no-no. How often I have heard it said: ‘But our customers know where we are.” Hello! The new ones do not. An attractive high visibility sign will be seen by hundreds, perhaps thousands a day.
• First impressions count. Sales are lost when potential clients telephone an answering machine. A telephone answering machine cannot answer questions, which is why most people call in the first place. Be polite; listen and respond transparently.
• If you are in business then being a sales person comes with the territory. Improve your people skills; be pleasant, informative, highlight the advantages of your service, and ask politely for the order. Ignore a client’s spouse or partner at your peril.  
• If you don’t get the close right you won’t close. Be a pully-pully not a pushy-pushy salesperson: Instead of saying direct: “Do you want to order?” say instead, “Which would you prefer?” or ‘Would Tuesday be alright or might Wednesday be better for you?’
• Clients are offended and inconvenienced by poor timekeeping. If you are unavoidably delayed call them; explain; invite their understanding or suggest an alternative in order to avoid inconveniencing them.
• Customers are not stupid; do not treat them as though they are. Explain what has gone wrong, what is necessary to put it right and why.
• It is infuriating to be given a bill without a break down. If you do so you invite the allegation that you are cheating or over-pricing. Again, transparency keeps customers happy. Happy customers are your best sales staff.
• A man bought a business. The first thing he did was ask for a list of dormant clients. He discovered most had left due to poor service. By informing them of the change of ownership and addressing their concerns he learned lessons. Best of all he enticed most back.
• Always leave two or three business cards in your customer’s home or premises; where they can be seen. Respectfully ask your customer to recommend you and ask if they have friends or family who may be interested in your service. The most important rule of all: Always thank your client for their custom.