FOCUS ON INCREASING YOUR SALES TO EACH CUSTOMER

****** FIVE TIPS TO CONSIDER *******

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TIP #1
OFFER ADD-ONS
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There is no better time to sell something else to a customer than when the are already in a buying mood. A certain percentage of customers always agree to the add-on.

"WOULD YOU LIKE BACON WITH YOUR BURGER"? That's a line a fast food business was recommended to ask of every customer who ordered a burger. This case study reveals that their bacon sales skyrocketed. In fact, many of their customers said they never knew they had bacon available!

There are very few businesses that can't benefit from offering add-ons.

Think about what you could offer your customers as an add-on. Then just ask them if they would like it. Of course, the more special you make your offer, the higher the number of people who will accept it.

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TIP #2
SELL PACKAGES FOR A PROFIT AS WELL AS  HAPPY CUSTOMERS
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BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PEOPLE LOVE PACKAGE DEALS! You absolutely should consider combining a few of your services into a specially priced package or packages.

Let's go back to the fast food business case study. They are an independent, fast food, custard stand.For over 60 years they had sold their sandwiches, fries and drinks individually.

They were advised to test the power of packaging or grouping products -- something the big chains already knew and had been doing for decades! They turned every one of their sandwiches into a special Combo Deal -- sandwich, large fries and a large drink. Again, this was not a new idea, it's just a idea that they had never thought of doing in their business before.

Of course, their customers could still purchase the individual items if they wanted to, but now they had choices.

Customers want you, actually expect you, to make it easy for them to buy your services. They really like it when
you pre-package your services for them so they don't have to think about which ones they should buy. You are simply making it much easier for them to buy.

As you can imagine, the fast food businesses sales went through the roof. They sold more large fries and large drinks than they ever thought possible. Better yet, they will continue to profit from those additional sales month after month, and year after year.

Any business can sell more by simply packaging their products and services in logical and appealing ways.

What kind of special packages can you put together for your customers and clients?

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TIP #3
GOOD, BETTER OR BEST PACKAGES
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Another way to package your services is by using Good, Better, or Best combinations.

You could offer a basic, good package for a low price, or a better combination with a few additional services, features or benefits, and finally, you could offer the deluxe, or best, package of combined elements.

Some companies use terms like Silver, Gold and Platinum, or Basic and Premium when naming their packages.

Make sure you clearly list what is included in each package so your customers can see instantly why each level offers a
better value for their money.

Most business owners find that very few people want the lowest priced package. They feel that they are missing out on the better package benefits. A certain percentage will always buy the best package. They just won't settle for anything but the best. And the majority will choose a package in the middle.

For an immediate boost in your sales and profit, develop this good, better or best approach in your business.

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CAUTION!
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Make sure you price each package so that you make a decent profit, while still providing your customers with excellent value for their money.

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TIP #4
ELIMINATE PROFIT LOSERS
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You may wonder how eliminating a profit loser could increase the amount your customers purchase -- but here's another example from our fast food case study.

They were promoting their fries in three sizes; small, medium and large. It was recommended that they eliminate the small fries, and call their medium fries their regular fries. Not one customer questioned the change. Everyone who used to order the small fries, now orders the regular fries for $ .20 more.

That one, simple change, has increased their annual sales by about $8,000 a year. Multiply that over 10 years and you have over $80,000 in additional sales with no work.

Do you have a service or product that is drawing away from a higher seller? If so, remove it from your line and promote the higher priced version as a test.

It may not work in all situations, but it's worth looking into. Increasing your sales doesn't have to be expensive or hard work. It's all about working smarter, not harder.

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TIP #5
INCREASE YOUR PRICES
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Another case study we found was selling fantastic quantities of a particular product. But after digging into the details of his sales, it was discovered that he was losing money on every sale. There wasn't enough profit in the product to cover his product and labor costs.

You may raise your eyebrows and say, 'How could a business owner not know he is losing money on a product?' Actually, it happens all the time--it's easy to do.

It's easy to lose track of the labor associated with selling one particular service out of an entire line of services.

Never assume that you can't raise your prices. Test and find out before coming to any conclusions. You may be surprised at what people will pay for good value.

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SELL FIRST AND TELL LATER
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Never, ever attempt to up-sell or cross-sell until you have all the information necessary to fulfill the first order. In our rush or excitement to up-sell we sometimes forget that the customer has an order to place. Selling additional services too early in the call might turn the customer off. You could lose the original sale.
 
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THE RULE OF "25."
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This may be a tough thought for you, but many experts feel that the value of an add-on sale should not increase the overall order by more than 25-30%. For example, if the original order is $100.00, you should be cautious in your attempts to exceed that order by $35.00. Despite the fact that people are motivated to buy, they still have a mental limit as to the amount they will spend. For whatever reason, that figure rarely exceeds 25-30%. Generally, going above that value is only marginally successful.

This a key reason that package selling works well.

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FAMILIARITY BREEDS SUCCESS
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The more familiar your customer is with the add-on item, the more likely he or she is to buy. Cross-selling and up- selling is not the time to introduce a brand new product, unless the price is unusually low. New services take time to sell using features and benefits. This will take additional time. The purpose of the up-sell is to increase the order while the buying motive is strong. Introducing something unfamiliar will only confuse the customer.