Here at Sasudi we’re all about helping you to enjoy the sales process and of course, ultimately make more sales! But hang on a second… there’s a really vital step in the sales process that allows everything you will learn to be put into place and is creating as many sales opportunities as possible.
Now keep this quiet, but we’ve got a proven success formula that is just one simple step. Yep, that’s it. One step and it’s called IPA. No, we’re not talking ale here (that’s for another discussion!) but Income Producing Activity.
You will attract customers if you focus a portion of your time and energy on activities that have a direct impact on creating sales opportunities. By this, I mean activity prior to the sale being made. This can be generalised as anything that may allow a sales opportunity to take place, so that could be marketing campaigns, emailing prospective clients, setting up meetings or generating referrals. Basically anything that will start or develop new relationships with prospective customers.
Filling your time keeping existing customers happy or servicing their needs is of course vital to your business but is not IPA. It does mean you’re doing a great job but it won’t generate the level of sales you need to keep on growing your business and heading into the success lane. IPA is needed to keep ‘fresh blood’ flowing into your business and providing new revenue.
Here are a few tips on how to start IPA
- Make it a habit
Ideally you want to be doing 2-3 hours of IPA every day. This may seem like a lot to someone who’s only just heard of it, but think about the things that you may already be doing that contribute to IPA. Then you need to batch these activities together into a 2-3 hour segment that happens daily. In order to make it a habit, try attaching it to something you do regularly, like after you’ve done your morning email check or straight after you sit back at your desk after lunch.
- Start a referral system
Unless you are a brand new business you are likely to have some clients who have had a great experience with you and would recommend you if the opportunity or incentive presented itself. Think about something of value that you can offer your existing customers in order to introduce you to new clients. If you are a brand new business, then get out there and do some early work even if it’s for a cut price fee (or for free) in return for a great testimonial that you can use on your website or in marketing efforts.
- Look at new marketing channels
Take a look at the existing routes to market you use and see where there are gaps. Have you embraced all of the new online marketing systems that are on offer? There are countless amounts of blogs and experts to show you how to do online marketing easily, effectively and affordably. Think outside of the box when it comes to places that you can capture leads. Perhaps running a webinar or speaking at a local event will open you up to a new audience!
So has that got you thinking? How much time do you currently spend on your IPA? Spend enough time working on it and you should start to see a difference in your sales.
Leigh Ashton is the co-founder of Sasudi.com, the world’s first online subscription-based platform that is aimed at making sales easy for Small Businesses. If you’re interested in learning more about attracting customers, or need help improving your sales, sign up to Sasudi.com for free. You’ll get free weekly tips and be the first to hear when the platform launches!
