It’s the busiest selling season of the year. Are you ready to skyrocket your promotional products sales and finish the year strong? Today’s column will give you 10 proven ways to do that!
1) Post your revenue goal. Have a year-end revenue goal and post it in a place where you can see it every day! At the end of every week, chart your progress. What gets measured, gets done! This is a guaranteed way to keep you focused and improve your sales results.
2) Be proactive. Let your clients know all you can provide. Customize your favorite supplier’s holiday catalogs or flyers and embed them on your website or link them in your email signature. PromoCorner makes it easy for you at (https://www.promocorner.com/promocatalogs) and get started by clicking the "Personalize" button.
3) Commit to reaching more prospects. Just one or two more phone calls, emails or social media posts can make a big difference in your success. Time your phone calls to when you are most likely to reach your most wanted clients. When contacting by phone, it’s usually first thing in the morning or at the end of the business day.
4) Be social media savvy. Get active where you are most likely to find your target market. Focus on useful marketing tips, trends and hot selling products and provide photos. Platforms such as Instagram (http://www.Instagram) are great for posting enticing photos. This is a platform where one picture is truly worth 1,000 words!
5) Think all holidays. While December holidays may bring in the bulk of your sales, remember that Thanksgiving can be the perfect time for your prospects to thank their best clients and be one step ahead of their competitors. Speaking of holidays, there’s still time to bring in last minute Halloween sales. For Halloween, look for clients who target parents, children and schools.
6) Network strategically. This is a fantastic time of the year to network. Don’t just think about networking at your local Chamber of Commerce, join organizations where you are most likely to meet people in your target market. Every viable niche has a professional organization associated with it. A great question to ask when you’re networking: “What are you currently doing to thank your best clients?”
7) Provide samples. Gourmet food gifts are a top holiday gift item and represent an enormous selling opportunity. Don’t lose sales to the internet retailers, send tasting samples from your favorite suppliers to all your top prospects. Speaking of samples, suppliers such as GMG Pen (http://www.ultrapens.com) provide free virtual and physical samples. Samples help to seal the deal!
8) Use it or lose it marketing budgets. Many larger companies have a use it or lose it marketing budget. Years ago, I landed a huge order in November from a pharmaceutical company that needed to use their marketing budget by year end. Remember to ask your clients about their marketing budgets.
9) Follow the trends. Mobile accessories are hot. Suggest items such as Pop Sockets® from iClick (http://www.iclick.com) which are popular, trendy and useful and you’re sure to score a sale! Plus, iClick offers free ground shipping, a great way to compete and put more money in your pocket!
10) Make it easy! When meeting with your prospects and clients, be sure to emphasize that you want to make this easy for them. You’ll do all the legwork, you’ll take care of all of the details and you’ll make them look fabulous! Speaking of ease, make sure your website is mobile friendly and easy to navigate. These days, ease of purchase goes a long way in securing more business.
Here’s to a fantastic fourth quarter!
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach ™ is a promotional products business expert, coach and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher profit margins and quickly and easily increase their incomes! Get a FREE special report: 10 Proven Ways to Thrive in Promotional Products Sales in Any Economy at her website www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at Rosalie@promobizcoach.com or 215-572-6766/