Top 10 Activities to

Build your Sales Business

Customers are the lifeblood of growing organisations you must continue to seek, deliver and achieve the high standard of the first sale to every sale – in doing this; you are on the Road to Sales Success. We picked up these activities a few years ago sadly we can't remember who give them to us however we would like to pass them on to you as these ten activities will help you achieve success now and in the future.

Get face to face.Spending huge sums of money on print-media advertising or direct mail is one of the least effective ways for first-time entrepreneurs to build up their business. The best approach is a targeted campaign that includes direct mail, email and most importantly meeting people. There is no shortcut to the personal approach. Get one-on-one with your customer-if not in person, at least by phone.

Focus on the second sale. Nearly 85 percent of all sales are produced by word of mouth. They're the result of someone telling a friend or associate to buy a product or service because the customer was satisfied. Therefore, concentrate on developing future and referral business with each customer. Everything you do must be aimed at the second sale. Ask yourself: Will this be such a satisfactory experience that my customer will buy from me again or tell his friends?

Build rapport. Before discussing business, build rapport with your prospect. To build rapport, do some homework. Find out if you have a colleague in common. Has the prospect's company been in the news lately? Is he interested in sports? "Get a little insight into the company and the individual so you can make the rapport genuine,"

Follow up. Write thank-you notes, call the customer after the sale to make sure he or she is satisfied, and maintain a schedule of future communications. You have to be in front of that client and always show attention and responsiveness. Follow-up is critical.

Write down objections. Show your prospect you are truly listening to what they are saying by writing down their objections. In this way, you can specifically answer their objections by showing how they will benefit from your product or service. It could be, for instance, by saving money, raising productivity, increasing employee motivation, or increasing their company's name recognition.

Close with two choices: Rather than ask, "How does this sound?" give your prospect a choice. For example, if you're selling educational books to preschool owners, ask if they want to purchase the book series or the book and tape series together. When they state their choice, write the order. Your prospect is not likely to stop you because mentally they realise they've committed and they've said yes.

Target your material toward a specific audience. These days, it's not possible to understand and meet the needs of every potential customer. Show you are a specialist; you have a selling advantage and come across as believable when your sales materials are tightly targeted to specific audiences. Say you offer 'accounting services for advertising agencies,' not just 'accounting services.

Use testimonials. People might not believe your product or service can do what you say it will. You can overcome this disbelief by having a past or present customer praise you and your company. Testimonials are usually written in the customer's own words, are surrounded by quotation marks, and are attributed to the individual. They can be used in sales letters, brochures and advertisements.

Know your customer's business. Customers expect you to know their business, customers and competition as well as you know your own product or service. Study your customer's industry. Know its problems and trends. Find out who his biggest competitors are. Some research tools include the company's annual report, trade publications, chamber of commerce directories, and the company's own brochures, newsletters.

Ask for feedback. If you want to improve your sales presentation or your relations with your customers, ask them what you need to do to maintain and increase their business. Many customers have minor complaints but will never say anything. They just won't buy from you again. If you ask their opinion, they'll be glad to tell you, and to give you the chance to solve the problem.

Get face to face.
Focus on the second sale.
Build rapport.
Follow up.
Write down objections.
Close with two choices
Target your material toward a specific audience
Use testimonials.
Know your customer's business.
Improve your sales presentation