Growing sales is a key part of your brand’s mission. You want to bring in new customers, but you also need to increase the value of your existing customers, keeping them with your brand longer and encouraging them to make larger purchases. Learn seven strategies you can use to increase sales and meet your goals.
1. Get To Know Your Audience
Today, as never before, your customers expect a high level of personalization in their marketing. They want to know your brand is designed for them—and that you know who they are and what is important to them. That means you need to know more than their general demographics. You also need to know:
- Their pain points.
- Their likes and dislikes.
- The type of information they’re searching for.
- The things that are important to them.
Suppose, for example, that you are a home builder. It’s important to know your customers’ general age and income levels. However, you also want to know what they want from a new home, what renovations they’re considering, and what challenges they may face that the right home alterations can alleviate. Knowing these factors is key to increase sales.
2. Use Technology To Guide Customers Through the Sales Funnel
Each customer goes through a slightly unique process as they decide if they will choose your brand—whether that means selecting your college for their educational journey or using your company to build their new home. Take advantage of technology to guide them through that process. These tools can ensure you’re providing them with what they need and increase sales in the process.
AI-powered chatbots are a critical tool in that process. They’re available 24/7, which means they can answer questions no matter when customers have them—without your brand having to staff the communication center at all hours. Furthermore, they can get to know potential customers, qualify leads, and provide you with more information about what your target audience is actually looking for.
Take, for example, Jane. Jane is searching for the ideal home builder for her new construction project. Because she has never built a home before, she has a lot of questions about the process.
When Jane visits your website and discovers your chatbot, she is able to use it to get answers to those questions on the spot. It can tell her what renovations are most likely to have a high ROI, how long she can expect her renovation to take, and even what materials are used most frequently for specific projects or needs.
As a result of those chatbot interactions, Jane builds a high level of trust in your brand. When she is ready to launch her building project, your brand is at the top of her list.
3. Know Your Place in the Market
What is it that sets your brand apart from your competitors? If you do not know the answer to that question and have not refined it down to an elevator pitch that you can deliver quickly, chances are, your marketing efforts are just as disjointed. Potential customers will notice.
You want to know who your brand is, what you have to offer, and what your specific place is in your market. Not only does that mean knowing exactly who you are and what you do, it means taking a look at your competitors and knowing why interested customers should choose your brand over theirs. What do you do differently?
It might be your great customer service or student life experience. As a home builder brand, it could be your commitment to quality or your fast turnaround time. You should also know where you fit in regarding pricing. Do you offer a luxury experience or a more inexpensive option for individuals on a tighter budget?
As you get to know your place in the market, you can better shape your marketing materials and messaging to ensure that they align with your brand. Ultimately, better marketing is the best strategy to increase sales!
4. Don’t Let Customers Fall Out of Your Sales Funnel
When you bring a customer into your sales funnel, ultimately, your goal is to keep them there until they make a purchase. And in many cases, you want to bring them back to you to make a purchase again.
If you’re a home builder, for example, you want to make sure you’re regularly checking in with people who are interested in your specific services, whether that’s a new house or a renovation to their existing home.
If you do not hear from a prospect for a while, check in. Automated messages and AI-powered assistants are great for ensuring that no prospect is forgotten. For example, set messages to send out after you have not heard from a lead in a while. This powerful tool can help bring prospects back to your website to learn more about your brand.
5. Look for Opportunities To Upsell
Upselling is the process of offering your prospect or customer something in addition to the purchase they had already planned to make. As a home builder, that could mean upgrading them to premium materials or convincing them to add on to their initial project plans to get a space they’re happier and more comfortable with.
Look for opportunities to upsell to your customers. Find new ways to add value to their purchase that will incentivize them to spend more money, even in cases where they may think they have already selected the item or service they want. Adding to each customer’s value can go a long way toward boosting your overall sales and helping you meet your goals.
6. Provide Excellent Customer Service
You do not just want to add value to your customers by convincing them to increase their initial purchase. You also want them to come back to your brand when they have needs in the future—and good customer service is key.
Did a customer get their mortgage from you the first time? If they’re ready to purchase a new property, whether they’re moving or selecting an income property in the area, you want them to turn to you again. A great customer experience is key to that sense of connection.
Did you handle a kitchen renovation for a customer who is now ready to upgrade their bathroom or living room, or finish their garage? If they had a great experience with you the first time, they will be more eager to return to your brand in the future.
Your AI chatbots are not just a great tool for bringing in and qualifying leads. They can also help your existing customers feel as though you are paying them the personal attention they need. AI chatbots can answer questions as they arise. When the chatbot does not have the answer to a specific question, it can ensure the customer gets a response from one of your human agents as soon as possible.
A critical part of your customer service is also handling problems as they arise. When something does not go according to plan—from a teacher with an unfair grading policy to a broken appliance in a new home renovation—make sure you have a plan in place for addressing it. Most people recognize that problems happen. The critical difference is how your brand deals with it.
7. Get Feedback (And Act On It)
Your existing customers are a fantastic source of information about what your brand is doing right and what your brand might need to improve. They can tell you where you excel, where you’re falling short, and offer insight into what their future needs might be.
Ask for that feedback. Pay attention to customer comments. Let your AI chatbot gather information about what questions or complaints it deals with the most frequently.
The better you get to know your current customers, the better you can use that information to shape future interactions. If a customer choses to go with another home builder, what was it that convinced them to go somewhere else? If they chose a different mortgage lender, was it because of the difference in rates, or was there a key difference that led them to select the other company?
When you gather feedback from your customers, don’t just sit with it. Instead, act on it. That does not mean that you have to make alterations based on every customer’s comments, but it does mean that when you notice patterns, you should shift your practices to meet the greater customer need.
Increase Sales With AI-Powered Chatbots
If you’re looking for AI-powered chatbots to help improve your customer interactions, from providing always-available customer service and support to gathering the vital data to grow your brand and boost your sales, AtlasRTX is here to help. Check out our tools and solutions to learn how we can help you boost engagement and provide a higher standard of customer care.
