It's a cut-throat economy right now, and only the toughest businesses will survive.  What makes a business tough?  Having value build into their products and services that is worth more to the customer than the products and services themselves.

Value doesn't have to be an expensive item.  It may be the repoire or relationship you have with your customers - like knowing them on a first name basis.  It may be free gift wrapping, offering to help customers carry packages to their car, or a premium with purchase.  It may be no hassle returns or quality merchandise and superior service.  It may be a little something extra thrown in the bag for the kids for fun.

Adding value to your products and services takes a little thought, but it's definitely worth the effort.  You'll reap the rewards in happy customers and ultimately, in dollars.

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

Does your company offer more than one method of shipping?  If not, you should.  Shipping is an important part of the sale.

Some people will want to save money on shipping.  For these people, media mail might be offered if it is appropriate for your product, or you might offer usps shipping at the regular rate.  You might also offer bulk shipping - bundling products together and shipping them for a lower price rather than shipping them separately.  And you could offer bulk shipping at a flat postal rate, as long as everything fits into the box.

But, what about customers who are in a hurry?  They may be willing to spend a little more, maybe even alot more in order to receive their products quickly.  These customers should have the option to receive their package overnight, or within 2 or 3 business days.  If they need it right away and you don't provide a fast form of delivery, they'll either go elsewhere or try to find another product that suits their need.

People are very money conscious today, but they also expect speedy delivery - even if they haven't chosen overnight shipping.  For this reason, offering them several shipping options, and letting them know how soon their product will ship from your warehouse is very important.  It can literally be a deal maker or a deal breaker.

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

Have you ever wanted to order something through a catalog, online, or from a mail offer you received and been frustrated by the process?  Most of us have at one time or another.  And frustrated customers don't buy.

You need to have several avenues in place through which your customers can order, even if you're only selling through the mail.  You can't anticipate what your customer's needs will be.  They may be perfectly happy filling out a form and mailing it back to you with a check.  But, what if they're in a hurry and they want your product right away?  Perhaps they have an immediate need for it, one that is time sensitive, and if they don't receive your product or service quickly their need for it will pass and they won't buy.

You can easily solve this problem by offering a 1-800 number for customers to place their orders, preferably one they can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  When a customer is in a hurry, it's reassuring to be able to place an order by phone and hear a voice on the other end of the line.

Another way to solve this problem is to allow customers to place orders online.  This can even be done if you offer a service rather than a product.  When your customer places their order, make sure they get a confirmation page that both confirms their order has been received and thanks them for their patronage.

Offer several ways for your customers to buy from you and you'll increase your chance of a sale.  If you don't, you're losing money.

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

What do you do when you get a sales lead?  Do you set it aside to respond to later - maybe after lunch or maybe tomorrow?  Or do you jump on it right now and phone the person back or send them the requested information?

Sales leads come in hot, but they cool fast.  People are inundated with offers and ads, about 5,000 of them per day.  Their attention is quickly diverted from one thing to the next.  This means the longer you wait to follow up with your leads, the less chance there is of them buying from you or even remembering why they were interested in your product or service in the first place.

When you don't follow up with leads promptly, you're wasting your marketing dollars.  If you do a direct mail campaign and it brings you 50 leads, you need to follow up with each lead the day you get them.  There should be correspondance by mail and/or phone, or the product should be shipped immediately.  

twenty years ago it was acceptable to expect a shipment to arrive in four to six weeks.  Today if one week passes and the shipment hasn't arrived people begin to wonder whether the items were sent or if they got lost in the mail.  Likewise, when leads leave a message, they expect a prompt return call the same day - not a week later.

Our world today is a fast paced one and people move very quickly from one thing to the next.  If you don't catch people when they're interested, you'll lose them.  They'll simply move on and forget you.  Don't let this happen.  Follow up with those leads while they're still sizzling and you'll make more sales!

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

Do you know what the easiest way to get a new customer is?  Surprisingly, it's not through any of the usual marketing methods and it doesn't cost you a cent.  The easiest way to get a new customer is through a referral from a current customer.

People like to do business with people they know, like and trust.  But, your prospects don't know you yet.  They don't know whether they like you and they may not trust you yet, because they have no relationship with you.  Your current customers, however, know you, like you and trust you, and they are known, liked and trusted by their family, friends and peers.  For this reason, it makes sense to get as many referrals as you can from your current customers because their nod of approval will be far more convincing to their circle of influence than any marketing you could do to that same group of people.

Many businesses overlook the opportunity to get referrals, and instead put all of their efforts into reaching their market through advertising.  This is a mistake.  While advertising is important, who would you be more willing to believe about trying a new product - an ad or an enthusiastic family member or friend?

Getting referrals is as simple as asking for them, and the best time to do that is when your customer's transaction with you is completed.  Ask them if they are happy with your service or product.  If they are, that is the time to ask them for a referral.  Then, you can send a friendly letter to the people your customers refer to you, telling them that their friend or family member (your customer) thought they would like to know about your products and services.

And if you need help writing that friendly sales letter, give Up & At 'Em a holler!

Up and at 'em!

Kim Hillman

Up & At 'Em Publications

www.upandatempublications.com

• Main
• archives
• Albums
• Links
• Admin

• Beat The Economy By Adding Value To Your Products And Services
• Why Shipping Can Be A Deal Maker Or A Deal Breaker
• Make More Money By Offering More Ways For Your Customers To Buy From You
• Are Your Sales Leads Hot Or Cold?
• The Easiest Way To Get New Customers Without Spending A Penny
• Are You Leaving Your Customers Out In The Cold?
• How To Move Up To Number One
• Where The Gold Is In Your Marketing
• The Little Things That Make A Big Difference To Your Bottom Line
• Creativity Is The Key To Making More Money In Any Economy
• How To Blow The Roof Off Your Sales Without Spending Another Dime On Advertising Or Doing Any Extra Work
• Lower Your Prices And Watch Your Perceived Value Plummet
• The Two Main Criteria For Marketing Your Products, Your Services And Your Business
• Three Reasons Starbuck's New Promotions Is A Winner
• Do You Have The Right Tools For Marketing Your Business?

• About This Blog [2]
• Customer Relations [10]
• Direct Mail Marketing [7]
• General Marketing [47]
• Holiday Promotions [8]
• Marketing Your Business With Booklets [44]
• Marketing Your Products [14]
• Marketing Your Services [5]
• Online Marketing [6]
• Small Business Marketing [16]
• Success Stories [1]
• Trade Show Marketing [9]
• Up & At 'Em News [3]

• RSS 0.90
• RSS 1.0
• RSS 2.0
• Atom