You work your ass off. Your store looks great. You’ve got a few products online. You’re doing everything you’re supposed to be doing…but you’re just not raking in the cash yet.
What are you doing wrong?
Here are 8 ideas to get that paper flowing:
1. Prioritize thoughtfulness.
Duh! Right? Sometimes easily forgotten, but it’s especially important when cold emailing potential leads or customers. If you can’t offer this person value, don’t contact them at all.
2. Don’t wait around to be introduced.
Your network can be one of the biggest money-makers you have, but don’t wait around for your network to introduce you to the right person. Instead of relying on other people, rely on yourself. Do your own research and reach out to people directly.
3. Be human.
Whether you’re creating signs for outside, writing emails, or talking to people in the store, be human. No one likes reading shitty formal emails. If you try to act too serious, you’ll turn your community off quicker than you can spell “stuck up asshole.”
4. Cut the bullshit.
You think it’s the right thing to do in some cases, but it’s not. Don’t EVER use phrases like, “I hope this finds you well.” This will blow your chances of getting a response, much less making a sale.
5. Sending emails? Be persistent.
According to some statistics, you need to send at least 8 emails in order to get a response. About ⅓ of responses come from emails five through eight. So if you ever do start sending emails, don’t get discouraged when nothing happens after the 3rd one. Be patient and keep sending them.
6. Always add value.
Always add a new offer or rephrase value to make it sound new. If you offer the same thing over and over again, you’ll start to sound like spam and you’ll make it twice as hard on yourself to eventually sell to that customer.
7. Ask more questions.
Marketing and selling is 60% listening and 40% talking. Talk less about your company and products and instead ask your customers more questions. The more you understand your customer, the easier it will be to sell to them.
8. No sales strategy should be the same.
Everyone’s sales pitch and strategies should be different, especially if you want to be effective. Think about what your customers need, their level of education and their awareness of what you actually do. Sell to each and every person you meet, not a generalized idea of who you think that person is.