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Increasing sales has always been tricky, but it’s becoming even more so for small businesses. With so much to balance, what is the most important step to take first?
Thankfully, Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) leaders and other sales experts have stepped up with their most powerful sales tactics. Dive into their recommendations below to discover impactful ways to increase sales.
“How do you increase sales for a new small business?”
1. Create an Irresistible Offer
“I speak from personal experience when I say that it’s important to have an offer that sets you apart. It makes people think, ‘Huh, that makes a lot of sense, and I’d be pretty dull not to at least give it a try.’
“Unfortunately, people are a lot more skeptical these days—especially if you’re working online. Everything can be faked, altered, or changed. People are less than authentic, and there’s a valid reason not to trust new brands.
“The fastest way to get over that hurdle is to make it impossible to say no.
“Let me give you an example.
“I just opened a brand-new consulting practice. I specialize in turning around struggling businesses, but I have no track record on my own.
“To get businesses to work with me, I offer to work based on performance. I’ll put in all the work and energy to turn them around. Together, we’ll set specific metrics, milestones, and goals. If I hit those milestones, I get paid. If I don’t hit them, I don’t get paid.
“In that kind of situation, almost all the risk is on me, and I show that I’m 100% confident in my skills. A struggling business that is about to go under has nothing to lose. They get an expert for free, and I get to prove myself and will probably have a solid case study afterward.
“If I were running social ads, I would offer to make a creative and ad campaign to beat their control free of charge. They’d just need to treat it like another test within their ad account. If I beat the control, I get their business. If I don’t beat the control, they won’t be any worse for wear because they’re likely already testing multiple new ads every month.
“The best way to increase sales for a new business is to create a powerful offer that people would be stupid to refuse.” ~Daniel Ndukwu, DoxFlowy
2. Leverage a Referral Program
“Having a referral program is one of the most effective ways to increase sales for a new business. People often rely on the reviews and recommendations of others prior to making a buying decision. They reach out to others to try to learn from their experiences in order to make a safe purchase.
“Having a referral program allows you to transform your current customers into your brand ambassadors. They promote your solutions on your behalf and recommend them to others to claim the benefits or special perks offered by you. This is a proven strategy that has a significant impact not only on customer acquisition but also on retention.” ~Jared Atchison, WPForms
3. Introduce Attractive Lead Magnets
“If you’re getting a lot of visitors but not a lot of sales, adding lead magnets to your site can help! Lead magnets are exclusive content or discounts that people can get if they join your email list. The key to driving sales is to focus on promotions for first-time customers. For example, you can offer visitors 20% off their first order if they sign up for their unique code. You’ll want to create pop-ups or banners that promote your lead magnet on specific parts of your site, like product landing pages.” ~Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite
4. Strategize Targeted Advertising
“Run advertising where your customers are, and create better offers than your competitors. Advertising can be affordable when you use long-tail keywords and target specific locations. Consider this use case: You are a seller whose production costs are lower depending on the customer’s location. You run a location-based ad where the production costs are lower. Not only will you increase sales, but you will also derive learnings from the invaluable advertisements. If sales come from online sources, ads can yield deeper insights than prior market research.
“You will need to run a strategy of awareness campaigns in combination with retargeting, and can tighten the location and keywords. This advertising strategy can also re-engage those who visited your website or expressed interest in your goods or services with retargeting.” ~Matthew Capala, Alphametic
5. Offer Free Shipping
“One of the effective strategies to increase sales for a new small business, especially one that has a digital presence, is to offer free shipping to your customers. Most people do not complete their purchases due to the extra shipping amount added to the cart at the time of checkout. This is a huge turn-off for them, causing them to abandon carts and leave without completing the transaction. Offering free shipping when getting started prevents you from losing these customers, which in turn helps you achieve more sales.” ~Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
6. Utilize Video Content
“In my experience, the hardest part of generating revenue in the early days was finding customers. Adding videos to your website and social sites like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok will help you improve brand awareness, which translates to sales. I suggest creating long-form videos and breaking them up into smaller shorts so people can discover you through the shorts and then subscribe and check out the rest of your content. In this pool of subscribers, there will be people who are genuinely interested in your products or services. ~ Daman Jeet Singh, FunnelKit
7. Host Engaging Giveaways
“We’ve found that giveaways are an excellent way to boost brand awareness and drive engagement. There are a lot of prizes to choose from, too. I suggest offering something from your website, such as a physical product or subscription, as the grand prize. Alternatively, you can use a more general prize like a pair of nice headphones or an Amazon gift card.
“You can generate sales after the contest ends and the winner is announced by sending a special discount code to everyone who participated. With this discount in hand, many will be tempted to make a purchase, which is bound to turn some of the people who entered into customers.” ~John Turner, SeedProd
8. Introduce a Loyalty Program
“One effective way to increase sales for a new small business is by introducing a loyalty program. This means giving rewards to customers who make repeat purchases through your website. There are a few ways you can go about this.
“A common strategy is to offer customers points for every dollar they spend. Your customers can then redeem these points and save on future purchases. You can also reward customers’ loyalty by giving them discounts for committing to auto-renewal orders or long-term subscriptions. People are far more likely to keep using your site if they’re getting a great product and are rewarded for their loyalty.” ~ Benjamin Rojas, Co-Founder, All in One SEO
9. Employ Diverse Marketing Strategies
“Increasing sales for a new small business involves a blend of strategic marketing, customer engagement, and building a strong brand presence. At Velvet Caviar, leveraging social media was essential. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allowed us to showcase our products and connect with our target audience, turning engagement into sales. Offering promotions and discounts, especially for first-time buyers, provided an immediate sales boost and helped build a loyal customer base.
“We also focused on delivering an excellent customer experience, ensuring a user-friendly website, seamless checkout, and responsive customer service. This approach encouraged repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. Email marketing helped us maintain customer engagement by sharing updates and promoting special offers, driving repeat sales.
“Collaborating with influencers expanded our reach, while positive customer reviews built trust and influenced new buyers. By combining these strategies, we steadily grew our sales, even in the early stages. Consistency, customer engagement, and adaptability were key to our success.” ~ Michelle Aran, Velvet Caviar
10. Engage the Local Community
“As a successful florist with over 10 years in business, I have learned a thing or two about what actually can make a difference for a new small-business owner. Getting right into the community at the beginning is one of the things that really works. Get yourself out there with local events, partner with other local businesses, and maybe even teach a few flower-arranging classes. It’s all about visibility and those personal links within the community.
“Another potent strategy is incentivizing referrals. If your customers are elated with your service, they generally get excited about sharing their experience with friends and family. Offering a small discount or some special deal for every referral can give them that little push. Don’t also be blind to the power of small touches—things like handwritten thank-you notes or custom arrangements that make your customer feel special, which can give rise to lifelong fans.
“Finally, use social media to engage with the masses. Beautiful arrangement pictures, behind-the-scenes looks, and engaging with your followers will have them coming back for more. Engage your audience with fun polls or contests, or even by just commenting back. All of these personable and engaging strategies will keep people coming back and raise awareness and sales for your new business.” ~ Sophie Marasco, Thanks A Bunch Florist
Image: Envato
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