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By now you’ve probably already broken your New Year’s resolutions, so let’s replace them with some new ones. Specifically, with some resolutions that will enable you to sell more this year than you did last year.
1. Set sales goals
If you’ve never set sales goals for yourself or your salespeople, now’s the time to start. Begin with a goal for the year and then break that down into monthly and weekly goals. You may want to set goals for specific activities as well: number of phone calls, frequency of blog posts, number of networking events, etc. For more on effective goal-setting, listen to The First Step to Increasing Your Sales.
2. Devote more time to selling
Whether you’re a salesperson, professional, small business owner or CEO, you have a lot on your To-Do list. But are all of those things making you money? If you want to increase your sales, one of the best changes you can make is to devote more time to actual sales-related activities. What other activities can you cut back on to make more room in your schedule for selling?
3. Raise your prices
One way to boost your sales immediately is to raise your prices. Afraid you’ll lose customers? Don’t be. If your product or service is great, your customers will stay with you. And even if you do lose a few, you’ll more than make up for it due to your higher profit margin. For additional insights and ideas for charging more, check out The Myth of Price: Why You Should Charge More and How to Do It.
4. Get better at social media
Social media is becoming more important for businesses and salespeople by the day. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube offer tremendous opportunities for boosting your sales. If you’re not using them well, learn how.
5. Improve your sales skills
If you want to increase your sales, doesn’t it make sense to get better at selling? Read books, devour audio and video programs and attend seminars on sales, marketing, negotiating, networking, psychology, business and more. Aim for completing at least one per month. Check out some great resources here.
6. Ask for the sale
A lot of people do a great job of prospecting, qualifying and presenting, but never attempt to close. They end up losing the sale simply because they never asked for it. Resolve to always ask for the order.
7. Ask for referrals
If your customers love your product or service, they want to give you referrals. You just need to ask. For tips on asking effectively, listen to How to Get More Referrals.
8. Fire bad customers
Odds are, some of your customers suck. Whether they’re Cheapskates, Divas or Abusers (see Seven Customers You Don’t Want for the complete list), they’re more trouble than they’re worth. Get rid of them and focus your time and energy on finding better, more profitable customers.
There you have it. Eight simple resolutions that can boost your sales immediately and for years to come. If you can make and keep just one of these resolutions, what kind of an impact would that have on your sales? What if you could make and keep three or four, or even (gulp!) all eight?
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