The most effective promotion to increase sales. What are modern methods of increasing sales volume based on? Marketing in trading activities: purchasing and sales

23.04.2019

Most entrepreneurs who started their business from scratch, and even experienced businessmen, are concerned about the question: how to increase sales in a store?

This article will look at 9 effective ways that can increase profits.

A big plus: they will not require additional substantial investment in implementation.

How to increase sales in a store: determine the main factors

Before moving on to the main topic of how to increase sales, it is necessary to determine what their level depends on:

    The arrangement of products on shelves, racks or hangers plays a huge role in sales.

    There is even a special “science” - merchandising.

    It is also important what the product looks like.

    For example, it will be difficult to persuade a client that this meat is worth buying if it looks like it has been sitting on the display case for a week.

    Products must be intact, clean, and look presentable.

  1. Also, of course, the level of sales depends on the ratio of price and quality.

Now let's move on to learning the basic tricks that will help increase sales.

9 working ways to increase store sales

Rule No. 1. The more expensive the better.

The sales assistant must closely monitor every visitor in the store.

And not because the buyer can appropriate something for himself and not pay for it at the checkout, but in order to offer the product at a higher price in time and thereby increase the number of sales.

Sounds absurd?

For example, a sales consultant noticed that a visitor was already ready to buy a hat.

At this moment, he comes up and, without any intrusiveness or trembling in his voice, offers a similar product, only 15–20% more expensive.

Of course, for a reason.

At the same time, he refers to the fact that the hat he proposed:

  • several orders of magnitude better quality than the previous hat;
  • produced by a well-known company;
  • this brand will be popular in the coming season;
  • be in the status of exclusive accessories, etc.

No fashionista can resist such a list of advantages.

In addition, psychology comes into play here: most people cannot utter the phrases “this is expensive for me,” “I want something cheaper.”

This move allows you to increase the number of products sold, despite the fact that “misfires” in this scheme, of course, happen quite often.

But even if 30–45% of all visitors fall for this trick, then this method will increase conversion by 22%!

Rule No. 2. The more the merrier.

For a consumer to buy not one, but several products, he needs a compelling reason.

Let's return, again, to the example with the hat.

Only in this case should the seller increase sales by offering to additionally buy another item at the point of sale, and not a similar product.

For example, buy matching gloves or an elegant scarf to go with your new hat.

In no case should an employee force you to try on the product on offer and be intrusive!

This will have the opposite effect.

The buyer can even henceforth take the tenth route around the store to avoid this “pesky character.”

The seller must demonstrate the second item, describing its advantages.

It is important to explain to the person why he should leave with two purchases at all.

For example, noticing that the proposed scarf is in harmony with the chosen hat, while creating a full-fledged fashionable look.

This is a good trick to increase sales in the store.

Rule No. 3. How to increase sales in the store with the help of a related offer?

This rule is in some sense “consonant” with the previous one.

Every clothing store contains products that can additionally increase sales, but are usually not offered to customers when choosing the main item.

These are the so-called small items, which are usually displayed in the checkout area or on small racks around the sales floor.

Such related products may be:

  • scarves;
  • hairpins;
  • umbrellas;
  • bijouterie;
  • various cases, wallets.

How it works?

For example, a man buys jeans.

At the checkout he is offered to purchase an additional pair of men's socks.

This is argued by the fact that then the purchase amount will reach the required minimum in order to open a discount card.

Few buyers will refuse: socks will always come in handy, and participation in the savings system is an opportunity to save on future purchases.

The consumer thinks this is a good investment and agrees.

Even if the entrepreneur’s profit from one such sale is small, but if you sum up the results of the month, the increase in sales using this method becomes obvious.

Therefore, store owners should not refuse to use such zones, and they also need to motivate sellers and cashiers to mention the existence of such goods to customers.

Rule #4: Don't forget about your customers


Use methods that will allow you to find out the buyer’s contact number at the time of sale of any product.

Most easy way- this is asking you to fill out a small form, for which the client can receive a discount card.

In this way you can create a database of store visitors.

How will this help increase sales at the point of sale?

The collected contact numbers of consumers are used for calling.

Here's how consultants can justify calling a buyer:

  1. Information about new deliveries to the store.
  2. Messages about profitable offers.
    For example, “buy one razor as a gift for a man on February 14, receive the second as a gift” or “we will pack it in beautiful gift paper for free.”
  3. To find out why the client has not visited the store for a long time, and whether he has any wishes regarding service or product.

The ability to work correctly with such a tool is a real art.

Only those employees who have good diction and know how to work with objections should do this.

They also give a good response rate and will also increase sales in the store.

The effectiveness of this method is confirmed by statistics:



Rule No. 5. Enter your discount card

To increase store sales in this way, you need to become familiar with the two sides of the coin in this process.

The positive side of the coin

How to increase sales in a store?

Mainly by increasing the number of consumers. And a discount card allows you to “get” them.

Buyers will always be attracted by the opportunity to save money.

For example, a girl wants to buy herself a handbag. This model is in two nearby stores. Only in one she has a discount card, and in the other she does not. Of course, she will go to buy goods where at least a small saving awaits her. Reasonable, isn't it?

With the help of discounts, we can increase sales by attracting more customers rather than increasing prices.

Negative side

When issuing such cards to regular customers, the store loses the lion's share of profit.

Whatever one may say, the amount “underpaid” by the buyer is the lost profit of the outlet.

Therefore, the feasibility of using cards must be calculated in each specific case separately.

Each owner will determine for himself whether it is worth using this method of attracting visitors.

But its effectiveness cannot be denied. Moreover, the efficiency gradually increases.

Pay attention to the comparative statistics of whether the presence of a discount card affects attendance:

Rule No. 6. Bonus program to increase sales

This is another move that is aimed at increasing sales in the store.

Calculate the average enterprise and add approximately 25-35% to it.

This amount will be the control minimum for the bonus program.

For example, the average store receipt was about 2,000 rubles. Then, to receive bonuses, the buyer will need to cross the threshold of 2,500 rubles (2,000 + 25% = 2,500).

Come up with some gifts as encouragement.

This can be either store products or any products from partner companies.

This method can increase sales in the store.

In addition, teach your employees to say the following words: “You made a purchase in the amount of 2,320 rubles.

If you purchase another 180 rubles worth of goods, we will give you one of the gifts to choose from:

  • plush toy;
  • flashlight;
  • keychain;
  • handle;
  • fridge magnet".

It can be anything! The main thing is to interest the buyer and make him pay even more.

Also, instead of gifts, according to the terms of the bonus program, you can award points that customers can spend on future purchases.

This kills two birds with one stone: it attracts people and makes them become regular customers.

The scheme is like this:



Rule No. 7. How to increase sales in a store with the help of promotions?

This list of the top 10 ways to increase in-store sales wouldn't be complete if you consider promotions.

Promotions will always exist, because this is the easiest way to increase the volume of goods sold.

They allow you to motivate a person and persuade him to spend more than he originally planned.

The most effective scheme that will help increase sales is 2+1 or 3+1 (buy three things and get the fourth as a gift).

This method not only allows you to increase sales in the store, but will also help when changing products to new collection or moving to another season.

The store sells several items at once that might otherwise sit unsold, instead of writing them off and sending them to stock centers.

In addition, this method will help increase the number of customers in the store.

It is noted that information about such actions is disseminated through word of mouth especially actively.

Rule No. 8. “Book of complaints and suggestions”

According to the law, every business must have such a book and issue it upon the client’s first request.

But often the owners completely ignore their presence: the document is sent “to the table”, and is issued only upon urgent requests (“otherwise you never know what kind of nasty things they’ll write to us”).

Meanwhile, this may be one of the reasons why it is not possible to increase sales in the store.

Surprised?

The fact is that based on complaints and suggestions, self-respecting boutiques or retail outlets determine what exactly customers are missing!

Of course, you shouldn’t invite every visitor to leave a note there.

Instead, you can introduce short surveys.

They can be carried out by cashiers when selling goods, and you can also place a box for requests and wishes on the sales floor.

You can ask buyers how they feel about:

  • price level in the store,
  • variety of assortment,
  • service personnel,
  • atmosphere in the store (music playing, decor, product location).

In addition, you can unobtrusively ask to leave a comment about the operation of the outlet on the site.

This will not only give feedback, but will also attract new people to visit you.

Sheets with answers need to be USED, improving the operation of the point of sale, and not being sent to a distant drawer.

Then you can increase sales by correcting possible problems.

The video shows practical advice to increase sales from an experienced entrepreneur:

Rule No. 9. Communication with the client


To increase sales in a store, you need to think not only about selling “here and now.”

Work for the future too.

For example, a person bought an expensive tablet, phone, laptop in your store.

And suddenly, a day or two later, store representatives call the buyer and ask:

  1. Is the consumer satisfied with the purchase?
  2. How quickly did you manage to set up an expensive purchase?
  3. Do you need help mastering technology?
  4. Do you have any suggestions for improving the store?

Agree, this gesture is very pleasant.

Every person will appreciate such care.

In addition, you will definitely want to tell your friends and acquaintances about this step of the store.

And word of mouth is an effective method of free advertising.

The methods listed above will help you decide how to increase sales in a store.

But we must not forget about the main thing behind the “tinsel”: the key to the success of a retail outlet is caring for the client, quality goods and highly qualified sales consultants.

If everything is in order with this “base,” the methods described in the article will help increase sales in the store in a short time.

In contact with

Classmates

From this article you will learn:

  • How to increase your company's sales through customer interaction
  • How to increase product sales using prices and promotions
  • How to increase sales in wholesale trade
  • How to increase sales in an online store

The correct answer to the question: “How to increase sales?” – can lead any company to success. the main objective commercial management of the enterprise - to maximize this criterion. We will look at the most effective methods for increasing your sales volume.

What needs to be done to increase profits: 19 universal methods

  1. Thorough market research.

Commerce does not accept ill-considered actions.

You need to learn about all the movements of the modern market, the successes or failures of competing companies, and then use the collected information to develop your own enterprise.

Describe your strategy in writing.

  1. Identification of promising directions.

To increase sales volumes, it is necessary to find out which economic areas are the most promising. Data from the analysis of the consumer index and various events in a certain area can help with this.

  1. Increase in the number of customers.

A small number of buyers equally affects new companies that have just entered the market structure and have not yet had time to gain popularity, and already established ones, whose clients may go to competitors due to internal problems in the organization itself.

When looking for new consumers, it is very important not to lose old ones.

Often, directors and top managers decide to radically change the operation of the enterprise, completely update the product range - this may force the previous acquirers to leave.

You can act in this way only if you have nothing to lose - for example, you have very few long-time customers.

Otherwise, innovation should be introduced gradually.

  1. Advertising of services and goods.

If you cannot afford to produce and display full-scale commercials, new technologies will come to your aid: corporate promotion on social networks, email campaigns, phone calls to clients, viral advertising. Don't forget about good old newspaper advertisements and flyers distributed by promoters.

  1. Increase your revenue using your phone.

A feature phone can help boost retail sales. It is better to forget the method of calling from several numbers, which is often used by unscrupulous companies: excessive intrusiveness can do your organization a disservice.

Try to offer your products and services to those who are interested in them. You need to have not only a complete set of information about your product, but also information about your potential buyer: who he works, what he is interested in, what problems concern him - and how your product can help solve them.

  1. Making changes to the company's work.

Find out which specific methods of your business are not working.

Perhaps it's all about ignorant sellers. Or your product range has long been outdated, while the cost remains above the market level. Or maybe you just need to renovate your premises or rebrand, and the question of how to increase sales will disappear by itself.

  1. Creation of highly specialized solutions.

During the year, enterprises operating in the fashion clothing market update their product catalog several times. They want to control the collection of orders for each region and be able to change it at any stage of the trade chain. Such clients can be offered special software for warehouse management and automated messaging with customers. They also offer their partners the opportunity to return product from the retail outlet to the distribution center. Accordingly, they need to ensure air or multimodal delivery, and in the case of transporting fur products, transportation must be accompanied by security.

  1. USP or differentiation from competitors.

To increase turnover, it is necessary to find all the beneficial differences between the enterprise and its competitors. If your main advantage is cost, you need to make radical reforms. A significant advantage can be:

  • free prompt delivery;
  • high quality service;
  • provision of related services;
  • discounts, bonuses and gifts for customers;
  • a wide range of goods in stock, etc.
  1. Quarterly report on work performed.

Often, clients do not realize what exactly they are getting by concluding a subscription service agreement with a particular organization. That is why it is worth regularly sending detailed reports to your partners, including a list of all work performed. This helps to increase the level of loyalty among potential consumers and, accordingly, increase the volume of sales in production.

  1. Social proof.

Research shows that customers are more willing to purchase goods and services from companies that are reliable and good reputation which are beyond doubt.

Confirmation of these characteristics can be, for example, certificates of conformity or other official documents, sociological research, which is the best way to convince consumers (social proof): “2500 customers cannot be wrong!”

  1. Improving the quality of services.

This method allows you to answer the question of how to increase sales during a crisis. If you've surveyed your customers in advance, you can move on to implementing your preferred strategic plan. It is necessary to improve the quality of services, train staff, and purchase new equipment. Buyers can be offered discounts, bonuses and gifts for the holidays.

  1. "Mystery shopper".

This is a specially trained person whom you hire secretly from your employees. He plays the role of an ordinary client and must record all stages of the trade chain using a hidden camera or voice recorder. This allows the businessman to understand how things really are. What the owner of the enterprise knew and the real situation may turn out to be diametrically opposed.

For additional control over employees, you can install special software on work computers that monitors the image on the monitor. The premises should be equipped with a CCTV camera. This will help identify undisciplined and incompetent employees and, ultimately, eliminate the factors that prevent the company from increasing its revenue.

  1. Changing the motivation system.

Launching an updated line of products, one of the corporations operating in the market for wholesale sales and distribution of computer equipment found itself in quite a situation. difficult situation. The sales volume was very small compared to competitors. Managers stated that customers were uninterested and rarely contacted the firm. Offering a product as an alternative to something also did not work, since it was not possible to convey information about its competitive advantages to the consumer. In general, the products were practically unknown on the domestic market and did not have reliable marketing support. The company itself had high hopes for this line, but it was impossible to change the principles of calculating salaries for employees. Management decided to pay regular bonuses to motivate specialists. They were paid not only the standard salary, but also $0.5 for each product sold. At first the amount seemed purely symbolic, but over time the unexpected move brought very good result– the level of revenue was increased by 60%. Each manager significantly expanded their personal client base, increasing their income and organizations.

  1. Development of a selling website.

Modern business needs a high-quality website - this is an axiom. An Internet portal is one of the main ways to attract customers and a tool that helps increase the level of purchases in stores. To make it more effective, you need to pay special attention to three main elements: a home page with good SEO copy, application forms, and feedback. Here are some tips to help improve your website's performance:

  • simplify the structure: do not load pages with heterogeneous information. Visitors must intuitively understand what and where to look;
  • prepare two separate menus: a general one for navigating the site and a product catalog divided by business segments (for example, “Expert. Restaurant chain”, “Expert. Club”, etc.);
  • Publish an infographic on the main page illustrating the benefits of your services. For example, you can write how much the company will lose if there is no automation of production processes and how much it will gain if they are finally debugged automatically;
  • place a link on the main page to a section with reviews from previous clients (positive, of course). They can push a potential consumer to cooperate with you;
  • leave space on the key page for a banner advertising special offers, promotions and bonuses;
  • In each upper left corner you need to place a button to order a manager’s call.
  1. Improvement and automation of application processing.

Another way to help increase retail size is the function of sending an electronic application. With its help, the buyer can track what stage his application is at. Automatic processing of incoming requests serves two purposes at once: increasing the level of consumer loyalty and making the work of employees easier.

  1. Increase in sales volume due to the right choice promotion channels.

Try connecting to advertising campaigns in Yandex. Direct”, place your banners and articles on the main websites of your region. For example, an organization selling land plots sold eight properties just by announcing its special offer. Still effective way promotion is television advertising. In particular, one of the construction companies managed to quickly achieve recognition of its own brand thanks to the launch of the reality show “Construction. Your own home in three months.”

  1. Blue Ocean strategy.

This method is based on the search and formation of new markets that have not yet been developed by competitors. Consider the following case study. A network of lighting equipment stores offered its customers qualified design assistance. To do this, each client needed to photograph their apartment and send the pictures to the salon. After studying the photo, the designer suggested the most suitable lamps from the salon’s assortment. As a result of the campaign, it was possible to increase sales volumes by 37%. Word of mouth has shown particular effectiveness.

  1. Search for a competitor.

Create a virtual rival for yourself - and the unique advantages of your products and services against his background will become more pronounced. Customers will be much more loyal to you if the competition is conducted in an interesting game form.

Remember, for example, a funny video about the confrontation between the MAC OS and PC computer systems, which helped increase the number of Apple fans several times. Or a classic example of PR battles between Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Co. The undeniable advantage of the latter is the publicly available composition of the drink - this inspires customer confidence (unlike Coca-Cola, which keeps the recipe secret).

  1. Analysis of the reasons for low demand.

Often it is not even necessary to increase the sales volume of an enterprise, but only to remove the barriers that prevent it from reaching maximum heights. For example, consumers may be put off by ignorant or overly intrusive salespeople, an old premises without renovation, or even a poorly designed storefront. By eliminating these reasons, you can significantly improve the level of retail sales.

Techniques for increasing a company's sales ratio through customer interaction

  1. Targeting thrifty buyers.

There are several techniques to encourage consumers of the first type (24% of the total) to make a purchase.

Here are some examples of how these methods work.

The cost of the offer can be changed without changing anything in essence, but only by dividing it into amounts that are psychologically easier to perceive (for example, $100 per month instead of $1200 per year).

The Internet company AOL has replaced hourly payments for its services with monthly ones. This strategy is the opposite of the one described earlier and is aimed at getting users not to track their expenses every day.

All-inclusive resorts provide a feeling of security and comfort because tourists feel that all expenses have already been covered and no additional expenses will be required.

Netflix has replaced the pay-per-view system with a flat monthly rate for unlimited access to all content.

  1. Comprehensive solutions for consumers.

Make comprehensive logistics offers to your customers that take into account strengths your enterprise. Test the new service on one of your partners, and if successful, extend it to other customers.

  1. "Devil's Advocate".

This ancient Catholic tradition has taught modern marketers much. Research shows that if someone's idea is refuted by the devil's advocate, that person's confidence in their own rightness only increases. Your firm can take advantage of this experience and act as the devil's advocate yourself. This way you can increase the confidence of your customers (they are the leading consumers of your products). Let the "devil's advocate" express their doubts, and you debunk him with the help of scientific and practical experience.

  1. Attracting like-minded people.

Tell your potential customers about high goal, which you are pursuing (this could be fundraising for charity or any other social project). This will provide an opportunity to attract like-minded people as committers. 64% of citizens surveyed by sociologists said that it was this factor that prompted them to make a purchase decision.

A good example is a charity event to increase sales of TOMS Shoes. Its essence is simple: when you buy a pair of shoes for yourself, you give a second pair to children in need. The campaign helped sell millions of pairs of shoes - and millions of children received new shoes for free. Thus, good and kind deeds can increase sales!

  1. Overcoming the “barrier to entry.”

There are often situations when a consumer is almost ready to make a purchase, but needs an additional incentive. They may have the opportunity to try out a future purchase absolutely free. During a certain period of time, while testing is carried out, the client will have time to get used to the product or service. This will increase the likelihood that after this period he will buy the product, simply not wanting to give it up.

A correctly formulated proposal plays a decisive role in this situation. Many people resort to the standard phrase: “Try a 30-day demo for free.” However, you will agree that the slogan “The first month is free” sounds more pleasant and convincing. The goal is one, but the means are different, therefore, the result may be different.

  1. Sales scripts.

The technology involves interviews between the seller and the buyer with the following types of questions: situational, problematic, extractive and guiding. By answering them, a person shows greater interest in the products offered. Keep in mind that it is impossible to create universal templates for all types of buyers. The head of the department must independently develop a question sheet with expected answers for each item. In order not to lose the skill acquired during SPIN sales training, you need to consolidate it every day for a month. Employees should brainstorm questions for this type of interview two to three times a day. Please note that regular clients who are accustomed to a certain type of negotiation with your managers may initially be hostile to the new model. Therefore, first you need to test it on new customers, only then transfer the skill to regular customers.

  1. Explaining to consumers their next steps.

Dr. Howard Leventhal, in his research, argues that a person will not perceive relevant information if it does not contain clear instructions. Buyers believe that the described difficulties do not apply to them and prefer not to worry. But when the description of the problems is followed by instructions for eliminating them, the result exceeds all expectations.

The number of people receiving a flu vaccine has increased by a quarter after clear advice on how to avoid the disease was published. This is one of the most common ways to attract new clients to insurance companies.

  1. Up-sell method.

Train your managers to work with visitors, taking them into account emotional condition. They should know what to tell customers additionally about the qualities of the product, consider all its capabilities and advantages. And do this in an accessible form so that the consumer fully appreciates the benefits of the offer.

  1. Admitting shortcomings.

How to increase sales during a crisis based on your own mistakes? Here you can describe many cases of real industrial disasters that have occurred in recent years (for example, oil spills). Most often, the reason for these situations was the reluctance of companies to notice their mistakes and correct them. This continued exactly until a crisis moment came, when it was too late to change anything. For example, the energy company TEPCO (Japan) admitted only a year and a half later that it had made a mistake that led to “ nuclear crisis"on the Japanese coast.

When working with online applications, you have probably encountered situations where developers send out emails with apologies for technical failures and problems. Such mailings make it clear that the organization is working on mistakes, is not leaving them unattended, and will do everything possible in the future to avoid repeating them.

  1. Services for the product (packaging, delivery, lifting to the floor, warranty and post-warranty service).

Functionality and ease of use can be half the cost of the product. For some categories of customers, these factors are fundamental and have the greatest influence on the purchasing decision. We are talking mainly about older people, mothers of young children and people who do not own their own cars. In this case, it is worth thinking not only about the growth of the average check, but also about sales in general.

  1. Keeping customers on their toes.

Keep consumers on their toes. A classic study by Norberg Schwartz shows that all it takes to change a person's mind is finding a dime. Use people's positive reactions to surprises for marketing purposes and give them small gifts. Such an action will help to significantly increase the volume of sales, and it does not have to be very expensive - it is not the price that is important, but human attention.

  1. Newsletter for potential buyers.

This is the formation of a database of people who have expressed interest in your project, even if the contract was never concluded. Then, in case of any promotions, discounts or changes in the assortment, they can be promptly notified about these events.

  1. Surprises for clients.

Pamper your customers with surprises - and you will be able to win their trust and loyalty, receiving a huge number of grateful reviews. The online shoe store Zappos traditionally uses exactly this kind of influence tactics.

Expecting to receive your order within five days, as promised on the website, you suddenly receive it within a day. Or you get the opportunity to return shoes throughout the year. Such surprises helped accumulate a huge number of reviews on the site, which became a powerful marketing tool for influencing potential buyers.

  1. Harnessing the power of shortcuts.

Use evaluative statements. When studying the factors influencing the voting results, a special behavioral test was conducted. Based on its results, scientists found that people who were randomly called “politically active citizens” voted 15% more willingly. Even though people received this rating by chance, this characteristic had a serious impact on them. Use this method: Show your clients that you think they are innovative, innovative, and proactive. Then they will act according to that label.

How to increase sales using prices and promotions

  1. Increasing the cost of goods, selling more expensive analogue products.

Even if the buyer says that he wants to save money, this is not a reason to sell him the most budget-friendly product. The manager can structure the conversation as follows: “Of course, I can offer you a car for three hundred thousand rubles. But you definitely want it to have climate control, power steering and heated seats.” If the buyer answers in the affirmative, it is worth noting: “Why would you spend money on a car that doesn’t suit you?”

You can sell a more expensive product only if it has additional benefits. Let's take, for example, two almost identical refrigerators of different brands and with different prices. Most managers will say that there is no difference between them. But is it? Of course not! The task of the department head is to explain to employees how different models differ in terms of technology, manufacturing standards, warranties, etc.

  1. Average check growth.

This is the most accessible method. It kind of follows from the method described above, but with some difference. The check can increase due to a simple increase in prices, an increase in the number of service functions, or changes in payment terms. By the way, an increase in cost by 1% increases profits by 3-10%. It is important that the price increase is not too significant and brings with it new opportunities.

  1. Adding shares.

The vast majority of buyers love them very much.

The leader of Ukraine among supermarkets in terms of originality of promotions is Silpo.

Even serious ones reasonable people react to their promotions: “Price of the week”, “Hot offer”, “Thematic days”, “Coupons for increasing points”, etc.

  1. Visibility of commercial offers.

A trade initiative must really interest a potential consumer of goods or services. It should include detailed description characteristics and advantages of products. When conducting one-time promotions or providing short-term discounts, market instructions must be supplemented with information about them. Excellent feature article - 10 clever techniques for writing a business proposal.

  1. Various recommendations for clients (at least three).

When new customers contact a company, it can be very difficult to predict what price range of goods and services will interest them. Thus, if you only offer them products in one price range, you may miss their preferences. It would be more correct to offer several alternative options at once - for example, “standard”, “business” and “premium” sets.

In this case, sales psychology will work well. The buyer will understand that he was offered products with a wide price range, and he has very few reasons to refuse the purchase. In this case, it is necessary to correctly compile sets of products of different prices and clearly explain to the customer the differences between them. Start with the most expensive sets - then he will perceive cheaper products positively.

  1. Providing expiring discounts.

For example, offer customers a bonus card with a unique code. If a buyer spends a certain amount in a store within a month, he will receive a discount on all products in the next month. The amount of the concession depends on the number of orders last month. At the same time, the discount expires if a person has not bought anything for a whole month. An approximate range of discounts could be: from 5% when purchasing 100 rubles to 30% when spending 20 thousand rubles.

  1. Cost differentiation.

Manufacturers set a single price for certain product categories. Often this is not entirely justified. If a visitor directly asks about the price, the manager does not have time to identify his needs - he needs to clearly state the amount. If a single price has not been established, the manager can ask many clarifying questions, establish a dialogue and obtain information that will help influence the buyer. In addition, this way you can slightly increase the number of clients.

  1. Favorable price image.

From a psychological point of view, it is better to write “100 rubles a month” on the price tag than “1200 rubles a year.” By correctly setting a non-intimidating price, you can significantly increase your sales volume.

Means of increasing sales in a retail store

  1. Patency.

How can you understand, even before the store opens, how busy the place where it will operate is? Easily! Stand at the door of the future company and for a certain time count all the people who passed by and glanced in your direction. This way you will calculate the total number of potential clients. To create a more accurate description, you will have to take into account the gender and age of people passing by. Compare the data obtained with the theoretical portrait of the buyer and understand the approximate attendance of a retail store by ordinary passers-by.

  1. Signboard.

So, you have found out the number of possible passer-by buyers. Now they need to be “hooked”. First of all, a sign can help with this. She must be:

  • bright and eye-catching;
  • understandable and giving an idea of ​​what products are sold outside the door;
  • encouraging people to buy in this store (through a wide range, affordable prices, High Quality etc.).

Most often, you can find out how effective a particular sign is only by trial and error.

  1. Cross-selling.

Having sold a certain product, you can offer related services. For example, a person who bought an aquarium can order its correct installation, connection and maintenance - all without leaving the checkout. To do this, the retail store needs to negotiate with the relevant companies, and then attract customers and receive their percentage.

  1. Determining the purchase threshold.

Doesn't exist here a certain model– it all depends on the imagination of the store owner. The essence of the method is as follows:

  • when making a purchase whose price exceeds a certain limit, the client receives a coupon for free delivery, a discount or a gift;
  • When you buy two products, you can get the third one for free.

The list can be continued endlessly. Each store is trying to come up with its own promotions to increase sales in stores.

  1. Payment of change in goods.

This method is not very common, but very interesting. When paying for products, the buyer receives change not in money, but in goods - for example, matches or candy.

  1. Yellow and red price tags.

This method is widely known. Many supermarkets sell products that are past their expiration dates at discounted prices. This is exactly what the multi-colored price tags convey.

  1. Possibility to return the product if you don't like it.

Moreover, there is a law that obliges sellers to accept products back within two weeks after sale.

  1. Hints on price tags.

On the labels you can place information that some others are usually purchased along with this product. The buyer will most likely take the advice and buy something in addition to the main product.

  1. "Chair" for the buyer's companion.

People rarely go shopping alone, and most often your direct client's companion is someone who is completely uninterested in your services. To prevent him from trying to get your customer out of the store as quickly as possible, offer him an activity that will help pass the time: watching TV for men, playing games for children, reading fashion magazines for women.

  1. Unique selling proposition.

Not every store owner has the opportunity to rent premises on a busy street and hang a chic sign. However, anyone can create a unique product or service that will make people want to go out of their way. This is the main method of increasing sales.

  1. Upselling.

This is an offer to make an additional purchase to the main one. For example, when purchasing a smartphone, a SIM card and insurance are offered, and the purchased bouquet of flowers is advised to be packaged for an additional fee. The main rule is that the price of an additional service should not exceed the price of the main product. This method allows you to increase the company's sales level by 30%.

  1. Working with margin.

Perhaps the most accessible method of increasing profits. They say that the low cost of a product is not always perceived by the buyer as the most attractive. Often, buyers consider a product sold at a high price to be of higher quality. Ask yourself a question: does it matter whether the sausage costs 300 rubles or 310? Most often, such a difference seems insignificant to buyers. Now calculate your total profit.

Let's look at the example described in Robert Cialdini's book “The Psychology of Influence.” The owner of a jewelry store could not sell several turquoise jewelry. When leaving on vacation, she left a written order to her subordinates: “*1\2 price for all turquoise.” Imagine her surprise when, upon arrival, she learned that all the jewelry had been sold...at twice the price. The seller simply did not understand her instructions and increased, rather than decreased, the price.

  1. Price tags.

Take a look with a critical eye your price stickers. As a rule, they are impersonal and do not catch the eye. A potential buyer has only a few seconds to make a purchasing decision in the store he visited. Try to surprise him enough to make him stay for at least a few minutes and start asking questions. Price tags printed on colored paper and cut out in the form of intricate figures, with tempting and sometimes shocking offers, can help with this. For example, on the eve of the New Year holidays, you can print them in the form of snowflakes, Christmas trees, snowmen and other holiday paraphernalia. Or you can place in a prominent place a product that is sold at an exorbitant price. No one will probably buy it, but many will want to look at it and perhaps buy something else. It doesn’t matter at all what they say about you, as long as the address is indicated correctly.

  1. Smile.

In stores where salespeople smile at their customers, sales increase by 20-30% compared to outlets where sullen staff work. Teach your employees to smile regardless of their mood.

  1. « Free cheese" without a mousetrap.

The famous home goods brand offered free cookies to visitors to its stores. Thus, he attracted parents with children to the number of buyers and won over consumers.

  1. Non-standard guarantees.

Provide additional guarantees and you will get new customers. “If we don’t deliver the pizza in half an hour, you’ll get it for free.” “If a salesperson is rude to you, you will get a discount.” “If you find a product cheaper than ours, we will refund 110% of the difference!” Experience shows that it is very rare to put these guarantees into practice, but the opportunity itself certainly attracts customers.

  1. Other services.

Let's say you own a cosmetics store in a small town. How to make the whole city know about it? Easy: hire a high-quality stylist and distribute leaflets that for a month a master will work in your store who will help you choose cosmetics for free and teach you how to apply makeup correctly. In a month, women will only talk about your company - even those who don’t need a stylist, and they learned about the promotion from their girlfriends.

Are you trading plastic windows? Announce a promotion in which each buyer will receive a free device that measures the thermal conductivity of windows and calculates heat loss. Anyone who needs to replace the windows in their apartment will think about you first. You can offer to install mosquito nets for three hundred rubles. Perhaps at first it will bring you losses, but then you will see how many clients for whom you installed them will come to you to order windows. Moreover, your craftsmen may subtly hint that it’s time to change the windows.

How to increase sales in wholesale trade

  1. Creation of a marketing department.

To increase sales volume, it is necessary to properly organize the work of the marketing department. Specialists must constantly research the market, look for new options, and optimize production and logistics processes. Hire competent workers and your company will prosper.

  1. Expansion of the range.

Always think about the possibility of expanding the range of products offered. You can more diversify the models, their size range, and the number of related products. By increasing your offer, you will save the client from having to look for other suppliers.

  1. Demand research.

Determine the capabilities of your customers and set tasks for managers, based not on the experience of past years, but on the share of your deliveries to the customer. For example, your manager sells goods worth 100 thousand rubles. The partner's turnover is growing. However, it turns out that the potential of this organization is 10 million rubles, and your company is simply used as a backup supplier. It's bad if the manager doesn't know about it. It's even worse if the manager doesn't even know.

  1. Competent work with federal and regional networks.

Most wholesale suppliers try to cooperate with large corporations. Concluding such an agreement is usually quite simple and almost always profitable.

  1. Transparent pricing policy.

Maintain a clear and understandable pricing policy or make the salaries of your managers directly dependent on profits. Either you work according to a strict price list, which specifies all categories of clients, or you give the manager the authority to provide any discounts and bonuses, but at the same time make it dependent on revenue. There is no third.

  1. Concluding contractual obligations with regular consumers.

Contracts with regular customers are mutually beneficial cooperation in terms of the ratio of not only cost and profit, but also price and quality. Buy good goods at a favorable price. This will allow you to ensure optimal matching of prices and corresponding product properties for your customers, which will become your undeniable advantage. Buyers simply cannot refuse such a lucrative offer. Value your reputation as a conscientious supplier - it will work better than any advertising.

  1. Penetration into the client's business.

The better you understand the business activity of your buyer, the lower the risk of losing him, the closer you are to end consumers, the better your consignor’s sales are.

  1. Thorough analysis of customer failures.

Let's say an insignificant customer leaves you. You are not upset and think that you will have more time to interact with large firms. In fact, this situation is fraught with serious consequences. The reasons that forced small companies stop cooperating with you can have an impact on large ones. The modern market is designed in such a way that small organizations respond more sensitively to new trends and trends - this helps them survive. Therefore, the factors influencing them will later be reflected in large enterprises. You must carefully analyze the departure of each customer and draw the right conclusions.

  1. The focus is on the client's business, not your business.

This is a basic operating principle, not a way to make a profit. Once you start working with wholesale, concentrate on the trade of your customers. Think about how to increase the sales volume of your partner’s company, which product is in greatest demand, and how to increase the profitability of the enterprise. While your partner is afloat, you are also on the crest of the wave.

  1. Compliance with the rules of working with distributors.

It is very important to properly build interaction with dealers - so that this does not interfere with working with ordinary customers. Decide what is your priority: retail trade or representative services. Often it is worth closing your own retail and stop giving discounts to intermediaries. In other cases, the emphasis should be on your own implementation - if resources allow.

  1. Creating interesting offers.

The company's pricing policy and its bonus system should work for long-term cooperation, and not for one-time transactions.

  1. Monitoring.

Constantly analyze competitors' offers. Clients who have previously used their services will help you with this.

  1. Working with transport.

Create your own logistics department. This will give you a huge advantage over your competitors - you will be able to ensure uninterrupted delivery of goods. Of course, at the first stage you will have to incur significant losses, but after a short time they will pay off handsomely, helping to increase the sales level of the enterprise.

  1. Constant search for new clients.

The main goal of a store selling by the piece is to make a profit. Most often, such companies are open to offers that promise additional income. Of course, there is a risk that you may lose your regular buyer, who was lured away by competitors. On the other hand, there is a high probability that you will be able to offer more favorable conditions. Therefore, do not stop looking for new consumers, even if the enterprise is already operating at full capacity.

  1. Personnel training.

The volume of trade largely depends on the person selling the product or service. It is necessary to place emphasis on selecting a staff of competent specialists and training them. However, participation in many master classes, seminars and trainings is by no means an option. You need to understand which of the activities is most effective and choose it. Teach employees to show off the product, emphasizing its advantages and not dwelling on the inevitable shortcomings. Staff professionalism is the best way to increase sales levels.

Various promotions and special offers are primarily considered as a way to increase sales. But this marketing tool actually brings much more benefits to businesses in the most different directions. For example, competent work with promotions allows you to replace that portion of the customer base that a business loses over time and stimulates repeat purchases from existing customers.
At the same time, it is worth remembering that it is not enough to simply come up with and carry out an action - you also need to convey information about it as much as possible more people from your target audience. You can organize the dissemination of information using channels such as publications and banners on the website, social networks, banners in the contextual media network, and also use e-mail distribution for this purpose.

Here are 25 ideas you can use for your online store to attract new customers, increase sales, and spread the word about your brand.

  1. Random reward. This option is aimed at working with existing clients, and not at attracting new ones. The rules are simple: among buyers who placed an order in a certain period of time, a prize in the form of a certain item or cash reward is drawn, and the winner is determined using a generator random numbers. An example of a service with similar functionality is mrandom.com.
  2. Package offer. A proven way to encourage customers to spend more than they originally planned is to combine several items in a package deal format and offer it at a lower price than if purchased individually. For example, a bundle of camera + bag + memory card.
  3. Create a feeling of scarcity. Indicate that the promotion is only valid for a limited time, such as this week or the next three days. Make people feel like they're losing money if they don't take action now. Limited supply stimulates additional demand.
  4. Opportunity to get first. We are talking about such a scheme for purchasing goods as pre-order. True, the return from such a promotion in an online store will only be if we're talking about about a very popular product, such as a new iPhone model.
  5. Weekend offer. Typically, consumer activity drops on weekends, and you can stimulate it by sending offers to your subscriber base with a selection of products that are discounted when placing an order on Saturday-Sunday.
  6. Personal selections. Segmenting customers and offering each group of products that may be of potential interest to them based on an analysis of viewed products or previous orders can provide good returns in the form of repeat purchases.
  7. Buy more to save. These types of offers are attractive to customers because they create a feeling of benefit received, despite the fact that the average bill becomes higher. Don't give big discounts, just make sure they're attractive enough to encourage potential customers to take action.
  8. A small gift. Let's be honest - everyone loves a freebie. It is enough to give just some nice little thing, and it is advisable that it reminds the person of your brand. It could be a mug, keychain, phone case, etc. This seems like a small bonus, but many people will appreciate it.
  9. Loyalty points. Each time a customer purchases something, they are awarded bonus points that can be redeemed for a cash discount on their next product purchase. You can first test this special offer for a certain period of time, and if it proves itself well, make the loyalty program unlimited, relevant for the entire time the online store operates as a business.
  10. Find cheaper. One of the popular ways to promote a brand, relevant for new niches and product categories with low level competition. The basic rule is that you will deduct the difference between prices if the buyer found a similar product cheaper in another online store. But it is worth recalling once again that such a scheme will not be relevant if we are talking about a highly competitive niche, which is characterized by a small markup on goods.
  11. Bring a friend. Offer registered users bonus points or a cash discount if a friend signs up using their referral link. This can work great in popular niches, such as clothing retailing. In this way, you can expand your customer base through the users themselves, who act as a kind of marketers for your business.
  12. Birthday gift. If you have enough data about your customers to track this kind of information, you can set up automatic mailings of special offers to those people who have an upcoming birthday. Everyone will be glad to see such attention to their person from the business.
  13. Only for subscribers. The name is not entirely correct, since the first association usually arises with an analogy with mailing e-mail. We are talking about creating a unique offer for a specific channel. For example, this way you can increase activity on social networks by making a limited special offer for all page subscribers, valid for a specific period of time.
  14. We exchange old for new. This technique is called trade-in, and the most famous example its use in retail is the ability to exchange an old iPhone for a new one in retail stores Apple. You can offer your regular customers to exchange an old item for a new one, with a small additional payment on their part.
  15. Gift certificates. Can work well in a niche that is in high demand, such as clothing, accessories, jewelry, digital technology, books, and others. It often happens that we want to give a gift to someone dear to us, but we haven’t decided what exactly is best to choose, and we just don’t want to give money. In such cases, a gift certificate of a certain denomination will be very useful.
  16. tell me a story. Surely among your subscribers on social networks and e-mail newsletters there are people who don’t mind showing their imagination if in exchange you offer them something valuable. Run a competition where everyone can submit a story related to the theme of your online store, or the use of a specific product category that you sell. In principle, the story does not have to relate to your product; for example, you can time it to coincide with a specific event.
  17. Family purchase. You can offer a discount or a free gift to those who buy things from you not only for themselves, but also, for example, for their child. So, when ordering clothes for an adult and a child at the same time, offer a discount, free delivery, or even give one set of clothes as a gift.
  18. Service as a bonus. Not all products fit the “buy and use” definition. Some require preliminary installation, configuration and similar actions on the part of the future owner. The seller can take on the solution to this task by offering to complete it completely free of charge, thus acquiring loyal customers.
  19. Master Class. If the products you offer are actively used in creativity or to create something, you can invite site visitors and subscribers on social networks to send a master class in the format of an article (with photo) or video. This is especially true for online stores that specialize in hobby and creative goods.
  20. Guess the result. On the eve of some significant event, before which a certain intrigue remains, you can invite users to guess its results. Moreover, it is not necessary that it be related exclusively to your niche, because there are events that are equally interesting for almost everyone. For example, the football championship and other sports competitions. Whoever guesses the final score will receive a prize!
  21. Bonus for review. If your online store has already implemented a system of cumulative discounts, bonus points, or something similar, you can experiment further, expanding it. Offer your customers bonus points for reviewing a product after placing an order, which they can use to get a discount on their next purchase.
  22. Hurry up to be the first. A promotional offer option that should be considered when promoting a new product or product category. Offer a discount, gift or free shipping to the first 10 customers. The number of buyers, of course, can be anything.
  23. Gift for subscription. A great way to increase your email subscriber base in a short time. Simply announce that everyone who subscribes to your email newsletter will receive a gift coupon that guarantees a discount of a certain value on any item in the catalog.
  24. Special days. It is difficult to find a person who has not heard of the famous “Black Friday”, the fashion for which came to us from the USA and other Western countries. It’s just that there’s only one Friday a year, and you can conduct an experiment and make a specific day special for customers, but not limit the promotion to one week. Free shipping, a small gift, bonuses on a club card - there are many ways to stimulate customers , and in the end, this one day can generate excellent revenue for you.
  25. Two plus one. An option that is suitable for online stores that operate in niches with good margins. Well, or in cases where you need PR at any cost. Create sets of promotional goods from several products, one of which will be free for the buyer. And you, in turn, will be able to earn money by increasing the average bill.

What else should you consider?

You don’t just need to carry out an action as an end in itself, but also achieve certain goals? Therefore, when planning this event every time, think carefully about whether it will suit the interests of your target audience. So that you don't accidentally end up giving away a set of car tires in the cycling community. An exaggeration, of course, but sometimes similar examples occur.

And one more important point– Avoid being overly enthusiastic about discounts. Instead, make an effort to organize promotions that encourage users to return to your online store and make repeat purchases. Work to increase your base of loyal customers rather than random customers.

We hope that the ideas from this article will be useful to you when working to increase sales of your online store and help you achieve success in the difficult task of development. own business. We also recommend that you read our article - any activity that will help you increase customer loyalty is worth spending your time and money on it in our time.

A sales growth plan is a specific instruction for increasing the number of transactions in your company. This plan is a universal template that is suitable for all businesses, regardless of their field of activity.

Where to start making a plan to increase sales? As a rule, the preliminary stage is a sales audit. When conducting an audit, you collect statistical data such as:

  • total number of clients;
  • sales volume for the period;
  • average bill and number of purchases per customer;
  • customer refusal rate;
  • ROI for each sales channel.

This is the required minimum of indicators on the basis of which you can build a preliminary solution to increase sales volume. Let's look at its components.

What does a sales increase plan consist of?

A typical plan for increasing sales volume may contain (and most often contains) the following elements:

  • sales to new customers
  • sales to existing customers
  • resuscitation of “sleeping” clients
  • reducing customer churn

In this article, I will provide the structure of a real sales team growth plan.

Sales to new clients

New customers are the basis of any business. Some of them become permanent and interact with your company for quite a long time.

Depending on the field of activity of your company, the sales cycle is determined. There are companies with long and short cycles. The duration of transactions depends on specific tools sales

For companies with a short sales cycle, discounts, promotions, customer cards and special offers are suitable.

For companies with a long cycle, it is better to use the two-step sales technique. Let's look at these tools using a practical example.

Example 1. An online store may well reduce the price by hot commodity and thereby attract new customers.

What is two-step selling? This is a method used by B2B companies, as well as all businesses with a long sales cycle. Its essence is as follows: first we receive the client’s contact information (or “close” him for a test drive/trial purchase), and then we sell the main product.

Alternatively, you can first give the client a trial period to test the product, and then start selling the main functionality. Many companies do this: from IT services to car centers.

You can earn more money from new clients thanks to upsell, crossell and downsell technologies. I talked about them in more detail in a short video available below.

In short:

  • Upsell is the upselling of additional options to the client. For example, offering insurance when purchasing an mp3 player.
  • Cross-sell - so-called cross-selling. Thanks to this tool, we raise the average bill by offering to buy a product from another category. The person wanted to buy a disk, and we sold him a flash drive that holds more data.
  • Down-selling is the sale of a product that costs less than the original offer. The only condition is that you earn more money on a cheaper product. Instead of a wooden table, you sold the client a plastic one, but you earned more money on it because its purchase price is lower.


After selecting sales tools for new clients, we move on to sales to existing ones.

Sales to existing customers

On average, attracting a new customer costs 7 times more than selling to an existing one. What tools can be used at this stage?

  • “Closed” sales - you give a discount on some product, but only a portion of existing customers can take advantage of it, but you can notify the entire base.
  • Pre-order - knowing the needs of regular customers, you can collect prepayments and submit applications for subsequent delivery of the product.
  • Lotteries, contests and sweepstakes - by holding such events for customers, you not only increase trust in your company, but you can also give a discount or a gift certificate for a purchase from your company as consolation prizes.
  • Club cards - their operation algorithm is similar to bonus cards. However, in the club format, in addition to discounts or bonuses, free services of your company and partners are provided.

Resuscitation of "sleeping" clients

Among your existing customers, there is almost always a part that suddenly stopped buying. Such clients are usually called sleeping clients. In the third part of the plan to increase sales volume, we will solve this problem.

As a rule, it is difficult to sell to such clients right away. Therefore, the tools you choose for their resuscitation should first of all encourage them to contact you.

  • A call or an email - the purpose of such a touch will be to communicate with the client and identify the reasons why he stopped buying from you.
  • Special offer - if the client has not left completely, then such an offer can return him to the list of active buyers.
  • Exclusive - let's say you have a new product that is not yet available for mass sales. Try offering it to “sleeping” clients and measure the results.

What should be in the plan to increase sales volume

First, specific deadlines for each stage. Let’s say you can work with new clients throughout the entire implementation period, but you have 2 weeks to inform “dormant” clients.

Second, you must have a team to implement the plan. These can be either your employees or invited specialists (consultants, temporary staff, freelancers).

Thirdly, it is necessary to appoint someone responsible for the development and implementation of a plan to increase sales.

Conclusion

A plan for increasing sales volume is necessary for the systematic development of sales in your company.

With the development of a market economy, the private business sector is increasing from year to year. This is quite natural - that's all more people They don’t want to work for someone else, they want to open an independent business. And depend only and exclusively on yourself. Despite the fact that your own business is always a risk of failure, business acumen, abilities and endurance can help lead your small business to success. But still, running your own business is not an easy task, especially when it comes to trade. Quite often (and at any stage of development of this, the question arises of how to increase the level of sales?

It should be noted that it is quite difficult to give a definite answer to this question. Any trade is both profitable and very risky, since it requires from the businessman a careful study of market conditions, flexibility and resourcefulness in business decisions and, of course, luck. Let's consider the simplest one, and therefore clear example besides in the store.

First, it should be noted that all trade is based on compromises. There are several of them. The first is between the price and quality of the product. IN Lately This scheme has been interjected with such a concept as “brand” (which most often has no effect at all, but can increase the price). The quality of the product (or better yet, both the quality and the popularity of its brand) should be at its maximum high level, while the price should not be a penny higher than the price set by competitors. On the contrary, an artificial, albeit small, reduction in prices is welcomed (especially at first).

The second important compromise that must be observed if you want to learn in practice how to increase sales is the relationship between supply and demand. The first, as we know, gives rise to the second. Accordingly, there are two options: either sell goods that will always be needed, or occupy a specialized (narrow) niche of the market sector, ensuring a lasting influence on it. To do this, you should either expand or, conversely, narrow the range of products sold.

However, this is not the only way to ensure an increase. First of all, you should remember that various kinds of promotions and advertising stunts give only a one-time effect, perhaps attracting a small wave of buyers, but it is the quality of the services provided that will turn this spontaneous wave into regular customers. To understand how to increase your sales level, let's look at the following diagram. It is always necessary to work by people and for people, that is, we start from the individual. To ensure an increase in sales volume, it is necessary that all managers, salespeople, warehouse workers - in general, all personnel work like a well-coordinated mechanism, having a perfect understanding of their own functions and understanding what corporate ethics is.

Next, constant and thoughtful work with the client is necessary. Clear, fast and friendly service will make the store popular for a reasonable price. short term. We must not forget that the seller himself must be well versed in the product he is selling.

That's the whole answer to the question of how to increase sales. The answer is simple, but the main thing here is to bring all its elements to life. And perhaps, based on the tips outlined above, come up with something of your own!