12 Ways to Find More Business

– Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling

Finding more business is not a new goal for business— it has been the aim of every business since business began. In business there is no such thing as standing still— the world goes on and, hence, standing still is really going backward in relation to the market and the competition. While some firms look to find more business by going after new markets they may be looking in the wrong place. This is not to negate the need for new customers. They are important for no other reason than somehow one has to replace those customers that, for whatever reason, are no longer customers. Most likely, one can find more business right under his or her own nose. It may be there just for the asking. The following are 12 approaches to business that will help identify who may buy and what to sell them.

1. Reclassify your market into 3 categories:
   • Current Users of a product or service.
   • Researched Leads— those you know could use your products/services but they may/may not be aware that they could.
   • Prospective Customers —Those you think may be able to use your products/services but they may not be aware that they could. Current Users are Researched Leads and Researched Leads are also Prospects for additional products/services.
2. Be aware of your customers' 3 Buying Situations. They buy products/services to go with:
   • What they are doing.
   • What they are planning to do.
   • What they would like to do should they find products/services that fit. Most likely you are providing your customers with products/service to go with what they are doing. Additional business can be found by learning about what they are planning to do or would like to do. If the products/services you are currently providing are helping them make money, very likely they will look favorably on giving you information about what they are planning to do or would like to do. Additionally, both Researched Leads and Prospects have these same buying situations. So increased business can be found by learning what their customers' 3 Buying Situations are.
3. Know which sales produce profits:
   • First time sales are not profitable sales when one considers the time, effort and money it took to get them as customers.
   • Profits are made from second sales -- repeat sales, add-on sales and sales by referral. Concentration on increasing second sales will not only produce more business, it will also help the bottom line.
4. Help your customers:
   • Increase their sales.
   • Increase their profits by helping them increase the turnover/use of products/services you sell them. Vendors can assist their customers increase their sales by showing them opportunities for additional sales of their products/services. They can also help their customers increase the turnover/use of a vendor's products/services by making sure that their customers are not overloaded with products/services they cannot use within a reasonable amount of time. This will help the vendor's business increase by creating second sales.
5. Capitalize on your selling opportunities:
   • Selling new ideas, services and/or products to new customers.
   • Selling new ideas, services and/or products to old customers.
   • Selling old ideas, services and/or products to new customers.
   • Selling old ideas, services and/or products to old customers.
6. Looking for additional methods of making Current Users, Researched Leads and Prospects aware that you have products/services to help solve their problems:
   • Personal Presentations -- 1-on-1 (in person, letter, fax, e-mail), business cards, telemarketing, selling environment, attire/grooming, public presentations, civic activities, networking, trade shows.
   • Impersonal Presentations -- print, broadcast, yellow pages, printed materials, signage, telemarketing, window/counter/shelf display, broadcast fax & e-mail, direct mail, sponsorships.
7. Understand the fears that keep customers from buying and why customers buy ideas, products and services. Their three fears: their own lack of knowledge about what is being offered; the fear of the supplier's or their agent's lack of knowledge about what is being offered and how it will, can or may be used; the fear of being criticized for buying or contemplating buying a product/service. Customers buy (and those they report to will only buy) into what is being offered when they both believe they will be a better person in their own eyes and/or others' eyes for doing so.
8. Review your customer relations by mentally asking:
   • What are we doing that gets in your way?
   • What can we do to help you be better at what you're doing?
   • What are our customers going to have to do to be better at what they are doing and how can we help them do it?
9. Look to do for your customers what they can't do, don't do or won't do for themselves. If they can, do or will do it they don't need you.
10. Offer every customer added-value in the products/services they buy. There are only 2 ways to give added-value:
    • Give them more than they believe they are paying for.
    • Charge them less for what you offer/sell them. In the long run, the former will bring in more sales than the latter.
11. Make sure you fill your responsibilities and obligation to your customers:
    • Give them enough choices so that they will believe they will be able to make the right decision.
    • Present everything in the best manner possible given the limits of time, space, effort and money… but don't let these be excuses for not doing so.
    • Make sure your customers are never embarrassed for buying or contemplate buying your products and services.
    • Be sure that the most capable person is helping your customers spend their time, effort and money. It is not who makes the sale that's important; it's that the sale is made that is important.
12. Provide customers with materials they can use when they discuss the products and services under consideration with their family, friends, associates, acquaintances, customer or clients as the case may be.
    

Copyright © 2005 Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling, Portland, OR. All rights reserved.