Increasing Sales Through Relational Marketing Strategies
Marketing is about relationships between real people, and though this is stressed a lot, it is also continuously overlooked. We wouldn’t be saying this if we didn’t think it needed saying. You have to focus on your customers as people, not money. They’ll know the difference. Perhaps marketers set themselves up for miscommunication when they started referring to customers as leads and prospects, but we are working with people – and working with people to increase sales requires relationships. Below are five tips that we felt were particularly helpful for increasing sales through relational and incentive strategies. These are strategies that work.
5 Steps To Increase Sales
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- Utilize Social Media Properly – Social media is not just a way to get your message out to the masses, it should be a two way street. Listen to what your fans and followers are talking about and engage with them. Use the rule of thirds: 1/3 of the time talk about your products and services, 1/3 of the time share other pertinent content, and the rest of the time just be yourself and add a human element to your brand.
- Don’t Rely On Your Sales Staff to Retain and Grow Longterm Relationships – In order to survive, you know you need referrals and repeat business. Instead of relying only on your sales staff to do this, work with a company that can help you establish specific marketing technologies that are proven to increase sales.
- Offer Gift Cards – It used to be that only big businesses could offer a loyalty program or gift cards but now even small businesses can take advantage. Did you know that 40% of consumers list gift cards as their preferred gift to receive and in 70% of purchases where a gift card is used, consumers spend more than the card value? We offer small to medium merchants all the tools necessary to get their gift card program off the ground in a hurry. From 500 – 40,000 quantities, we have the solutions for you! so contact us today.
- Don’t Try to Fix Your Customers – So much of the sales process in the past has been focused around “fixing” your prospect’s problems. This starts from the assumption that they are “broken” and need fixing. Instead, why not focus on showing them how to continue their successes or streamline their processes to make them even bigger winners?
- Know How to Differentiate Yourself from Your Competitors – A few months ago a video circulated through our company that really helped to solidify the “WHY” behind our organization. We realized that a big part of what we do is to help make people’s lives better in a way that will free them up to have more time with family, friends, and doing what is most important to them. Understanding this distinct difference between us and our competitors helps us to be able to better relay that message to our existing customers and our prospects. What is your WHY?
Now that you have these tips in mind, begin to differentiate yourself as a brand by cultivating longterm relationships. The best strategy for increasing sales is one that includes your customers and makes them feel a part of something. Learn what makes your perfect audience click through high funnel strategies like social media and be there to walk them through each level of that funnel as they learn about your business. It’s not rocket science. It’s harder. Relationships are as unpredictable as the people who have them, and it takes every aspect of your company to increase sales and create brand loyalty.
Remember: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
