10 Takes on How to Increase Sales for Small Business and Make Big Dreams Come True
Small enterprises do not necessarily share the “luck” of having small profits. Of course, they do not have the luxury of insurmountable budgets they can invest in business proliferation. Yet, they often have the privilege to be neighborly to their customers. This pivotal advantage combined with creative market positioning, modern technology, and effective communication is incredibly productive if you long to increase small business sales.
Table of Contents
How to Boost Sales in a Small Business by Coddling Existing Customers
You should not underestimate the importance of establishing your reputation and building long-term relations with your clientele. Loyal customers will bring you income when the rainy days come. Entrepreneurs often fail to compute that one client equals not only one but a lifetime of purchases if approached correctly. That is why it is requisite to focus on attaining regular visitors as much as on acquiring new ones.
1. Genuine Care and Individual Approach
It is big corporations that are often portrayed as greedy and revenue-driven. In the public perception, small businesses do not just sell products or services, they sell a particular attitude. Naturally, no one can remember all the clients’ names and preferences. Yet, certain techniques can help you develop solid and lasting relations:
- concentrate on collecting data about the most frequent and committed customers;
- integrate your email service and pop-up constructor with your CRM or CDP (in Claspo’s case, you can do it with a couple of clicks);
- adjust your algorithms to recommend the items to the buyers’ tastes.
Let’s say you own a bakery. Your company is fairly successful. Still, you have long been striving to obtain a new stove, and a growth in profits can secure this upgrade.
If you have been in business for some time, you know your clientele’s preferences, such as who is lactose intolerant and who always takes cappuccino with chocolate syrup. But what if you go further and add handwritten notes to the cakes you make for big occasions? Chances are you would be smitten by clients’ affection.
2. Appreciation of Feedback
Listening to people’s observations and opinions can be a revelation in both cheering and upsetting ways. Although words of sincere admiration for your services can be incredibly motivational, a wise entrepreneur always pays a great deal of attention to critical comments and complaints. Instead of feeling discouraged, you might find inspiration in many aspects, from product range or service packages to design or return policy. Ask your clients:
- personally or via a questionnaire at your store/venue;
- online via emails or pop-ups. With Claspo you can even add a small discount coupon at the end of the form as an expression of gratitude for participation.
For instance, when you are up to including a new position in your menu, you can bake a free sample and put it in the bakery. Hence, the shoppers can express their thoughts on the spot or share them on your website and social media after some consideration.
3. Eagerness to Communicate and Support
Being a business owner is a busy job, as you can see from business and busyness similarities. Yet, small ventures have the power to attend to every client’s matter and make communication feel almost family-like. Here are some tips on how to treat your customers to make them believe that you are always on their side:
- Stick to a cordial, compassionate, engaging, and polite communication style under any circumstances.
- Always solve a problem or offer compensation for the inconvenience.
- Present people with multiple channels to contact you or find information about policies and procedures (FAQ, chatbots, live chats, email, phone number, messengers, etc.).
- Be active on social media: respond to messages, share and comment on posts that mention your product, or make announcements.
- Try to answer incoming inquiries as soon as possible.
Claspo brings you a great opportunity to improve this criterion. Just add a chatbot invitation pop-up with a friendly message that encourages visitors to start a conversation without being intrusive. Now you can be confident that people will not be hesitant to seek help or advice.
4. Consumers’ Needs in Mind
Consumer empathy should be the driver of your commercial strategy. Gaining insights into your demographic wishes can help you form a clear vision of what they actually desire. Whether your clients want a particular set of features, flat rate shipping, or an automated refund option, you can learn about it through:
- surveys, reviews, feedback;
- A/B testing.
IMB reports that almost half of the modern shoppers are purpose-driven. This implies that simply fulfilling their demands is no longer enough. Now, you have to share their values to gain their approval. Of course, you are not obliged to comply with people’s agendas, but if you genuinely want to support a cause, it is your chance to find allies.
You might not be the Great Avenger. Still, you can be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Would you approve when customers order beverages to go in their own cups and mugs instead of plastic ones? If yes, allow or even incentivize them to do so. You can also bake free cookies for children and homeless people on Christmas because it really should be the most wonderful time of the year.
5. Rewards for Loyalty and Commitment
Of all the available companies, your regular clients continue to choose you. Now it is time to return the favor. Here is a list of the most popular ideas for customers’ positive reinforcement:
- loyalty discount program that requires effort, but is still simple to join;
- sales, events, and proposals are designed specifically for recurring customers.
Using the cards that grant a free coffee after previously buying, let’s say, five of them, gives shoppers a solid reason to come back for seconds. Yet, you should also keep in mind that your willingness to stay up all night baking cupcakes for the last-minute announced new guests at the wedding will turn a regular customer into a truly devoted client.
How to Make New Visitors Feel Welcome and Increase Small Business Sales
Naturally, you cannot expand your domain without recruiting new brand enthusiasts. It might become a trying task because these people are yet to discover all the benefits of shopping with your company. So, let’s explore how you can induce them to give your product a chance.
1. Creative Advertising
Of course, traditional marketing tools and methods still matter. Emails, Google Ads, brochures, flyers, and even radio/TV commercials can indeed enlarge your audience. However, new and refreshing tactics usually spark more enthusiasm in people. Thus, do not refrain from using:
- Pop-ups. Welcome, timer, gamified, or exit-intent, these messages are equally effective at being powerful incentives for their target audiences. With Claspo, you can create the one you seek in just a few clicks.
- Social media. Considering the authoritative role these platforms play in our lives (especially due to the pandemic), sometimes simply asking your fan base to write a post about your goods and services can immensely contribute to your social proof.
- Unconventional ideas. Being original yet entertaining can help you stand out from the crowd. For instance, hold a contest for the stories about the most unusual usage of your product.
As a possible embodiment of this strategy, in this year’s Spring Sale, you can give away a cookie to every person who happens to wear a floral print. First, it is pleasant to see how nature is blooming, and so do the faces of your shoppers. Second, it will sweeten up your brand’s way to people’s hearts.
2. Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Why should people opt for you instead of your competitors? If you cannot answer this question, neither can your prospects. To motivate them, you should invent a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Your product or service should possess a trait no one else has, whether it is the quality of your materials, free shipping, or a simple return policy.
For example, if it is uncommon in your neighborhood, you can make your establishment pet-friendly. Now, plenty of dog owners will be able to stop by for a coffee and a croissant during their morning walks.
3. Appealing Design and Simple Layout
People are visual creatures. Plus, with this crazy life pace, they do not have time to figure out how to navigate through your shop, site, or app. Therefore, you should be smart about planning your interior and interface. Here are some suggestions on how you can make your online and offline stores attractive and convenient:
- The color palette (and lightning, in the case of the indoor display) that matches the main theme and draws attention to important items like best-selling goods and current sales.
- Familiar patterns combined with innovative technologies, such as tags with related topics for search results.
- High-quality visual materials, such as images and videos.
- A variety of attention-grabbing call-to-action buttons.
- Mobile-friendly formats of elements and forms.
- Versions of your application that work flawlessly on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Of course, they should be available for all platforms and operating systems (Windows/Linux, Google Play/App Store).
Claspo has a lot of pop-up types that are suitable for both full and mobile versions of your website. Now you can install sliders, sticky bars, or other compact pop-ups, and do not worry that the content can be blocked, or the message will appear incorrectly.
4. Digital Technologies
What is the point of living in the most technologically advanced time and resisting using sophisticated tools and inventions to your advantage? At least consider the benefits of:
- hybrid shopping or entirely digital experience;
- social media (for instance, you can sell your products and services via Instagram or Facebook).
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to embrace new technologies, and entrepreneurs were no exception. Keep up with the technological progress and allow shoppers to choose between service on demand, when they pay for their order online and wait for the delivery, or the “buy online pick-up in-store” (BOPIS) option.
5. The Desire for a Closer Acquaintance
Renowned corporations can enjoy the perks of established reputation and trust. Whereas small businesses have to work harder to increase their brand awareness and conquer customers’ hearts. Luckily, there is a multitude of instruments that will help you make the first encounter productive and keep in touch:
- contact forms integrated with CRM or CDP;
- pop-up quizzes with intriguing themes and captivating questions (it might sound complicated, but you can easily design one with Claspo);
- profile enrichment by adding prospect’s information from public sources via 3rd-party APIs;
- relatable, interesting, and helpful stories about the company, team, or product on social media/website;
- retargeting, follow-up emails;
- free samples/trials.
Certainly, the marvelous smell of freshly baked goods is tempting enough to lure passers-by. However, is it enough to make them stay? Probably, but it is safer to offer newcomers free samples from time to time just to be sure. You might not believe in love at first sight, but love at first bite is definitely real.
Conclusion
If you inquire about how to increase small business sales, there are plenty of viable tactics to salvage the situation. Of course, the ability to form strong and close connections with their customers is small enterprises’ most important asset. But if you manage to combine meaningful communication with pleasant design, technologically advanced software, and creative thinking, your results might exceed your wildest expectations.