Business Strategy To Increase Sales

In this article I am going to cover your sales strategy processes to ensure you have a business strategy to increase sales.

If you have capacity for more clients and want to know the quickest and simplest way to getting them, then this blog post is for you. It will be particularly useful if you use some form of telephone or video call consultation within your sales strategy.

Sales and marketing can be complex, especially for the new or small business.

But: Sales are the lifeblood to a successful business. Sales confidence, processes and techniques are key to ensure every success with your product or service.

The Sales Process

Your sales process is the predicted steps you take with your potential customer that lead them to purchasing your services.

An example (and typical service provider) sales process is:

STEP 1: Prospect sees you have a solution to their problem and applies for a consultation.
STEP 2: Telephone consultation with prospect.
STEP 3: Prospect enrols via a payment page and becomes a customer or client

Now of course the above is a simplified example and there are many elements that need to be done in order to get to STEP 1 in the first place, but it is the physical, step by step process to qualify and onboard potential customers.

Take a little time to write down how your own simple 3 step sales process works in line with your other marketing strategies that make up the day to day running of your business.

I find a lot of entrepreneurs hoping to increase their sales get shiny object syndrome and run off to create something new or try the latest ‘get clients blueprint’.

This rarely works as the secret to finding a method that works towards your sales success is having the right mindset, sticking to a process and continuing to improve by doing it again and again, refining your individual method over time.

What this means is: Breaking the sales process down step by step, tightening and improving each area so that you make MORE sales with LESS time – building your own business strategy to increase sales!

Then just rinse, repeat and increase!

The market may change, as do the way consumers buy so this won’t be your ‘forever’ solution, but as long as it is working, making it better should be your focus.

Analyse Your Sales Process

Consider the following questions to help you to tighten up and improve your sales process:

1. How can you get MORE people to your STEP 1 (application)?
Write a list of the 3 things you can do TODAY simply and cheaply.

2. How can you get more QUALIFIED people into your STEP 2 (consultation)?
Write a list of 3 things you could do that would mean you are speaking to high quality, ideal customers.

3. How can you IMPROVE your sales consultations/discovery calls?
What 3 things could you do to ensure that you convert a higher % of these calls?

4. Can you INCREASE the sign-up rates from your payment/sales page?
Does anyone ever get to your payment page and then go AWOL? Look back on previous situations and try to see a pattern of when this is happening and how you might rectify it.

How are you currently gaining the attention of your ideal client fitting the buyer persona and leading them into your STEP 2 (to apply to work with you)?

What I often find when clients first come to work with me is the lead generation aspect of the sales process is pretty unclear, sporadic and inconsistent.

Sound like you?

Rest assured you are not alone.

Here are some key points that will aid effective marketing…

Content

1. Get clear on the SPECIFIC problem that you solve for your clients.

2. Choose 3 content ‘themes’ that are based on helping your ideal client get from where they are; to where they want to be (e.g. if you are a fitness coach your prospects pain points could possibly be food, mindset and the importance of a morning routine, these would be your core messages).

3. Decide on TWO methods for sharing your content (plus email), e.g. FB + IG or LinkedIn + blogging

4. Make a plan of how you can consistently show up on the platforms chosen, sharing your 3 core messages. Think about video, blogging, social media posts, interviews, in person networking, sharing in FB Groups and so on. Also, consider some collaborations with people who have a similar audience to you. How can you get exposure through them to help you gain more attention from prospective customers and clients?

Sales Strategy

1. Get clear on the one thing you will be focusing on selling this quarter/90 days.

2. Look at how you can ‘weave’ your offers into your content (think give, give, offer).

3. Consider what ‘proactive’ sales activities you can do on a daily/weekly basis.

Some examples are:

– 1:2:1 outreach, follow up with people you have already nurtured and who are in your ‘database’. If you don’t have anyone then now is the time to start!

– Offer a free mini-session that could lead into an application/discovery call.

– Do you have a community of ICA’s? A FB group or page maybe? Or an email marketing list? If so, start conversations with them and note who is a potential client for you in the next 90 days.

4. From your answers above work out what sales focused activities you can do every day and when. Commit to a set OUTCOME (not time, actual outcome) and write it on your wall/whiteboard. Track and measure your activities and you will be able to see a clear correlation between more sales activities and more revenue.

REMEMBER! Only 5% of your target audience are ready to buy now – 50% will be ready to buy in the next 30-90 days.

If you can get consistent with sharing your message, nurturing your audience and having one-to-one conversations with your target market, including previous and existing customers now, you will reap the rewards over the next 90 days.

Remember – you have to put the business strategy to increase sales in place! 

How to Qualify Your Prospects

If you have lots of discovery/sales calls that result in any of the following phrases or scenarios…

• “I can’t afford it”
• “I need to think about it”
• Prospects going ‘AWOL or ghosting you
• No-shows for your free calls

…The reason could be that you are not qualifying your prospects. Qualifying simply means we are checking that they:

1. Have a need to buy your service
2. Are the decision maker
3. Have or can access a budget to pay for your service

When it comes to coaching/consulting or any other business support or service it is wise to check their commitment level and urgency. You want to make sure this is a ‘now’ thing and something that the potential buyer is committed to following through on.

You can see my own ‘qualifying’ process via my WORK WITH ME button.

Remember your time is valuable and you don’t need to be wasting time talking to tyre kickers who are not invested in themselves or you. Qualifying is a must.  

Why is Getting Good at Sales Calls So Essential to My Success?

So often I have a consultation with a client and when asking about how they enrol clients I squirm in my chair hearing of all the sales ‘boo-boos’ they make on sales calls.

Using a proven structure on your discovery call helps you to avoid wasting time (not just on the call, but the time it takes to secure the call).

You are losing out on sales and clients without structure, not to be confused with manipulation tactics, a subject for another blog.

Now you may be thinking “oh it’s okay, if they don’t buy then they are not my ideal client anyway”…….

Well sorry to burst your bubble but that is not strictly true!

Knowing how to lead your sales calls is one of the most important skills you can develop as a coach, consultant or service provider.

When I worked with multi-million and multi-billion-pound clients who are global market leaders in their industry (companies including Fedex and Vodafone) they had teams around the world who were trained for months surrounding how to perfectly lead a sales conversation.

Having sales conversations will never go out of fashion.

Let me repeat that in case it didn’t sink in…

HAVING SALES CONVERSATIONS WILL NEVER GO OUT OF FASHION!

Sales conversations are how you…

1. Understand what a prospect needs AND wants

2. Get to demonstrate how you can help

3. Can ‘bond’ with a client and develop a real relationship

4. Negotiate to get a ‘win-win’ solution for you both

When you get really good at sales conversations your average order value; the price you sell at, will increase.

A Proven Sales Conversation Method That Works

The method I use and teach is sales consulting, it is a way you ‘consult’ with your potential clients to establish if you can help, how you can help and to get the clients commitment to moving forward with your support.

This type of selling I call ‘consultative sales’. It took me many months and years of daily practice and hours of intensive training from world class sales trainers to perfect this skill. Today, I would like to share with you some of the basics that you can implement in your sales calls straight away by following these 8 key points…

1. Open the call like a leader and make your intention and predicted direction of the call clear from the start.

2. Take time to consult with your prospect to find out their current situation and related areas.

3. Find out their current problems and pain (related to what you sell) and why this is the case (A).

4. Ask them about how their business, life and relationships will be if this situation doesn’t change and discuss.

5. Talk about their goals and desires and what they need to get there (B).

6. If the service you provide could bridge the gap between point A (where they are) and point B (where they want to be) it is your duty to talk to them about this. Ask first if they would like you to show them and if so, demonstrate your solution.

7. Overcome any objections and reservations.

8. Get commitment and close the sale.

How to Handle Curveballs…

Now I know in the steps above that looks super easy, but if you have done sales calls before you will know that the conversation is full of curveballs and objections.

One of the most common, and hard to overcome objections is the phrase “I can’t afford it”. I have recorded this video for you that goes through in detail exactly what to do and say when you hear this.
I think you now have enough business strategies to increase sales from this article to keep improving your ability to make sales in your business. I would love to know if you have found these points helpful and seen your sales increase.

You can find me in here or alternatively get in touch for an intensive look at how and where your sales focus needs to go to accelerate your sales success.

Love and sales success,

Jade *

About Me

I’m Jade Jemma, a Sales Coach and Strategist based in London, but I work with businesses all over the world. I am an expert in helping freedom-focused entrepreneurs to simplify & accelerate sales success through mastering the art of sales and executing strategies that they love; all while selling with passion, integrity and heart.

Contact Me

Whether you’re an established entrepreneur, or a business start-up who is wanting to increase sales to grow your business, then I can help.

With over 12 years of experience as a sales professional and having worked with some of the top sales teams and brands in the world, I can see things that are possible for you (that you can’t see), and ACTUALLY help you achieve them.

Ready to step up, stand out and create fast results in a way that feels great?

Then get in touch to arrange a chat!