How to increase business sales

Knowing how to increase business sales is an essential part of running your trade business. You might be struggling to get a steady stream of sales throughout the year, or perhaps you’re simply looking to grow your business. Even if you have more than enough sales this month, you never know what’s around the corner.

Here, we’ll look at how to increase business sales – from finding new customers to increasing your close rate.

How to improve business sales

Improving business sales is all about increasing the number of sales you make, as opposed to increasing the value of each transaction. When you really get down to the nitty-gritty, there are only two key areas to focus on when it comes to increasing your sales:

• Increasing your number of customers
• Increasing how many sales you make per customer

In other words, if you want to make more sales, you’ll either need to find new customers or encourage your existing customers to make more sales – or both!

How to find new customers and increase sales

Here are some tactics to increase the number of sales you make – whether that’s to do with finding new customers, or getting your current customers to use you more often.

1. Introduce new services

By introducing new services, you’ll be able to increase the pool of homeowners who need your help. This is a particularly good way of re-targeting customers who’ve used your services before.

2. Expand to new areas

Expanding your service area will give you a whole new set of homeowners to market your services to.

3. Evaluate your pricing

If you’re struggling to close sales, it could be because of your pricing. Read our guide on how to price your services or consider whether you could offer any attractive deals to help get customers over the line.

4. Improve your sales strategy

Improving your sales strategy could be all you need to close more sales. Learn how to sell your services and think about investing in sales training for you and your team.

5. Hone your marketing activities

You may need to invest in more marketing to improve brand awareness, or simply improve the efficiency of your existing marketing activities.

6. Study your competition

Make sure to analyse your competition and consider whether they offer anything you don’t. Pinpointing your USP (unique selling point) will help you to attract customers to your business over theirs.

7. Prioritise customer service

Prioritising customer service will help you to get more recommendations through word of mouth, as well as encourage your existing customers to use you again.

How to generate leads for sales

So, now you have some tactics to try to increase business sales. But you might still be wondering how to attract new customers. Here, we’ll look at some marketing and sales strategies that can help.

Marketing strategy to boost sales

Marketing is an integral way of getting your business out there. We’d recommend investing in both digital and print marketing to reach as many potential customers as possible. Here are some tactics to try.

• Update your company website
• Grow your business using Instagram, Facebook or other social media platforms
• Ask for customer reviews
• Register on Google My Business
• Try pay per click (PPC) advertising
• Build an email mailing list
• Use direct mail
• Advertise in local newspapers and magazines
• Distribute flyers and posters

And let’s not forget, one of the most effective marketing strategies for trades is to join Checkatrade.

A whopping 8 out of 10 people would choose a trade endorsed by Checkatrade compared to one that isn’t endorsed!*

Strategies to increase sales

Aside from marketing, you’ll need to use your sales skills to convince homeowners that you’re the right business to help. Here are some actionable tips to help you improve your sales skills.

• Spot opportunities to cross-sell. Cross-selling is a great way to increase the number of sales you get from your existing customers
• Pinpoint your USP. This will allow you to explain to customers why they should choose your business over your competitors
• Listen to your customers’ needs. The best salespeople listen to their customers and ask questions. That way, you can focus on how you can solve their problems and bring them value
• Build a rapport. Homeowners need to trust you to come into their house, which can be a big deal. Offering a personal service and instilling trust will go a long way
• Adapt your sales technique. Every homeowner is different. Pick up on their signals and adapt your sales technique to suit the person you’re selling to
• Handle objections confidently. You’re likely to come across objections from customers regularly (for example, over your prices or timeline). Preparing replies to common objections in advance can help you to handle them confidently in that moment

How to improve business efficiency and close sales

Winning new leads is only half of the battle when it comes to increasing business sales. You’ll need to focus on your close rate to improve your efficiency and make sure that you’re converting a decent number of the leads you generate into paying customers!

In order to improve your close rate, ask yourself these questions.

1. Are your leads the right fit? This is all about who you’re marketing to. If you’re marketing your services to people who aren’t your target audience, you’re going to struggle to turn leads into customers
2. Why aren’t you closing sales? When you lose out on jobs, ask homeowners why they didn’t pick your business. If the same answers keep coming up (for instance, pricing or timeline), ask yourself whether you can do anything to improve them
3. How quickly are you picking up on leads? Responding quickly to leads before they go cold is a major factor in how likely you are to convert your leads into customers. The Checkatrade app is a game-changer for busy trades who need to quickly respond to leads on the go
4. Where does your competition trump you? Compare yourself to other similar businesses in your area and ask yourself what they’re doing that you’re not. Check also that you’re filling a gap in the market

FAQs

How can I increase my sales quickly?

One way to quickly increase your sales is to join Checkatrade. Millions of homeowners use Checkatrade to find trades every year and being a Checkatrade member will ensure that yours is one of the businesses they find, giving you a steady stream of leads.

How to attract new customers?

Aside from increasing your brand awareness through marketing, the key to attracting new customers is your USP. Consider what makes you stand out over your competition. Doubling down on that when you’re marketing your business or talking to leads will give homeowners a solid reason to choose you.

*Claims are sourced from a survey conducted by Deep Blue Thinking on a nationally representative UK sample in November 2021.