5 Tips to Make More Sales In Your Business
Whether you’re just starting out in your business or you’ve been at it for a while, we can all benefit from more sales. Maybe you’ve had a really great run of clients and you’ve hit a slow season. Or maybe you’re not sure where to even begin? There’s no need to worry! Making business sales can be tough. However, there are a few things you can do to make it easier.
I’ve rounded up some of my best tips to help control the flow of your sales. I want you to be able to work with a lot of really great people. After all, your services and products are amazing and people need you! You need to believe that. So, here are five things you can do to help make more sales in your business.
1. Ask people for referrals
This is one of the simplest things to do—yet, something that we often forget about. Our past clients are our best source of referrals. They could know somebody that you might be able to help through your business. You have to go back to them and just ask!
If you feel weird about it, you can offer them a discount or your time to reward them for asking around. Of course, sometimes they’ll do it out of the kindness of their hearts! However, it’s always nice to follow up with at least at card (maybe a Starbucks gift card, too) to show them that you appreciated their referral.
Keep in mind that you can do this during the course of your work with someone, too. Let’s say you’re working with someone on a 6-month process—ask them about referrals around the beginning of your contract or around month five. This is when they’ll be most excited about working with you and be happy to ask around.
Here’s an example of something you could say:
“Hey, I love working with people like you! [Then list qualities about them that you love.] I would love to be able to work with more people like you, too. Do you know anybody who might be a good fit for working with me? Or that I would be a good fit for helping to support their goals?”
Go ahead and put yourself out there. If they loved working with you, they’re not going to hesitate to make that connection. After all, unless you ask, they might not even think about it.
2. Apply some “Social Glue”
This is really about connecting a person with another person. It’s also about having a longer-term relationship or networking partnership with people so you can serve them currently or in the future.
For example, I’ve had a great relationship with one of my clients for a long time now. However, before she became my client, we were just acquaintances. I didn’t think she was going to hire me—she wasn’t even looking for a coach—but then we had a chat about something completely unrelated with another friend. I could tell there was something off. So, after that initial call, I reached out to her to see if she was okay. By me just asking her if something was wrong and if I could support her with anything it really solidified to her that I cared about her as a human being and that I was able to help her.
She ended up admitting that she had thought about hiring me but she’d been scared to reach out. It was totally not what I was expecting at all. Just by being a compassionate human being, I established a connection and a relationship with her.
It’s definitely possible for you to get more sales by being connected, longer term. It really works! So, if you can slow down, create some time in your month to have a couple connection calls, they might end up bringing you other referrals.
However, “Social Glue” does take a bit of maintenance. After all, you really need to work on establishing and cultivating relationships but it’s so worthwhile! You get to see people transform through a longer period of time rather than just a short time frame. In fact, that’s one of the most rewarding benefits.
3. Leverage your email list
It doesn’t matter the size of your email list. What I want you to do is engage with those people— by connecting with them, letting them know about your services, showing them how you can help them, and showcasing your process. If you have a signature process, make sure to highlight that, too!
As a result, you’re creating opportunities to show people how you can help them—not what you can sell them. You want them to think about you if they reach a point in their lives where they need help. When a problem arises, they’ll know to come to you.
4. Personalize your “inviting” strategy
This strategy is very much connected to the “Social Glue” point. “Inviting” is the process of you connecting with somebody that you already have somewhat of an established relationship with—even if it’s just someone that responded to an email you sent out. Once you roll out a new program or want to fill a few seats elsewhere, you can personally invite them and tailor the message to what you know about them.
Everyone wants to feel special. If you can let them know why this thing you’re trying to promote is the right fit for them, it’s going to feel so much better than receiving a generic email.
How many times have you received the same (boring) template email as everyone else? How does it make you feel? Probably not too important, right? But if you send someone an email and explain to them, “Hey, I think this would be perfect for you because I know what your goals are and I can see this being one of the solutions you can use!” it makes them feel a lot better.
Make sure you emphasize that you’re helping them find the right solution or fit for them. As a heart centered business person, helping someone find the right solution is very important to me. You don’t want to make people feel like they’re just being sold to—that they’re one of the masses that you’re blasting this email out to. It’s far more effective to send out a personalized invitation.
The invite list can actually make creating programs and workshops seem less intimidating. Keep in mind that you don’t need to have thousands of followers to make a personal connection. It just takes that one person for you to reach out to and say, “Hey! You know what? I think I can support you”—and then you go from there.
5. Make more offers
When most of us think about selling, we think about having to actually ask for the sale. For example, feeling like you have to make a sales pitch! Consequently, that can lead to unwanted stress about it. As heart centered people, we have to get over that reaction. If you’re trying to force a sale, it’s obviously going to feel awkward.
Instead of having to pitch a sale, you can create more offers. You’re the person that’s going to help—and selling equals helping! So, if you sell in a way that feels genuine and in alignment with who you are, then you’re really just saying, “This is how I can support you”—take it or leave it.
Making more offers is really about you creating opportunities for somebody to be supported by your services or product. Had they not known about you or the ways you can help them, they’re just struggling along on the same path they’ve been on. If it’s an important enough struggle for them, they’re going to want to hire you. They’re going to want to make this work so that their lives can become a little bit easier.
My friend Nicky Elledge Brown often says, “You can’t sell a secret”. Isn’t that the truth? Nobody will buy something that they don’t know about. It’s the reason why visibility in this online industry is so important—if people don’t know about you, you’re just part of the mix.
Think about making more offers. It can be a whole slew of things! When you’re making more offers, it’s about creating more opportunities for people to say ‘yes’ to you—and also to say no! However, if you never make an offer you won’t get either.
So, give people the gift of what you have to offer.
Once people know about your service and what makes it unique, they’re going to want to buy it. Give them the opportunity. However, first of all, people need what you’re offering. They need to know about your product, service or whatever it is that you’re putting out into the world. And if you truly believe in it, it’s your job to connect yourself to that person who needs it!
It’s our duty to put ourselves out there. We need to continue to offer our things to the world so that we can support the right people. Whatever tactic or strategy you use—social glue, referrals, invites, etc.—the more you do it, the more comfortable it gets and the more yeses you’ll get.
If you believe in your service—which I certainly hope you do!—it really does support the bigger cause of the heart centered business owner.
