We all know the sales and marketing basics. Spend more on advertising, hire a great sales team, have a professional image. These are all great ideas, however what are some other methods you can use to attract more customers, that are less known yet equally effective?
Stop selling products and services
You read that right, however I am not suggesting that you should stop selling entirely. Rather than working towards getting another sale, why not work with prospects to find the right solution for them instead?
Think of this as solution sales, rather than product sales. This article from Entrepreneur explains.
Look after your team
Most of your customers first contact will be with your employees. Happier employees means happier customers.
The more you show gratitude and encourage your team, the more likely you will be able to retain your best employees. Saying thank you, arranging team lunches and having social outings as a company can go a long way to thank your team for their efforts.
Another more radical yet proven method, is to consider reducing the hours your team works. This article explains how a four day work week actually helped this company.
Look after yourself too
Don’t forget about yourself as a leader too. You need to take care of yourself so you can be at peak performance. A rundown leader is no good for anyone, and won’t help you to attract more customers.
You should always be looking for effective ways to improve your work life balance, without necessarily reducing your hours dramatically.
Find ways to develop a habit of continuous learning as well – keeping the brain sharp has huge benefits, no matter your age or role.
Show your best face
Your office or premises reflect a lot about your brand, whether our conscious of it or not. Having a messy reception area, or fading signage is a great way to dissuade new customers.
It can be hard to actually notice things when you spend all day every day in your work environment. Perhaps ask the rest of your team for suggestions of improvements?
Your workspace should be ready to attract more customers. Often the small things, such as asking your employees to spring clean their office areas, through to arranging a cleaning firm to visit every week.
Look for electrical devices or systems that may need maintenance or a service, such as elevators, fire warning systems, electric gates, reticulation systems and the like.
Spruce up your digital presence
We can’t discuss how to attract more customers without touching on the online space. The web has entirely overhauled how most businesses now advertise and market themselves.
Whenever people talk about websites, they often stick to just the visual aspects, however you want to ensure your website is fit for the best possible rankings on search engines. To do that, you have to work on having great keyword rich content, and improving your website speed as much as possible.
Also, when we are talking about SEO, take a look at your competitors that rank really well. There’s a good chance they are having success with business blogging. These blog posts often provide the right amount of content that Google and other search engines are craving for.
In Summary
So, to recap, those fie unique ways to attract more customers to your business, are;
- Sell solutions, not products;
- Look after your team; they have a huge impact;
- Don’t forget to look after yourself too;
- Ensure your premises are looking their best, and;
- Then make sure your digital presence is also performing.
By following these five methods, you’ll be on the road to more customers and better profits than before. I wish you all the best of luck in business!
About the Author
Lauren Clarke is a freelance writer based in Sydney, Australia. When she is not writing about business software, marketing and human resources, Lauren can be found enjoying a red wine or listening to some live jazz.
