In a recent post, I discussed the importance of reducing expenses in order to increase profit. In this post, we’re going to talk about the other side of the equation: making more money. More specifically, we’re going to discuss how you can improve your sales numbers in 2018.
Why We Need to Discuss Sales Numbers
While it’s tempting to just stick to reducing expenses in your business, it’s not enough. Additionally, what are you going to do when you do need to invest in equipment or labor and need to find the money? If you’ve already cut out all the expenses you can, then your only recourse is to make more money.
The fastest way to earn more money is to improve sales numbers. At the end of the day, more sales leads to more money in the bank account, period. Here are a few ways to improve those numbers.
#1 Get more people in your funnel.
One thing I’ve noticed recently is people aren’t having enough sales conversations. They may have only a few sales consults a week, which is not enough. This is especially true if you are just starting out in business because you really need to grind.
Additionally, as I already mentioned, more sales leads to more money. In my business, I was able to have a $10,000 launch for a group coaching program without a massive launch. All I did was get people on my email list and get them on the phone so I could sell.
If this sounds simple it’s because it is. We tend to overcomplicate sales when in reality it’s just a numbers game.
#2 Improve your payment systems.
Sometimes the reason people can’t improve their sales numbers is that they’ve made it difficult for people to pay them. In the age of the internet, it really not difficult to collect payments quickly and efficiently. It’s also not difficult to give people different payment options.
Take a look at your current payment systems to see if you need to make any improvements. For example, do you still need to accept credit cards? Do you need to use an invoicing system with automatic follow ups? These small tweaks can make all the difference in improving your sales numbers.
#3 Improve your follow up process
In addition to people not having enough sales conversations, they also aren’t following up. Do you know what happens when you don’t follow up? You leave money on the table.
People are afraid of coming off as annoying, but the reality is you’re just reminding someone that you have a solution to their problem. Additionally, people are busy so they need the reminders.
For example, I have a new student coming on to my group coaching program as a result of my consistent follow-ups over the last few months. She went through some major life changes and wasn’t ready when we initially spoke, but now she is. If I hadn’t followed up I wouldn’t be getting the sale.
Final Thoughts
The ability to improve your sales numbers isn’t rocket science, it’s simple math and common sense. Use these tips to help not only increase your chances of making a sale, but also improve how quickly you get paid.
