ImagesMagUK_October_2020

www.images-magazine.com OCTOBER 2020 images 69 I t’s no secret that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have amplified some consumer trends, many of which had already been lurching along for the last few years. And many business owners have been putting off changing or adapting to these trends because basically their thought has always been: “We’ll do it when we have more time”. Well, guess what? Your time ran out in March. This article will explore the most important things that you should be doing right now to change your business and win more sales in the year ahead. Forget about what you were doing back at the beginning of this year. What worked before won’t necessarily work again. Change is required. Buckle up and let’s get started. Win sales by placing heavy bets on digital If you aren’t already in the digital ecommerce landscape, then you are at risk of quickly becoming irrelevant. Now more than ever, your website absolutely must not suck . Refer back to my column in September’s issue of Images [imagesmag.uk/marshall-sep20 ] for some straight-talking marketing advice on how to make your website, your social media and your drip marketing work for you. Win sales by being more valuable Sorry, but I have news for you. You are not a garment decorator. Instead, you need to start thinking of yourself as a problem-solver. Anyone can print or embroider a shirt. But not just anyone can masterfully solve someone’s problem. The trick is to discover the true nature of the problem by asking better questions. Or by providing such an overwhelming amount of service that they can’t help but use you. For example, when was the last time you brought ideas to customers so they could use them and increase their sales? Are you waiting on them to order, or are they waiting on you to proactively help them? Which one drives more value to your customer? The only way you are going to be more valuable to your customers is to know where their pain and struggles live. What are they working on? What matters to them most? You might ‘think’ you know, but without actually talking to them, you are trying to hit a target in the dark. 9. Free shipping. Sure, it’s included in the price. But you better be talking about it for the end consumer. 10. Have an ‘abandoned cart’ retargeting plan. “Hey, did you forget to buy something?” Get them to the finish line! Win sales by looking for opportunities Did your competition just go out of business? Maybe that key retail location opened up on that busy downtown street? The world is changing around us. What are you going to be doing to get ready for an opportunity that might land in your lap? How do you know if something that is tinged with ambiguity could pan out if you were to do something with it? Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, but here are some things to consider. Top 10 business development considerations 1. Does it solve a problem? Is the answer somewhere in your back pocket? Can you develop a commercially viable answer? 2. Will people hand you money for the idea? A great idea that nobody cares about isn’t something to pursue. But an idea that people can’t wait to hand you fistfuls of cash for? That’s a different story. 3. Who is your market? You can’t hit a hidden target. Know your customer. 4. What is their price point for your idea? It doesn’t have to be cheap either. 5. How many customers might be interested? There is a big difference between marketing to your immediate circle of influence, and getting complete strangers to be interested. Define this with a number. 6. Test and retest. Just because you think it is a good idea, doesn’t mean that everyone will. 7. Marketing is the act of creating customers. What’s your plan? 8. What are the data metrics or key performance indicators that are going to matter? What number is considered to be a success? What about failure? 9. Can you find some customers to talk to about your idea? What do they think? 10. How passionate or committed are you to the idea? What about six months from now? Most ideas are not successful because people lose the energy to see them succeed. What if that is you? Top 10 most common ways to be more valuable to a customer 1. Help make them more money. If they grow, we grow. 2. Help save them time. Time is money. 3. Help educate them on something. Can you make them better? 4. Reduce anxiety. Get them to a better place and make them relaxed. 5. Help them have fun. Are you not entertained? 6. Simplify something. Can you make it easier? 7. Help them connect. Who do you know that can help them? 8. Make them healthier. Do you have something that’s better? 9. Surprise them with something new. Whatcha got? 10. Help them achieve. They have goals. Can you lend them a hand? Win sales with online stores I want you to consider online stores separately from websites. A customer’s online store doesn’t have to be connected to your website at all. It’s not for you; it’s for them. Sure, you want the data information to flow freely to you so you can process things correctly, but the webstore that is built for a customer needs to be made with them in mind first. Do they have to go to your site first? Find it, grab a pull-down, scroll down, find the store, log in... How many hoops do you make customers jump through? There are plenty of great tips and tricks out there – here are a few. Top 10 online store best practices 1. Limit items. Don’t offer everything, narrow it down to a top few. 2. ‘People also bought’ accounts for a third of Amazon sales. I’d include that idea in your online store as well. 3. Use better quality images. Take your own if you can. 4. Keep it clean and uncluttered. Be choosy with the words you post and the details you include. 5. Odd numbers sell better. A £29 item will outsell a £30 one. 6. Eliminate steps in your checkout process. Every hoop customers have to jump through is another reason to not order. 7. Include ‘live chat’ support. People have questions. 8. Have a search feature. About 30% of visitors use this to navigate. Nobody wants to click through your site. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT