When it comes to how to increase sales, there are many important factors to implement.
In fact there are too many to adequately deliver them in one article.
Therefore, this series of articles on how to increase sales is comprised of seven parts.
The first lesson on how to increase sales discusses how to deliver exceptional customer service and can be found here: The second lesson on how to increase sales discusses how to upsell and the importance of teaching your employees to upsell.
The third lesson on how to increase sales discusses adding value.
How can you add value for your customer? The fourth lesson on how to increase sales discusses how to increase sales revenues by selling to your current customers more often.
In other words, increasing the frequency of sales.
Today's lesson on how to increase sales is about how to increase sales revenues by implementing a Referral Program.
How often do your customers refer their friends and colleagues to you? When you get a referral how do you feel? Do you feel surprised? Lucky? Grateful? If your business does not have a systematic referral program in place, you must start one immediately.
You must begin all new relationships with the understanding that you expect referrals from anyone you do business with.
You could build a million dollar a year business on referrals only! Most salespeople lamely say something along the lines of, If you know of anyone who could benefit from our services, please let me know.
Is this your method too? If so, you must feel very happy indeed when a referral comes your way! You certainly can't expect to get very many.
Setting up a referral system for your business is fairly simple to do; the difficulty lies in keeping it up and making it consistent.
You shouldn't decide to promote it to this person and not that person every single person you do business with should be introduced to the program.
The complexities will depend on what kind of business you have.
I recently set up a referral program for one of my clients who owns a retail store that sells gorgeous high end jewelry, art and home dcor.
For referral program, she is going to print cards that say the name of her store and referral program across the top.
They're going to be the size of business cards which she can easily print inexpensively at http://www.
Vistaprint.
com.
On her referral program card, she's going to have the name of her store and referral program across the top.
Below that, she's going to have Referred by___________ Followed by, Please present this card for 10% off your purchase.
Your friend gets 10% off too! And then she will have the address and phone number of her store.
When someone comes in to her store and makes a purchase, she will ask them, Have you heard about our referral program? Then she will explain the referral program to her customer by saying, If you know anyone who might be interested in shopping at our store, please give them this card and write your name on it.
Then when they come in and make a purchase they get 10% off and I keep it on file so the next time you coming you get 10% off too! Getting referrals is something that you have to work at.
It's not good enough to simply say to your current clients, If you know anyone who might be interested in our company please let me know.
Referrals really don't work that way.
You have to have a systematic referral program in place and use it consistently.