Imagine company N., which is engaged in the wholesale supply of X components for Y enterprises. On the market this company has been around for several years, there is a base of regular customers, profits, things are slowly going uphill ... Well, everything, in general, is more or less normal.
Now imagine the sales department of this company. A large bright room, tables, computers, telephones, printers ... Managers, of course, in business, already greasy suits, sit - spit at the ceiling, poison jokes ... Between passing a new level in a "standard" office toy, they process incoming requests from partners. Once a former sales department, it has turned from an actively pushing the market machine into a perverted semblance of customer service. Yes, of course, they have new customers, but from where???! In this regard, reputation helps and marketing policy companies, that is, our, so to speak, "merchants" work on the incoming flow and "do not blow into the mustache." Moreover, they receive quite good money for all this.

What led the department to such a “collapse” decrease in the efficiency of its functions?

And what can be done to optimize its performance?

The reason is simple. Managers in the process of “stuffing” the client base constantly increased the number of processed incoming requests. Accordingly, the time for searching became less and less. And one day the number of clients reached the maximum that the manager can handle. He works with them for a day, another, a month, six months and then BAM!!! “Wow: I’m just sitting in the office, and the work is going on, the salary is growing ...”. What happens next - but nothing: the merchant, step by step, begins to degrade ... He becomes lazy: making a couple of calls - now it's a whole problem for him, but holding a meeting - WHAT, WHAT MEETING: “the soldier is sleeping - the service is on” !! ! Such managers are dangerous because their IBI (imitation of violent activity) is very high, it already works at a professional level. As soon as the boss enters the hall, everyone immediately grabs their phones, starts counting something, writing, and even asking the head of the council: “Ivan Ivanovich, I just spoke with a client here, he asks for a two-week delay, to give or not? »
Heads of departments, intoxicated by the joy of reports arriving on time, do not even realize that every day they do not receive a huge amount of money, that competitors have long been ahead and are dividing the market in their own way.

What is the best way to deal with such a situation?

You will no longer be able to make them work as before, never and under no circumstances - this is 100%, if you want 1000%. Therefore, do not even waste your strength and nerves. Because they will sabotage in such a way, albeit “technically”, that it will not seem enough!
And be aware! They already have such friendly relations with clients that, if desired, they will take their entire accumulated base to competitors.
However (But fortunately), everything is not as bad as it seems at first glance! And the decision will not be long in coming!
With such a balance of power, it is necessary to build a new commercial service in parallel, while the old one will gradually develop into a customer service department - customer service.
You have a new organizational structure of the sales department, which clearly separates new customers from those who make systematic purchases. Some sell, others serve, the most logical sales model!
It is important to consider that the staff for customer service requires less qualified. Minimum program: knowledge of the product, market specifics, plus a computer. And this means that wages in this department will be much lower, so soon, your obese "comers" will be replaced by young girls with a pleasant appearance.

2. Adjust the motivation system of your salespeople.

A well-built motivation system is a very serious tool for increasing the efficiency of the sales department, and it doesn’t matter what kind of sales we are talking about b2b or b2c.
In one of the companies, there was such a case. Managers of the commercial department, in addition to bonuses from the first sale, received a small percentage of current payments, i.е. from those clients whom they brought a long time ago and now they are served by the client department. So, after a couple of years, this small percentage was enough to not receive a salary. About the fact that employees get money so easily, the manager found out by accident. Once he heard a conversation between an “experienced” businessman and a newcomer in a smoking room, who said: “You will work for two years, and then you will live on interest, from the current ones. The main thing is to be quiet: do not be late, submit reports on time, smile, there are “incoming” ones, we will share ... ".
Imagine how much money was wasted, horror.
If the "dogs" are full, what a hunt! (May sellers forgive me for such a comparison).
The motivation system is a powerful managerial lever! The main thing is to use it wisely.
Revising ratios and percentages is just as important as changing sales plans. Many companies work "the old fashioned way": the standard scheme is salary +%. But that doesn't work anymore, forget it!
If you want to keep sellers in good shape, if you want high intensity in their work, then take into account other indicators when calculating the salary: the number of calls (cold, repeated), the number of meetings, the number of contracts, conversions, average check, average time “from call to contract”, execution of instructions within the framework of the project (to improve the quality of service, to study customer demand, etc.).
Of course, the main principle of any motivation system is its transparency and ease of perception. But fortunately, today's opportunities allow us to make this calculation automatic and take into account dozens of employee performance indicators. For example, the easiest way is an Excel spreadsheet. The manager, filling out a daily report, can immediately see his results in the context of one day or week, how much he has completed, from the sales plan, what needs to be tightened up, where the norms have already been exceeded.

Check the relevance of your motivation system!

3. Set sales plans

Maybe someone will consider this method absurd, but believe me, there are many commercial organizations where there is no sales planning, and if there is, then only formally.
No sales plan = bankruptcy plan.
The planning process is nothing more than creating a virtual model of what is to happen. If you do not have a sales plan, then it will be very difficult for you to evaluate the effectiveness of work and measure the result, and without measurement, there is no management, in principle.

Let's take a look at the main stages of drawing up a sales plan:
1) Planning starts with an annual sales plan. Yes, exactly from the annual!
Without complicating things, you take indicators for last year(100 million rubles), add to them the percentage of growth in the industry (10% = 110 million rubles) and add the percentage of growth that you would like to receive (10% = 121 million rubles).
2) Next, you break down the plan into sales channels, according to your specifics, example:

• Current dealers (40% = 48 million rubles)
• Newly attracted dealers (20% = 24 million rubles)
• Tenders and public procurement (10% = 12 million rubles)
• One-time corporate orders (10 = 12 million rubles)
• Own distribution network (20% = 24 million rubles)
• Etc. (1 million rubles)

3) The next step: we break down these amounts by sales departments and for each manager personally. Current dealers - for customer service, new attracted - for the commercial department, then - the department corporate orders, directors of chain stores, etc.
4) Then you divide these figures into quarters and months, taking into account seasonality, the experience of the previous year, the range of goods, and so on.
Using this not tricky method, you can set sales plans for all departments for the whole year.
It is important to note one trick!

Ideally, a sales plan is drawn up, as it were, from two sides: from your employees, and directly from you. When they are agreed, something in between is born, and the manager perceives these figures as a document developed by himself, and therefore thinks more about how to implement it, and not how to explain why it cannot be performed.
Everyone has their own idea of ​​the future and everyone will think that his plan is "more correct". You, as a leader, will say that the market allows you to grow and you should use it! And managers, in turn, will fight back saying that their life is hard, the market is not rubber, there are a lot of competitors, and that Russia is not Europe.
Get ready for it!

4. Provide "total" knowledge of the product.

In fact, not all sales managers know the product they are selling well, no matter how strange it may sound. Every day, at meetings, a huge number of transactions are disrupted due to the incompetence of managers in matters of the specifics of the product. This is especially true for technological products. I think: for many, the situation is familiar when, during negotiations, a client asks a question that you did not expect to hear: “Please tell me the exact data on the heat transfer resistance coefficient of your concrete, since we will use it in the northern regions, for us it is extremely important… ". At this moment, your eye twitches and your leg cramps - what did he say? YOU take out the phone, with the words: “Now I will clarify”, - call the elder, and, not knowing how to formulate the question, hand over the phone to the client ...
Any buyer wants to work with professionals! Such a desire is justified at the level of human psychology - they trust professionals, and if there is trust, then there is a purchase.
First of all, the client should see the seller as an expert, an expert in his field, capable of solving any problem and knowing the answers to all possible questions.

Ignorance, or superficial possession of information about the product, puts the manager in a stupid position. The client forms an opinion about the company, communicating with a specific person, you will never be able to explain to the client that “it was a beginner, forgive him, now we will send a pro, wait”. No one will wait for you! But you can definitely eliminate such situations in a simple way:

Firstly, collect all possible customer questions related to product characteristics;
Secondly, of course, write down the answers;
Third, conduct an attestation for knowledge of the product (those who did not pass are not allowed to negotiate);
Fourth, supplement the list with new issues that managers face during negotiations;
And finally, fifthly, in case of the slightest change in any characteristics or properties of the product, when adding a new product to the line - add new questions.

Thus, you will constantly form an updated "knowledge base" on technical specifications and product properties.
Conduct training in the form of "question-answer" - this is the simplest and most effective model for memorizing such material.
Naturally, it is impossible to foresee everything. Therefore, to reduce the risk of disruption of transactions, equip managers with tables, lists, photographs, any materials that will allow the manager to get out of an awkward situation when selling your product.

Example:
Selling nails. Have your manager carry these nails to the meeting, one of each. I don’t know the table with the characteristics of the metal from which they are made: torsional stress, bending, tension, what else is there. And in the car, let him have a hammer, a board, and all the same notorious nails, but only Chinese competitors. He does not believe that you have the best nails, let him try (pull it out of his hand).

But what to do if, nevertheless, a situation arises when you do not know what to answer ?!

Firstly, Don't worry! Until you start to worry, you retain the status of an expert.
Secondly, clarify the question by repeating what the opponent said (writing down). So you show that you are listening carefully and gently indicate that you are not ready for such a question.
Third, say that you haven’t been asked such a question for a long time, always with a smile, and looking straight into his eyes until he turns his eyes away. (“Honestly, I don’t remember the last time I was asked about this…”)
Fourth, turn your ignorance 180 degrees in your favor: appeal to the client's competence in this matter. Somehow: "... you rarely meet a true professional in our industry ...".
Fifth, ask permission to clarify the information. It is better to do it in this form: "... let me check this data with the brand manager, perhaps something has changed, it will take no more than a minute ...".
These recommendations will be enough for the "gaps" in the knowledge of the product to gradually disappear, and the emerging ones could not negatively affect the outcome of the meeting.

5. Form a "sales book" of the department.

What is a "book of sales"?
In any business, there is a difficulty in adapting newcomers to a new place. Now I'm not talking about the "acclimatization" of a beginner in a new team, but about his training in your technologies and principles of work. Of course have job descriptions, standards, regulations that fall on the head of an intern employee: “Study!!! I'll check it out!!!"
What do you think, is there such a knowledge base that will allow you to build a new link into the sales process in a few days (3-4 days)? Which will allow, within a few days, to test a beginner. Do you have time for probationary periods"? Can you wait until a newcomer "has an internship" after which there is a chance to hear: "Nah, this job is not for me"?
So here it is! Such a “litmus test” is the “sales book”.
Nothing stands still - everything evolves! Our business is developing, our customers are developing, the offered goods are being modernized, the approaches to work are changing. What was yesterday a unique selling proposition is today considered the norm in the industry. How to manage to adjust all these standards and regulations, how to respond to external changes with lightning speed?
Keep your business in shape you will allow the "sales book"!
Every day, our managers, performing their professional duties, gain invaluable experience: they find new solutions for effective sales, initiate changes in the sales system, open up new opportunities for concluding deals ... Where to accumulate this knowledge and findings? That's right - in the "book of sales."

The main advantage of the "sales book" is that you get a tool for organizing a self-developing sales department.
About principles:
There is no form or strict plan to create this document. This is its essence. Main principle- the document is "live". It is constantly changing, supplemented, both directly by the head and employees of the sales department. This form of experience exchange has a positive effect on the formation of team spirit in the company. All experience and knowledge is stored in one place: all techniques, all answers to questions, the best objection handling and effective speech modules - everything “that is acquired by overwork”.
About structure:
The Book of Sales is based on two sections:
1. Organization of the sales process
2. Principles and techniques of sales
In the first part, you indicate all the schemes of interaction with the client: who is the client for you, what does he look like, how to work with him, the client's path, what documents to fill out, where to place them, pricing principles, USP, customer loyalty incentive programs, etc. . In general, everything related to the sales process is contained in the first block.
The second block is devoted to the principles and technologies of sales used in your company. For example, cold calls. It describes in detail what they are and how to do them.
Example:
Section 3.14. "cold calls"
Description: "cold calls" - a tool to attract new customers to our company. "Cold" because the potential client is not waiting for our call, and did not consider the possibility of cooperation with us. Blah blah blah…
Scheme:
1. Greeting - presentation
Script: Hello, my name is….
2. Explain the purpose of the call
Script: With whom can I discuss...
3. …
4. …
In short, yes.

The main thing is that you describe in detail all the algorithms and specific scripts, preferably with an explanation: why we say it this way, what technique we use. To pass the awareness of the seller of what he is doing.
Writing a "sales book" is a very creative process. I have come across "sales books" in which both the organizational structure of the department and the description of business processes are built in, and standard forms reports. Such a construction of a “sales book” is, in fact, very convenient. I'm sure that, after some time, commercial organizations completely abandon the standards, regulations, instructions and other bureaucratic "pornography". Personally, in my business, I have already abolished many documents. The simpler, the better and more effective. After all, it's no secret to anyone that "everything ingenious is simple"! Is not it!?

6. Provide customer feedback.

How do you know what YOU are doing wrong? How to improve the work of the company so as to satisfy not only your needs, but also take into account the wishes of customers? How do I know: what makes my company better than others?
Ask your clients about this.
Many clients, in addition to cooperation with your company, have one or more suppliers, that is, they work with your competitors.
Clients, like no one else, know the state of affairs in the market. Who and what offers, in what terms and how they deliver, what will be new and when, and a lot of other information is circulating in the client environment.
“Feedback” is not only a way to find out how competitors behave, what they are doing and what they plan, but also a way to get ahead of them, that is, to use the information received when developing a USP.
Naturally, you should not ask: “Well, what are our competitors doing there? ". In the questionnaire " feedback” should be a question of this nature: “What changes in the work of our company will allow us to count on an increase in the volume of purchases from your side? ", -something like this. It is possible in other words, but keeping the meaning - why do you work not only with us?
"Feedback" will help to learn about the affairs within the company: about minor problems that are not so significant, but create certain inconveniences in work.
For example:
If your warehouse opens an hour earlier, it will be convenient for 5 of your customers. Agree: it is worth paying extra for a storekeeper for an hour of work, if this is important for so many clients.

So, make a questionnaire for "feedback". Build questions in such a way that the answer is detailed (open questions). Use assessment questions. The number of questions is not critical and depends on the number of customer contact points with your company.
Example:
1. What should be changed in the work of our company?
2. What additional products or services would you like to purchase from us?
3. Rate vocational training customer service on a 5-point scale.
4. Rate our work.
5. ….

If, when answering a question with an assessment, the client says: “Yes, everything is fine - a solid 4”, - specify: why not five.
Also an important point in the organization of "feedback" is systems approach. That is, it is not enough to call the client once a year, with the question: “How are you?”.

effect from this tool will be felt only in two cases:
1. You will audit customer loyalty on an ongoing basis.
2. Based on the information received, decisions will be made and specific actions will be taken.
Appoint a person responsible for "feedback", allocate a day to collect information and draw up a report. Do not call too often, one call per month is enough. Conduct a flash survey (for example, questions related to employee suitability and work experience), and once a quarter do a detailed survey with suggestions and recommendations. Also consider the seasonality of your business if you are selling farms diesel fuel for combines, then in January, call with the question: “What will increase the volume of purchases? ' is a bit silly.
Implement "feedback" and use the information for its intended purpose.

7. Attract customers with cold calls

In b2b sales there is such a thing as "cold calls". This is nothing more than the main tool for active sales to attract customers. Many companies neglect this method of increasing profits, and for good reason. The skepticism is easily explained:
firstly, someone tried to introduce "cold calls" into their sales model, and having not received the desired effect, abandoned them forever;
secondly, the marketing policy of some companies allows them to attract a certain number of customers exclusively through advertising, and in principle this is enough for them. But most likely, I would like more!
In the first case, everything is clear: not knowing how to fly an aircraft, you should not sit at the helm. Illiterate "cold calls" can do more harm to the company than give any positive result.
In the second case, the situation is more complicated: things seem to be going well, the number of customers is growing, what else is needed for business development, but ... Imagine: the managers of the nearest competitor make 100 cold calls per day ... And what do you think: in whose favor will the market share be in another year?

So, in order to attract customers with the help of cold calls, you need to start making them! You ask how? In eight steps:
1. Divide the region in which you work into sectors: if you work for the whole of Russia - divide Russia, if you work for the whole world - cut the globe.
2. For each sector, assign a responsible manager (he may have several more managers subordinate to him, then they divide their sector into several more).
3. Each manager needs to collect all contacts potential clients in their sector, and all the necessary information about them.
4. Gather all contacts of your competitors in this sector and information on them.
5. Make a SWOT analysis of the market based on the information received, and develop Commercial offer for each sector.
6. Write a cold call script.
7. Assign a plan for the number of "cold calls" per month and per day.
8. Implement a daily report (Excel format is fine) on the results of calls.
In principle, this will be enough for your "cold calls" to work and begin to give positive results.
It should be noted that a systematic approach is essential when using this tool. The first calls will not be as successful as we would like, but everything comes with experience.

8. Structure the negotiation process.

Your manager returned from negotiations, and to the question: “Well, who are they working with now? ”, - replies guiltily: “I don’t know, I forgot to clarify.” How, in this case, you can build a profitable commercial offer - yes, no way. And calling back with a question: “I forgot to ask here ...” is at least stupid.
In general, “I forgot to ask”, “I forgot to clarify” is a widespread phenomenon among business managers. active sales. This is due not only to the qualifications of employees, and the lack of proper experience, but also to the notorious "human factor". serious load, irregular schedule, high intensity, sales plan - all this affects the quality of negotiations. Especially if the meeting with the client falls in the evening, when the head is no longer “cooking” and you really want to go home, turn off the phone and go to bed.
I will tell you about myself easy way improve the efficiency of negotiations!
In order for negotiations to be easier, faster, and more effective, use a simple but extremely effective tool -
"questionnaire". What it is?
This is an A4 sheet with a list of questions to ask at the meeting.
How to compose it?
To begin with, it is necessary to write out, in the form of questions, strategically important information, which is necessary to draw up an effective commercial offer:
What suppliers are you currently working with?
- what items does it buy, and in what volumes?
- priority dates?

In general, all information that, one way or another, will influence the formation of the proposal, should be indicated in the "questionnaire":
1. Then these questions must be arranged in the order “from simple to complex”. That is, it is not worth asking at the beginning of negotiations what level of capitalization of their investments when signing the contract, the client expects.
2. Start with simple questions, and better, in general, abstract, not related to the topic of negotiations. Complex questions that require argumentation should be placed in the middle, and towards the end of the list. End negotiations also with simple questions that require a positive answer.
3. Make space between questions to record the client's responses.
4. Try to make sure that your "questionnaire" has at least 10 questions. If their number is less, then there is a risk of missing important details, and besides, such a document will not look serious. The fact is that it is necessary to use this tool openly. That is, during negotiations, you put a "questionnaire" on the table in a beautiful, branded folder, and, without hesitation, use it for its intended purpose, while writing down the client's answers.
This tool will allow your managers to structure the negotiation process. Meetings will be held in the "channel" they set. Why they will easily control the course of negotiations, and their duration. Such a "questionnaire" shows the client that your employee is not an ordinary manager, but a well-trained professional, and he is here to solve the client's questions. The document lying on the table disciplines the opponent. The seller, on the other hand, feels confident at any “cost” of negotiations.

9. Check what your sellers are doing.

Look closely at your sales team. Are all managers now at their workplaces. Probably not. Someone is at a meeting, someone is on a business trip, someone is at lunch, and someone left on behalf of the accounting department ... or went to the stationery store for paper ... but you never know how many other things in the office that can be lost on an hour or even an hour and a half.
It is possible that some types of work indirectly affect the results of sellers: preparing a contract, mailing correspondence, preliminary calculations, booking a hotel or tickets. But if all this takes at least 20% of the seller's time from the main work, then you will lose at least the same amount in profit.
You pay the manager a salary - this is the amount that is the payment for everyday mandatory operations. You also pay a percentage of sales - this is the premium part for its immediate results. But in practice, you pay for his trips to the store, and long calculations of the cost of the first batch, and registration accompanying documents, and a lot for what else you pay, not even suspecting how much money is passing by.
But the most interesting thing is that the question: “Where have you been? ”, - they will answer you, with complete confidence in their eyes and voice: “So the paper is over, the delivery is long to wait, but urgently needed - so I ran away quickly ...” (1 hour). The congruence of what is happening will confuse anyone, but ...

In any case and under any circumstances - the SELLER MUST SELL!

If this is not the case, you are losing money. Even if the manager is the only one who can go for the ill-fated paper, let him go Chief Accountant Otherwise, he won't find a job in the future. By the way, from an accountant, especially the main one, you can hear the opposite: “This is not the task of accounting”, - remember, this is your accounting department, and YOU pay them, so what they will do is up to you to decide, this is so - by the way.
How to solve this problem?
First, you need to find out: how much "working time" the sellers spend "left". This is done with the help of working hours. Every day, managers must fill out a form in which they record everything, absolutely everything, the operations that they do during the day (the more detailed, the better). Opposite each operation, they put the start and end time of work on it. This must be done within a week, at least. Most likely, you will not wait for applause from your employees when you tell them about the innovation, this is normal. Explain that this is being done for their own good, and you just need to understand: are they overloaded, that the measure is forced and only for one week, in the end: “I am the leader, and it’s up to me to decide whether this is necessary or not.” Yes, and more, the data must be submitted daily. In the early days, literally stand over them, checking the filling.
This simple tool will allow you to seriously discipline managers - many unnecessary things will go away by themselves.
Secondly, according to the data obtained, it is necessary to divide the time spent directly on sales (cold calls, meetings, preparation for negotiations, repeated calls, presentations, etc.), and on operations that are not typical of positions. If you get more than 10% of the "left earnings" you need to take action. Which?
Everything that is not related to sales, and which was discussed a lot above, does not require special qualifications and deep knowledge. Accordingly, such work can be performed by an additional employee with a lower salary (usually a small salary).
For example, when making calculations, one manager spends 25% of his working time “left”. On average, one seller sells for 100,000 rubles per month, spending 75% of the allotted working time on this. So you don't get
approximately 33,000 rubles per month. This 25% can be outsourced to a personal assistant. Hire a secretary manager, or an administrator, or whatever you call him, for a minimum salary (15,000 rubles, for example, for a part-time student is not bad money), and this secretary can work for two, or even three managers: preparing documents, answering on email making simple calculations, agreeing on the time and place of the meeting, booking tickets, hotels, etc. She will do anything that robs the manager of precious capital - the time you pay for.
An assistant, for 15,000 rubles, will pay for itself in the first month, and your salespeople will like this form of work, when you can prepare papers for signing a contract without waiting for the end of the meeting.
By the way, more about the benefits of timekeeping of working hours. Pay attention to the amount of time spent on reporting, it should be no more than 15 minutes a day (if the reports are daily).

Sales is one of the foundations of a successful business, no matter what it does. Even if the most necessary products for the population are produced, they still need to be sold. And within the framework of the article, we will consider how to increase sales in retail.

general information

1. To begin with, you should take a look at companies that offer goods delivery services. It is quite possible that the supplier sells food products quite expensively and you can find companies on the market with a more pleasant pricing policy. In this case, it will be possible to reduce the selling price.
2. You should experiment with the placement of goods and see what is taken most often together.
3. Considerable attention should be paid to the identified patterns and try to turn them to your advantage.

Non-standard ideas

In this case, the greatest attention should be paid to the following approaches:

1. Sensitivity to trends. Consider an example. When winter ends, the demand for rolled metal products for houses, sheds, fences, and so on increases. For additional effect, mutual advertising, gifts and recommendations can be used.
2. Exactly the same, but better. The essence of this approach is that there is a choice of goods that are similar in value. In such cases, the highest quality is chosen. Using such a "background" can do a good job.
3. More expensive means better. Many people think that what more item worth it, the better it is. And this is often true. In other cases, they simply profit from it.
4. symbiotic partnership. Consider where is the best place to place a retail outlet? Here are a couple of combinations: a pharmacy and a grocery store, or auto parts and bicycles. Related areas and can help in a very qualitative way in increasing the level of sales.

And if you are interested in how to increase sales in the retail trade in flowers or other fast-food items, then last option will be literally perfect for growth. If you think about it, then find a good place possible almost everywhere.

Automated sales systems

It's a popular way to organize, customize, and improve customer experience when it's done in multiple steps. Let's say we have an online clothing store. Can its performance be improved? How to increase sales in clothing retail in times of crisis and hard times?

An automated sales system will help with this! With its help, you can facilitate the establishment of contact, the clarification of requirements and requests, the formulation of requests, their processing and execution, including delivery. Also, an automated sales system helps in after-sales service and subsequent interactions. There are a large number of benefits and useful features that they have to offer.

Building a sales system

A lively mind, sensitivity to the market and ingenuity provide ample opportunities. But to improve performance, it is necessary to attend to the construction of a sales system. It will allow you to understand the structure of goods sold in the picture of the general assortment and analyze intermediate results.

Use as a basis automated system sales will significantly streamline the available information. In addition, it will be easier to build relationships with customers, from his first call to the issuance of an invoice. The ability to make accompanying notes also helps a lot. In addition, they may have various add-ons such as the ability to send instant messages or emails.

Various tools to increase sales

Let's consider such a case when a retail sale of something is carried out through the World Wide Web. Only we will pay attention not to sites, but to social networks. These are quite popular sites where a large number of people are located, and all of them are potential buyers.

According to a fairly large number of people, having a company representative who is engaged in maintaining feedback through social networks increases the number of sales in the amount of a third of the existing turnover. You should not neglect various pleasant bonuses and souvenirs that can please customers with their availability. It may also be an offer to make an additional purchase along with the product.

Consider this case: a person buys a computer, and they offer him a router at a reduced cost, or even give it for free. You just have to follow the rule that additional service should not cost more than the main purchase. You can also use the establishment of a certain purchase threshold.

It should be noted that in this case there is no specific model of interaction and you can work here within the framework of your imagination. The general gist is something like this:

1. When the value of purchases exceeds a certain amount, the buyer will receive a gift, a raffle coupon, or free shipping. Although it could be something else.
2. When two goods are bought, the third is given free of charge.

Non-standard models

Overall list various ways can go on for a very long time. Yes, and it would be useful to try to turn on your imagination and come up with something new that will help increase the level of sales. Finally, remember this:

1. Payment of change of goods. This technique can not be called widespread, but it is still quite interesting. So, when the buyer pays for the goods, he receives change not in money, but in some small things. For example - chewing gum, sweets or matches.
2. Multi-colored price tags. This technique is used in cases where it is necessary to draw attention to a particular product and show that it is special. For example, what will soon go bad, and therefore it is sold at a discount.
3. Time limited price. It has a strong motivating effect on buyers, literally forcing them to buy the product at the moment.
4. Possibility of return. There is a pretty neat trick here. There is a law that requires you to take back an item if it is returned 14 days after it was purchased. You can play extra on this. It is enough to offer customers that if they do not like the product, they can return it after 14 days.
5. Price hints. In addition to the cost, in this case it is useful to post information about what is taken together in this particular product.

Conclusion

It is impossible to say exactly how effective these measures will be. Here much depends on the practical implementation and many different aspects. But the fact that the result will be is without a doubt. The main thing is to build a strategy. No need to put everything in a heap and pile one on the second. In which case, you can always use one first, and then something else. In addition, various special moments can be timed to coincide with dates such as the New Year, the summer season, etc.

But in pursuit of the number of sales, do not forget about the minimum required price. For the client, of course, is a valuable person, but it is not worth working at a loss. Therefore, it is necessary to look for the golden mean. And if one person leaves, you should not be sad, but you need to concentrate on the rest of the people who are in the status of a potential client.

How to increase sales in the Store? Basic techniques and methods

Every entrepreneur strives to make a profit. To do this, the business must develop. One of the most important indicators of development is an increase in sales. This question worries both experienced and novice entrepreneurs. In today's competitive and volatile marketplace, increasing sales is not just a way to earn more, but also necessary measure in order to survive.

How can you make your business more profitable? What is needed for this? Are there any tried and true methods? How much can you realistically increase sales? All these questions worry many entrepreneurs today, worried a hundred years ago, and will continue to worry, because these are the main mechanisms of trade.

If we analyze the situation in modern market, it is possible to determine the so-called "leader" of a certain segment in each area of ​​trade. Not now in question about a particular city.

If you think about it, with almost any type of product, each person has an association with the brand of the manufacturer or the store that he prefers when buying this product. This successful businesses who increase their income almost every day. For what? Due to continuous work aimed at increasing sales. All the necessary resources are spent - tangible and intangible, tactics and strategy are being developed.

After all, today just selling a quality product is not enough. People go shopping not only to places where they were sold something good (again, an abundance and variety of goods), but also to places where they were pleased to buy - a cozy store, friendly sellers, promotions and "just liked it." Is it possible for an entrepreneur to make his store such a place? Certainly yes. Only this requires a lot of effort, which, first of all, will be aimed at attracting buyers.

Some people think that increase in sales directly depends on the specifics of the store. For example, there will always be customers in a grocery market, but an auto parts store will not be able to increase sales in any way if there is no demand for goods among the population. This can be answered in the words of the world famous business consultant Ted Levitt: "The difference between selling and marketing is that selling is getting rid of what you have, while marketing is having what people want." Each market segment has its own customers who have their own needs. By knowing and giving people what they want, you can increase sales in any store, regardless of the group of products presented in it.

First of all, the entrepreneur should understand how much he wants increase sales and, accordingly, the profit of your store and what resources he is willing to use. The level of income is influenced by several factors - the buyers themselves, external and internal conditions. The extent to which these criteria are implemented in the work of the store is the level of profit received by the owner. Therefore, work in these areas will determine the size of the increase in sales. Considering the criterion of buyers, first of all, you need to pay attention to the portrait of a potential buyer (expectations and opportunities), attendance, the presence of regular customers and the "image" of the store itself (people's opinion).

External factors- this is the location, the external attractiveness of the store, transport interchange, the nearest competitors. Internal criteria include the quality of service, the interior, the atmosphere inside, the rationality of use retail space. All these are the conditions that an entrepreneur has to work on in order to increase the level of sales.

Depending on what efforts will be made to improve all these points, sales can be increased by 5-50%. Here it is also necessary to take into account the specifics of the business itself and the conditions that cannot be changed temporarily. For example, the location of the store is not very favorable, but there is no possibility to move it to another place yet. Or the product itself is in low demand. In this case, efforts will need to be directed to expanding the trade group presented in the windows. However, sales in any store, regardless of location and specifics, can actually be increased by 5-15%. If you correctly approach the issue, this figure will reach 50%.

Based on the conditions affecting profitability, it is possible to determine the main ways to increase it. One of the main tools is the seller himself. The quality and professionalism of customer service has a significant impact on attendance and the presence of regular customers. Education, training and motivation of the seller is the key to successful sales. Effective system of bonuses and % of revenue. Thus, a person will realize that he is also working for himself and will always strive to make additional sales.

Appearance and the location of the store affect traffic and attractiveness to customers. Here you can use techniques to attract attention with bright signs, messages about ongoing promotions, change the name. Also a very good move - to place in the area where the store is located outdoor advertising, pointers. At the same time, it is necessary to create coziness and comfort inside. Required condition - good quality goods and big choice. This is the only way to stay on the market, because in the face of fierce competition, the main goal is regular customers and attracting new ones. The display of goods is of great importance. Here you can hire a competent merchandiser or learn the basics of this business yourself.

In addition, it is necessary to ensure store related products, since they can make up a third of all sales. For example, in shoe store there should be shoe care products, in a clothing store - accessories. This way you can generate additional sales.

To create coziness in the room, you can turn on soft neutral music y, which contributes to a longer stay of the buyer in the store. And, of course, be sure to think about ways to stimulate buyers. It can be various promotions, discounts, gifts, discount cards, tastings (for grocery stores), lotteries, treats (coffee, tea). By investing in image and promotion, you can achieve desired level arrived.

In order to increase the level of sales in your store, you should follow a path consisting of several stages.

First of all, you need to analyze the situation that exists today. To do this, it is enough to determine the amount of the average check and the number of customers per month. In general, to achieve results, everything must be calculated and planned. Therefore, you should draw up a sales plan, and this will be the amount that is calculated by the formula - the desired average bill multiplied by the desired number of buyers. With these indicators, it will be possible to control the sales process throughout the month.

Having analyzed all the criteria for influencing profits (external, internal, staff qualifications), you can get a picture of the business as a whole. Here, strong and weak sides. The movement will be in the direction of working on the weak and maintaining the level of the strong.

Having identified all the shortcomings, you need to evaluate your own opportunities for improving them. Based on the result, you should start improving the store.

1. Train the seller(s) in customer service standards. Excellent system - "7 steps". It looks like this:

1. Greeting.
2. "I'm listening to you" - willingness to serve.
3. Determining the needs of the buyer - what he wants, what preferences. Here the client should speak more, the seller asks leading questions.
4. Offer options to choose from.
5. Making a sale directly.
6. Additional sale- "Anything else?". Here it is advisable for the seller to offer some kind of product himself (fresh, new arrival, etc.).
7. Completion. Wish Have a good day, good luck - "Thank you for your purchase, come visit us again."

Such a system helps not only to attract buyers, the seller always knows what to say and thus, without getting lost, ensures the manifestation of a good attitude towards buyers. If possible, it is possible to organize training for staff on “Working with objections” (How to avoid a conflict situation, what to say if the buyer is dissatisfied, etc.).

2. The next step is to ensure quality and assortment. If all this is already there - fine, if not - you need to make every effort. After that, you need to take care of the competent layout of the goods. You can hire a merchandiser or take care of this issue yourself. There are many layout principles that really affect the size of sales.

3. Provide the store with related products.

4. Assess the situation inside the store and try to get closer to the most comfortable (nothing superfluous, the ability to move freely, light music, if necessary, a recreation area).

5. Start promoting products with promotions and great deals, about which appropriate posters, signs, as well as sellers themselves should inform buyers. Think over a system of discounts, if possible, introduce discount cards. It is very beneficial to get customer contacts with the help of cards, and then inform about new promotions, discounts, etc. via SMS.

We should not forget that all the time it is necessary to control the level of sales. So it will be possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken and determine what exactly has the most impact. You can't stop when you get a certain result.

Striving for excellence always translates into profit in a positive way. By following even some of the recommendations described, sales of any store can be increased by at least 5%, while investing energy, funds and creativity in this, it is possible to get a result exceeding 50%.

In trade, the question of increasing sales is absolutely commonplace. No matter how much you sell now, the plan will always be a little higher. Otherwise it's just not the right plan. And most importantly, the answer to the question of how to increase sales has long been found. Just don't be too lazy to use best practics and achievements of successful companies.

Sales success formula

On the difficult path to increasing sales, it is important to know the formula for sales success. This formula works for everyone, this formula captures the very essence of sales. If you learn how to use it, then you will get what you want. Here is the formula for sales success:

The Sales Success Formula tells you a few important things:

1. If you want to increase sales, influence such as: traffic, conversion and average check;
2. You must constantly monitor the above indicators. If you do not know your current values ​​of these indicators, this is an alarming signal - you are not in control of the situation;
3. No matter who you are a business owner or a simple seller, these indicators do not depend on the scale, they can simply be called differently;
4. While working on one indicator, monitor and control the others. It often happens that the conversion was increased, but the average check fell and, as a result, did not change.
5. In an established system, these indicators are in balance and it is not so easy to influence them.

The last point is especially important on the way to increase sales. For example, you have a store that sells foodstuffs in a residential area of ​​the neighborhood. The audience of the store is constant, the average check and conversion will not change much. In such a system, without changing the assortment and without attracting new customers, sales cannot be greatly increased, there is a ceiling consumer market. And your task is to decide whether you have reached the ceiling of this market. If yes, then all the standard methods to increase sales will not help you much, you are unlikely to recoup the costs.

What affects the main KPI indicators

So, analyzing the issue of increasing sales, we have already learned 3 main indicators through which you can increase sales. Let's see what affects these indicators.

How to increase traffic

Traffic is the number of visitors to your store i.e. potential buyers. Generally speaking, there are two main ways to influence traffic.

The acquisition of goods is a process that obeys certain psychological stereotypes of customers. Some things are bought spontaneously (a sudden inner impulse plays a dominant role here), and some - only after a scrupulous analysis of the available information about the product.

Making plans

How to increase sales in retail store? This is a question that worries most store managers. Unfortunately, a miracle cure has not yet been invented that allows you to quickly and efficiently raise revenue to heaven. There are many challenges to overcome on the path to prosperity. And it's up to you to decide if you can do it.

Real steps

According to experts in this field, there are the following ways to increase sales:

Ensuring a stable flow of customers and frequency of purchases.

An increase in the average check, that is, the sale of goods for a large amount.

Which path is best to follow? How to increase sales in the most efficient way? To answer these questions, consider each method separately.

Increase in the number of buyers

To make as few mistakes as possible by deciding to stick to this plan, you need to be a competent marketer. Special knowledge will help answer the question of how to increase sales compared to the previous reporting period.

According to retail statistics, at least one in ten visitors will definitely buy something. Therefore, the more visitors, the more buyers. How to increase sales in a retail store?

The most effective options

• Place all kinds of promotional materials on the so-called shopping trail next to the outlet. To do this, it is necessary to determine exactly where the customer flow passes near the store. Advertising materials are designed to make people remember the existence outlet and visit her.

• Distribute promotional information of an information-stimulating nature. Decide which channel will be the most appropriate for spreading the word about your store - glossy magazines, radio, television, directories, advertising on the Internet, leaflets in mailboxes, etc.

• The most advantageous option is the so-called cross-events. They are joint ventures with other firms. promotions. the main objective is to attract as many customers as possible with the help of partner companies. As an example, the following event can be cited: a store that sells perfumery and cosmetic products distributes discount coupons on the territory of a nearby office center. The people who come to the store are the attracted customers of the partner. Another option is an event aimed at the exchange of flows. So, on the territory of a clothing store, customers are provided with bonuses for jewelry, and in a jewelry store - vice versa. Such cross-promotions allow you to increase sales in a retail store, spending a minimum amount of money for this purpose. This covers the most loyal audience.

• Place ads at the boundaries of the outlet coverage. It is no secret that each store has its own reach of customers, that is, people who are ready to go or go there to purchase the necessary goods. For example, a grocery mini-market has a shopping area limited to a couple of residential buildings, since few people decide on a half-hour walk for matches or salt. If we consider a large store household appliances, then we can talk about the whole area. The “warmest” circle will be made up of buyers living closest to this outlet. The working coverage is average in "warmth" group, located a few stops from the store. This is where the bulk of potential buyers are concentrated. On the border of this particular circle, you should place an advertisement for a retail outlet. This option will allow step by step to expand the coverage of territories.

Increase in the number of purchases

Here in the first place is thoughtful work with the existing customer base. This entire array can be divided into regulars, the main mass and the so-called ballast. Let's consider these types in more detail:

Regulars are active and most loyal customers. The share of such clients should ideally be from 20 to 40% of the total audience.

The bulk. These people visit the store from time to time, they are capable of “treason” if, for example, a sale is held at another outlet.

- Ballast. Clients outside target audience shop, or visitors make up this layer.

If you are wondering how to increase sales in a retail store, you should work most closely with the second type of customer. Professionals know that it takes less money to retain customers than to attract new customers. It's time to launch a loyalty program, which is a system of events aimed at encouraging and retaining customers. An important pattern: 80% of profits are provided by 20% of buyers.

The loyalty program has several strategic goals:

Stimulation of constant appeals of buyers;

Increasing the amount and frequency of purchases;

Building a client database;

Formation of a solid reputation of the company in the eyes of customers;

Attracting new customers.

The mechanisms of cumulative discounts and bonuses work very effectively.

Increasing the conversion of the outlet

How to increase sales in a retail store, taking into account this indicator? First, we note that conversion refers to the ratio of buyers to visitors. It is quite natural to strive to ensure 100% conversion. However, even 50% will be acceptable.

There are two most common reasons for low conversion. This is unsatisfactory merchandising and unproductive work of the staff.

Increasing the average amount in a check

To increase this indicator, you can sell either an expensive product or more units of a cheap product. The second option is considered the simplest. What steps to take in this case?

In achieving the goal, competent duplication of the most popular goods at additional points, filling the checkout area with useful little things, and laying out sets will help. Equally important is the constant work with the staff: trainings, seminars, lectures, etc.

Above is general information. Now let's look at how to apply the acquired knowledge in certain areas.

Simple tricks will help you understand how to increase wholesale or succeed in retail. Strive to ensure that every step you take is aimed at improving the quality of services and forming a good image of the company.

Florist business

How to increase sales of flowers? To do this, here are some examples of effective tricks:

• Building a sales system. Did the client buy a bouquet? Great! Ask him what kind of ribbon is better to wrap the flowers with (at the same time, offer the most advantageous option for you), what toy he will choose for the bouquet (“They usually take a teddy bear with these flowers ...”), what kind of chocolate does the recipient prefer - black or white?

• Formation of the client base. Try to get the contact details of each buyer. Run lotteries. For example, each person who bought a bouquet before a certain date gets a chance to win ten thousand rubles on account of buying flowers.

• Stimulation of sellers. An employee who sells bouquets for a large amount receives, for example, a certificate for spa services. Holding such competitions regularly, you will think less and less about how to increase the sale of flowers: the employees will do everything for you.

• Anticipating customer expectations. Very effective in this regard is the presentation of cute trinkets with purchases made. Successful Example one of the flower shops: on Valentine's Day, the store's employees launched butterflies, which delighted all customers.

Second hand

In order to succeed in this business, it is very important to choose the right location for the outlet. To sell used items, it is not necessary to rent space in elite business centers. A place in a residential area or near the market is quite suitable.

How to increase second-hand sales by using an air freshener? In fact, this means of household chemicals can help in the formation of a positive image of the company. The fact is that all second-hand goods are disinfected with a special gas before being sent from Europe. Such chemicals have an extremely unpleasant odor. That's why a couple of spray cans of air freshener will come in handy. In addition, it is important to provide natural ventilation of the room.