Wise Ways To Multiply Your Home-Based-Business Sales
by Sandi Moses
When you are in marketing, no matter what your product or service might be, and
no matter whether you work from your home, from an office, or from a brick-and-mortar
store front, you need to make sales. Studies show that once you have made
a sale to a new customer it is wise to maintain a good and trusting relationship
with that customer in order to keep that customer for the long term and have
that customer make repeat purchases from you. It is also much cheaper to keep an
existing customer than to acquire a new one. With that in mind, here are a few
ways to maintain the relationship and bring that customer back for more of what
you have to offer.
1. When you make your first sale, follow-up with the customer. Send a "thank
you" email or post card and make sure they are happy with your product. Include
an advertisement in your email signature or as the picture on the post card for
other products you sell. Follow-up every few months to see if they need more of
what they bought. Keep the lines of communication open; make sure you are always
on their mind - in a good way, or course!
2. Gently upsell to your customers without being pushy or obnoxious. Make sure
you tell them about a few extra related products you have for sale, such as
matching or coordinating accessories, nail polish, etc. If they like what they
see, they can add it to their original order. If there is some ancillary product
they will need to make what they just purchased produce at it's best, make sure
to offer it.
Have you ever purchased a new computer printer only to discover at home that the
clerk did not bother to make sure you had the right cable and ink or toner? Ever
bought something that needed batteries but nobody thought to make sure you
remembered to buy some? Gr-r-r-r-r! Upselling is more than just asking if "you
want fries with that."
3. Give incentives for referrals. Companies that sell products through home
parties discovered this gold mine years ago. If enough product is sold at the
party, the hostess gets a freebie from the product line. The more product sold,
the better the freebie. Sometimes if a guest decides to book a party, both that
guest and the hostess receive an incentive, and so it goes. Some internet web
hosting services give free hosting or actually pay for referrals. With a bit of
creativity, you should be able to make this concept work for just about anything.
4. When you sell a product, consider giving your customers the option of joining
an affiliate program so they can make commissions selling your product, thus
multiplying the sale you just made. Clickbank and PayDotCom are internet
examples of this concept. Some of the home party companies do this, too.
5. Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to your products. Include an ad on or
with each product for other products you sell. You could make sales for the
reproduction rights and sales on the back end product. This of course is an
option only of what you sell is your own original work. Two types of products to
consider would be internet information or some type of art work or original craft idea.
6. Cross promote your product with other businesses' products in a package deal.
You can include an ad or flyer for other products you sell and have other
businesses selling for you. This type of arrangement has become known as a
"joint venture" or "jv" for short and is enormously effective.
Do you walk or groom dogs? Consider a "jv" with someone who makes doggie
sweaters or home-baked doggie treats. Or, promote your friend's scented candles
at your cake decorating parties, and she will promote your cake decorating
service at her scented candle parties. This is another area where you are
limited only by your creativity.
7. When you ship out or deliver your product, include a coupon for other related
products - or even more of the same product. This has worked for decades for
almost everything. Many items you buy in your local supermarket have coupons
either on the packaging or tucked inside to entice you to buy more of the same
when you run out of what you just bought.
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