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By Douglas Titchmarsh
Sales slumps, quiet periods, business lulls, call them what
you
will, but they can still be a serious threat to your business,
and in some cases will even bring the business down
completely.
There are ways to overcome these sales slumps, but they may
mean
taking some time during your busier periods to prepare for
them.
We have compiled our 5 quick tips to help you beat sales
slumps
and profit all year round with your business.
1) Build a mailing list. Online or offline, all business
owners
should be building a list not only of their customers, but
also
people who may be interested in their products or services.
it's obvious that your customers already know you, and trust
you, and that they buy what you sell, but there are other
people too who may be interested but haven't bought from you
yet. Online you can add a subscription form to your website,
and capture emails and even mailing addresses of your
potential
customers who didn't buy. Offline, offer something free which
interested parties can get by giving you their mailing
address.
Contacting your customers and other interested people during
your quiet periods can give you sales when your business most
needs them.
2) Have a sale. Having a big discount sale will bring in
customers, and while they are there you can offer an upsell.
If
you sell a lower cost item at a discount for your sale
promotion, it will bring in people for you to offer higher
ticket items. Even small discounts can attract people to your
business.
3) Cross promote with other businesses. Quite often you can
find another business with products which will complement
yours, and are a natural fit for cross promoting each other.
Search out these other businesses and trade with them for
advertising space, or referrals. If you sell yoga mats, then
find yoga training classes, offer the training school
attendees
a discount on mats, and/or the trainers a small incentive for
selling the mats for you. Maybe get them to hand out coupons
to
their trainees which enables you to track the sale back to
them,
and give their clients the discount. You can do the same for
them, when someone buys a mat they may need training, and you
could get the incentive fees for referring to the school in
the
same way.
4) Offer something new. During the slow periods, it can help
to
offer something new, a new products or service. Don't always
throw out new products in the busy periods, save them to
entice
people to your business during the sales slump periods. New
products and services hold a mystery, and demand attention, so
offering them when it's slow is a great way to bring back
people with the curiosity factor. It's also a good way to add
another upsell opportunity, see tip 2.
5) Use the Quiet Period Wisely. OK this may not bring in extra
money right away, but while your business is quiet you can
take
the time to make plans. You also have time to investigate new
products or services to your business, and to plan new ways to
promote your business. The sales slump may be a great time to
do some re-organisation, and to reflect on the ways to improve
your service, or products.
Whatever time of year your sales slump arrives, you don't have
to sit back and accept it. Get up, and get busy, there's a
whole heap of things you can do to increase your business
anytime of the year, just take some action, and turn those
slumps into peaks.
About The Author: Douglas Titchmarsh writes a newsletter
available from www.thediscountebookstore.com/blog and
was a contributor to the helpful ebook, "How To Beat The Sales
Slump Blues, And Boost Your Income" available at
www.cashinonline.info/recommends/beatsalesslumps.php
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