Five Reasons Why You Need an Opt-in on your Website ASAP

5 Reasons Why You Need an Opt-in on Your Site ASAP

One of the most important elements on your website is your opt-in. This is a small form that enables your visitors to sign up for your mailing list (or free offer), so you can contact them via email in the future.

If you don’t already have an opt-in on your site, then one of your first marketing goals for 2011 should be to get one up there as soon as you possibly can.

Here are the top 5 reasons why an opt-in is so important…

1.      The majority of people don’t buy the first time they come to your site

Studies show it takes at least 6-7 points of contact before a customer feels comfortable enough to make a purchase from you. If you give them a compelling reason to join your mailing list then you significantly increase your chances of being able to convert them into a buyer in the future. In other words, you’ll increase sales revenues by including an opt-in form.

2.      Statistics show email is still the most effective online conversion channel

Check out these stats… Read the rest of this entry »

Are you ready for Google Editions?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is in the final stages of launching its e-book retailing venture, called Google Editions. This could have a huge impact on the e-book industry.

Digital book sales are expected to more than triple to $966 million this year, according to Forrester Research, from $301 million in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

Is that all? How these words can help you lose thousands of dollars

The other day, I was on my way to the swimming pool with my mom and my three kids and we decided to stop in at a certain coffee shop. As we went through the drive-through, I told my kids they could have a snack. They were very excited because I’m usually very strict about sugar! So I pulled up to the microphone to order and the pleasant woman said,

“Hello, welcome to XYZ, what can I get for you today?”

And I replied, “I’ll have an Americano, 2/3rds full…” and before I could go on, she asked,

“Is that all?”

Oh no.

That’s just about the worst thing anyone can ask me… Talk about the kiss of death. Normally, when someone offers me an upsell, I buy it, just to give them positive reinforcement, and if they ask me something idiotic like, “Is that all?” I usually say Yes, that is all. But I had just promised my kids a snack and didn’t really want to get into a lesson on upselling with my kids at that moment. So I said,

“Noooo, that’s not all. I’d also like one piece of banana bread…” and before I could continue, she asked,

“OK, Is that all?”

I said, “Nooo, that’s NOT all (getting perturbed). I’d also like a lemon loaf…”

You guessed it. She said, “Is that all?” again!

It was totally ridiculous. I needed two drinks and five snacks and I couldn’t even get my order out of my mouth before she would interrupt me and try to end the ordering process.

What annoys me the most is when I think about how many thousands of dollars that costs that business every year. Money that is so easy to make.

What’s happening with YOUR business? Do you and your staff use phrases like, “IS that all?” and “Is that everything?” If you do, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

Use upselling phrases like:

Would you like a snack with your drink today? (Or the running socks to go with the running shoes, the special cake topper to go with the cake, the bracelet at 10% off to go with the necklace, the transcript to go with the CD, the worksheets to go with the book…you get the idea)

Is there anything else I can get (or do) for you?

Is there anything else you need?

How else can I help you today?

Use your head and suggest things that they might now know that you have. You’re the expert after all. It’s a simple way to increase sales. My husband just bought a very cool attachment for his bicycle that’s made specifically for his iPhone. Very cool! They showed it to him at the bike store, and he bought it. Simple!

Happy selling!

Suzanne

The best way to show appreciation for your Customers

For small business owners, as our business grows, sometimes we tend to forget the most important part of our business – our customers. The danger with this is that your customers do not feel appreciated and will not have any loyalty to you when push comes to shove.

Remember that acquiring a new customer costs 8 times more than marketing to a current customer!

To show your customers how much you appreciate them, you need to spend a day or two every month to make follow up calls and thank your existing customers. You don’t even need to try to sell them anything; a simple hello will suffice. Your customers will be pleased that you took the time to check in and say hello.

Thanking your customers is often a neglected gesture yet a very powerful sales tool. There are several instances where in a simple thank you to your customers will be very much appreciated. Let me ask you a question: When was the last time you got a Thank You card in the mail? I mean a real Thank You card, not an email.

Appreciate your customers

Here’s a copy of the card that I send:

Depending on my intended goal, sometimes I write:

“Dear Lisa, I wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for being our customer. We appreciate your business very much. Please let us know if there’s anything we can help you with at any time. Best regards, Suzanne”

Or it could go something like this: “Dear Nancy, Thank you for your recent order. We appreciate your business very much. We wish you all the best with your marketing and we look forward to helping you succeed. Best regards, Suzanne”

Or if my goal is to win back old customers, it could go like this: “Dear Heather, I’m writing to you today because I want to thank you for being our customer. It’s because of you that we have a business and I am grateful to you. I wanted you to know how much I truly appreciate you. I’ve noticed that we haven’t heard from you in quite a while… Because we think of you as one of our “preferred customers” I was hoping to find out why. Perhaps you’ve found another supplier and if that’s the case I’d love to know why you made the switch. It would really help me so that I can make sure whatever the reason is, it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Plus it would give me the opportunity to make it right for you! [And the letter continues, depending on whether I am sending it in a thank you card or on letterhead. Sometimes I run out of room!] Best regards, Suzanne”

There are many, many reasons why you could send your customers (current and expired) a Thank You card. You can order inexpensive Thank You cards on www.vistaprint.com (not an affiliate link) and start using them in a few days. Don’t spend too much time on designing them. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to get going!

Yes, Thank You cards do take a little time out of your day but never forget that your customers are everything. Without them, you wouldn’t have a business. And luckily for you, your competitors are not likely sending Thank You cards so it will really make you stand out!

All the best,
Your Revenue Rescuer,

Suzanne Doyle-Ingram

Was I speaking Swahili?

I was on a call with a client the other day, discussing how to increase sales revenue, and the importance of following up with your prospects and customers as part of your sales strategy.

I said, “It’s much easier if you have a proper CRM system,” and then I continued with the conversation.
What a mistake that was. I was assuming my client knew exactly what I was talking about!

Finally she said, “Suzanne, what was that you said about a such-and-such system?” and told me it sounded like I was speaking Swahili. I said, “Oh, you know, a CRM system. Customer Relationship Management.”

We talked at length about the pro’s and con’s, so I’d like to take some time today to share a little bit about how I use my CRM system to my advantage as a key part of my sales strategy.

By the way, a study done by SMEI (Sales and Marketing Executives International) showed that 80% of people who inquired about a product or service said they would buy within 1 year. But guess what? 90% of them bought from a different company, not the one they initially inquired with. Read the rest of this entry »

How Can You Add Value?

When it comes to growing your business and increasing sales revenues, there are so many important factors to implement but one of the most important factors revolves around adding Value.

How can you add value for your customer? What can you give them for free that would add value?

Ask yourself: How does what you do for them add value?

Forget about making the sale right now. Just think about how you can give something to your prospect or client, totally free, no strings attached. I know, it seems like a very strange strategy! But trust me, it works. There’s a lot of truth in the expression “The more you give, the more you get.”

I’ve had many sales managers tell me not to spend time chatting with clients about “frivolous” things like our kids, hobbies, and so on. But I have found that relationship building is very important and, quite honestly, I couldn’t NOT talk to my clients about their personal lives because I care about them and I am genuinely interested in our friendship.

This is, again, another drastic difference between the way women sell and the way men sell.

People choose to do business with you mostly because they like you and only partially because of what you sell.

Adding value can take many forms. Here are some of the ways you can add value:

  • Forward newspaper or magazine articles to your clients that might be of interest to them
  • Write a whitepaper or e-book summarizing common questions and give it away on your website
  • Send them a book you recently read and think would be helpful to them
  • Refer someone to them
  • Newsletter – if you don’t already send a free monthly newsletter, start now – but make it valuable
  • Depending on your industry, any of the following: free marketing analysis, website analysis, proofreading or editing their marketing pieces, advising them on various aspects of their business
  • A free sample of your product or service
  • A free workshop

As you can see, adding value can take on many different forms, but the key to it is that you don’t keep score, you just think of ways to give.

And once you get in the habit of adding value and giving back, you will see a shift in your business and your sales. You will start to get more referrals and more sales. It will become easier for you to come up with ways to add value for your clients and your prospects.

As author Bob Burg says, “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”

If you can do something useful for your prospects and clients, they will appreciate it. It will add to your own personal value as well, and show them that you are truly trying to help them succeed.

To learn more about Adding Value and other ways to Serve your Customers, download Suzanne’s e-book using the form to the right, called “The 6 P’s of Profitability: What Women Business Owners Must Know to Boost Sales and Maximize Profits.”

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