Forum Moderators: buckworks
Firstly, he asked me for an order. ;)
Secondly, he asked me if I have any creative ideas to boost his sales in the last few days so he breaks the million barrier.
I thought that this might be a good topic for a thread for everyone.
He's doing one activity right now and is making phone calls.
What short term measure might you take to give your sales a boost?
I'll start...
1. Extend the online ad campaign.
Regarding a short term boost, I would agree that going full throttle with the online ad campaign may be best.
Conceptually this is a good idea but I would want to plan it out. I think I'd actually go after a 2-3 campaigns that leverage anything current/happening. Set them up to target different susceptibility.
1) Financial plea - you need this because it's on sale. Or this deal won't last forever.
2) Emotional #1 - you need this because your business is in danger without it.
3) Emotional #2 - you need this because you like to be on the bleeding edge
4) Emotional #3 - your competition uses this - shouldn't you?
5) Emotional #4 - it's sexy.
6) Safety - you need this because your company/job will fail without it.
Does he have an opt-in email list of his customers? I would look at doing a very good e-shot with special offers, money off vouchers, etc.
Even though it has been mentioned, I'd like to highlight the email aspect of it. "All" of our email campaigns are successful. I don't think we've had one that hasn't paid for itself thrice over each time we send one. ;)
Hit the streets. If its something he can promote locally and he's a social animal, time to maybe pound the pavement a little. :)
It's important to create a sense of urgency, too, as ectect suggests. Impulse sales, vis-a-vis the goofy little stands that are in front of the cash register in every corner store usually do very well, provided they have items for sale that trigger a "Darn.. I need that, and I had forgotten I did/Now that I see that widget, I can see understand how I just might need it" thought process.
As mundane as it sounds - get the address into blog comments (avoid spamming, though), get people clicking on it and get "Web word-of-mouth" started..
I personally will usually tell somebody else if I see a website with good deals or cool stuff or great prices, and they'll tell someone, and so on.
.
Never underestimate the power of subliminal suggestion.
Model shots of people that are
- happy with/interested in/being productive because of -
his products are worth their weight in gold, or alternatively
good 'ol fashioned "widget in use" shots.
"Humanize" the site as much as possible, get visitors associating
good feelings with his products at every turn.
.
Mack.
[edit for typo]
[edited by: mack at 6:43 pm (utc) on Mar. 22, 2008]
Offer something off the next order with a current order at regular price. Preserve the initial margin and help ensure those people will come back and buy again.
Send to a friend coupons is a great idea.
Isn't FREE shipping supposed to be the number one thing people want or close to it?
If the PPC search campaigns are running at a profitable ROI and there are budget caps in there, then lift those budget caps and keep the bid prices the same.
Landing page & offer testing.
Bundling products.
Any hot new products to be releleased in the next few months? Order #*$! now and be guaranteed to get this hot new gadget at the wonderful price of #*$!. Probably anything that involves a Wii would bring in some traffic at least.
Thanking Customers & Promoting them More.
Your friend could send a Thank you Card via Email Marketing, that if without his customers support, he/she would not have reached that close to One Million Sale.....and in this regard, ask your friend, to offer something very special to the Customers, towards the march end sale.....it could be redeeming a coupon, or a referral sale or a Free Home Delivery Sale or whatever based on the feasibility....
You could also convey my Congratulations to him/her on my behalf...
Even owners with top notch websites that dominate a sector are launching new sites in the same topic of interest. Having multiple top sites in Google serps is money in the bank nowadays regardless of how you monetize them.
Congrats to him and his assistant.
He's obviously working on beating that again next year.
FYI - his business-to-business sales come from phone and web, much of it being repeat local business. None of it is from outside the country.
The business sector is changing all the time, so, one month a product is relatively high margin, the following month or so it has dropped to as little at 5% margin. This often means he has to sell today and move on to the next product/s.
Special deals and offers are important, and getting those offers out is the next phase, followed by closing the sale, often done over the telephone.
Thanks to everyone for the ideas and suggestions.
I promise I won't link to the article from florida of a 14 year old who sold more in just two months with websites alone! hehe.
