“One of the best uses of your time is to increase your competence in your key result areas” – Brian Tracy.
At the core of every business is a sale. A sale is complete only when a customer pays. Many offline sales strategies also apply online, but not all are well adapted for online sales.
The Internet has changed how people do business. Even small business owners can reach global markets cheaply nowadays, selling anything from apparel and collectables to computer software, services, and coaching.
On the Internet, everybody can afford to fail and learn fast. Better still, after years of testing and tracking what works online, you can learn from other people’s experiences and cut the learning curve tremendously.
The best thing the Internet has done is expose businesses to millions, if not billions, of potential customers. The onus is on you to make your business visible. If you have an Internet business, know that your website has the potential to reach millions of people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The biggest challenge most business owners face is getting those would-be customers to know about their products/services and converting them into sales. The kind of business you promote matters less; the key to lifelong earnings is having loyal, satisfied customers.
Imagine how much a loyal, satisfied customer will give you if they keep coming back and buying from you. You can’t increase sales revenue in isolation without promoting your site. In other words, the more traffic your site has, the more chances you have to increase sales.
Establish a Sound Product/Service
First things first, you need a product/service to sell or market. If you are an affiliate program marketer like me, you need to find or create a good one.
Find something that flows naturally from you. Sell or promote something you enjoy doing. If it is just another affiliate program, don’t expect different results.
Focus on building a strong affiliate program, with the tools and materials to help affiliates promote it easily. After all, affiliates work like clockwork and should be seen as a team.
Provide them with the right promotional tools, and they will be more likely to promote the program. Click here to learn about the qualities of a good affiliate marketing program.
Give the customers an option to join the affiliate program after purchase. Satisfied customers are one of the best marketers for any business. They spread the good word through word of mouth. Best of all, they aren’t paid for it.
A good affiliate program is key to boosting sales. Many people and businesses are selling stuff out there. The best affiliate marketers have their customers at heart.
Offer incentives such as 30/60/90-day guarantees for unsatisfied customers, and honour your promises. A good affiliate program or product/service will help you build loyal customers who can buy other products you promote.
After Sale Follow-ups
The hardest task in any business is acquiring the first sale. At a minimum, collect customers’ names and email addresses during every sale.
You will need this information for future interaction with the customer. To keep in touch with my own audience, I created a mailing list and send out a newsletter once every month. This helps me promote other products and services that my affiliate program offers.
Most experienced marketers will agree that creating a mailing list is one of the best ways to increase sales. The trick, however, is not to spam your mailing list. You also need to respect people’s privacy and avoid sharing private information with third parties.
This approach has been proven to reduce product returns and increase customer satisfaction.
Every once in a while, mention a related product that might interest customers. Write a review and provide real results.
Such promotion is extremely inexpensive, but very effective in practice. The product can be anything, including an affiliate program.
I know creating a mailing list can be hard, but it is worthwhile if you have a responsive one. There are many ways to create one; some prefer the cheap route of buying one rather than the hard work of building one from scratch.
I do have a problem, though, with taking the easy way out when it comes to mailing lists. The chances of buying a non-responsive list are very high. You may end up with people unsubscribing because they feel cheated.
Apart from sending newsletters to your mailing list, engage them. Especially with those who have just bought something from you, find out whether they are satisfied with the product quality, whether the delivery method met expectations, and other questions that can help you improve in the future.
By doing so, you are telling your customers that it is not just the money you are interested in, but meeting and satisfying their needs.
People want to be appreciated when they spend money; add some freebies to their purchases. This will help you build loyal customers, which will increase your sales.
Up-sell Technique
One up-sell technique that I find very effective is that, just before a customer checks out to the payment gateway, I prompt for an optional upgrade to a better, bigger, or nicer product for a fairly steep discount. Don’t overdo this, though, as some people just want to get on with what they are buying.
I recommend just having one optional upgrade and nothing more. It can be irritating and confusing when you’re about to buy something, and you are getting a lot of other offers.
If you have more than one optional upgrade offer, you need a better way to promote the other offers. Preferably, sometime after the first offer has been purchased. You risk losing your first sale if you subject your would-be customer to too many offers at the same time.
I want to mention that we all have different abilities and techniques; what works for me may not produce the desired results for everyone.
It’s important to monitor and, if possible, document the methods you use so you can make better judgments and focus on the methods that produce your desired results.
In affiliate marketing, patience and perseverance are key to increasing your sales. You should treat your online business the same way you would treat an offline business.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking online businesses are different from offline businesses. For any business to succeed, you need to learn the tricks of the trade.
Provide Discount Coupons
Don’t we all love quality and inexpensive things? Coupons encourage customers to return and shop. Promotional coupons work for both advertising and some forms of joint venture.
Customers love knowing they get a lower price for what they buy. Coupons make it so real and tangible. This brings me back to my earlier point about offering guarantees.
If you know you are selling a superior and quality product, you will put your head on the chopping board by offering money-back guarantees.
Believe me, I would rather buy from someone who offers to pay me back if I feel their product is inferior, doesn’t do what they claim it should, or doesn’t meet my expectations.
You can offer discount coupons for bulk buying or whatever marketing reason you can give. But remember: discounts should not eat into your profits.
Only give discounts where you can afford them and give them sensibly. Remember, discounts are a cost to your business and should be handled carefully.
People love discounts because they offer some form of savings. Discounts can significantly increase sales because people are drawn to them.
Promote With Related Products
There is no limit to how you can do this. A joint venture with other businesses, or even competitors, is feasible as long as it creates a win-win situation.
One example is to include a sample of another product or service as part of the package. As long as the sample is relevant to the customer, this promotion could be seen as an added value instead of pure advertising.
Packaging your products with related items gives you an added advantage and spoils the customer for choice. That is why it is important to join an affiliate program that offers multiple products/services.
There is no harm in enticing customers with different products to choose from, as long as they are well documented and explained. You should try to help the customer by mentioning the major differences and advantages where possible.
You are there to offer the customer a solution to their needs. Most people will buy if they feel you’re offering a solution at the right price.
Let me mention that product costing is another important aspect of your business. Do not overprice your products/services. It would be wise to have some business knowledge before you venture into business, whether online or offline.
Some people think high prices mean more money and forget that money comes from turnover. When setting a price, consider all other factors and choose a reasonable price that reflects the value of the product you are offering.
Conclusion
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” ~ Robert Collier. There are many other tactics to increase your sales, but the above tips have been proven to work again and again.
Choose one at a time and take action. Business success isn’t instant; it’s a gradual process. Affiliate marketing programs can be a source of high income if you manage and nurture them well. Below are some recommended products to get you started. These are products I’ve used and that have delivered results for me. Please bear in mind that success levels depend largely on self-commitment and the methods you use.