What should small businesses do to sell more?

Well, the answer is the same for all small businesses, no matter the market, the location or sales volume, they all need marketing. All of them do it in some way, even if they do not realise it. Writing appointments, calling clients, offering clients a drink, putting up display boards, doing promotions, etc. All these are forms of marketing in some way, the important thing is to identify such activities in your business and incorporate them into a general marketing strategy.

No matter where a business is or how it’s doing, there are five things that should not be missing:

1. Corporate Image

Most human beings are “visual”, that is, we remember and better assimilate information when accompanied by “images”, which can be from a logo (McDonalds, Liverpool, American Express), an icon (the apple of Mac, the F of Facebook, etc.) to the same typography (Coca-Cola, Disney, etc.). The importance of this is that people “remind us”, “differentiate” us and of course “choose us”.

Take your time designing a basic corporate image: a business name, a logo that identifies you; define colours that, besides being for your logo, can be used for marketing such as on pop up display stands or internal or external display banner printing, the decoration of your workspace or premises, for your uniform or material; it is also important to choose a specific typeface, and use it in all your documents and formats.

All this will cause uniformity and identity. If your clients get used to your “image” it will be easier for them to recommend you. And most importantly, the customer’s impression will be that they are dealing with a serious business that takes care of the details. Remember “love is born from sight” and “the first impression is what counts”.

2. Know the Client

The better you know the people you sell services or products to and on whom your business definitively depends, the greater the possibilities of attending their needs in advance, knowing what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. This is the beginning of the “service” chain.

We can do this through observation and registration, through periodic surveys or simply through a registration form that you can ask them to fill out. What do we want to know about our client? It depends on the type of business in question, for example if it were a Beauty Salon with cuts, dyes, nails, facials, massages and waxing service, we would be interested to know which of these services they use and when and where. We could also ask about their brand preference, and available hours, among others. Ask your client and they will show you how easy it is to attend to them better and therefore, sell to them better.

3. Customer Service

This is the key to any business today with so much competition at every turn, the truth is that the little that distinguishes them from each other is the way they treat their customers. A client initiates their “brand experience” with you from the first moment they meet you. Everything you do will mean something to your client: if you smile, if you do not say hello, if you talk rudely, if you are punctual, if you are friendly, etc. The truth is that everyone likes to be treated well and we love feeling special. If you can make your client feel “special”, “important” and “unique, there is no way to fail – you will have returning clients and also recommendations.

A basic tip in marketing is that a “very satisfied” client recommends you 3 to 5 times to someone, but a “dissatisfied” client will not recommend you more than 10 times.

Besides that, it is cheaper to retain a client than to attract new ones, since a happy customer with your service will undoubtedly get you more clients. So, take special care of those customers you already have.