How To Make More Money In Your Business
Monday, January 28th, 2008If you feel like all your money is falling into a black hole just to pay bills, and you keep asking yourself, ‘Where did all the money go?’ here is a principle of managing money you need to know.
Income must be greater than outgo!
How do you do that? With a money management tactic called INCOME PLANNING. I’ve listed 5 things you can do to make more money in your business.
RESEARCH YOUR TARGET MARKET - To begin, find out what products or services your clients desire and then offer that to them. One simple way to find out what your customers want is to study your sales receipts, and find out what service or product is the best seller. Question your customers about 1) why they bought the service or product, and 2) what benefit they expected to get from the purchase Then repeat what they said in your advertising to promote that service or product.
PROMOTE TO YOUR MARKET - There is an art to promoting something so that it will be responded to by your customers. Advertising does not necessarily mean offering a discount. It’s much more critical to find out the reason a customer wants or needs what you are offering, and what they will base their buying decision on. Price may be less important to them than quick delivery and dependable service.
Find cost effective methods to promote. When you meet a potential client, get their business card, and mail them a personal letter to let them know how your services and products can benefit them. That is one of the most personal, least expensive promotional actions you can use. A series of postcards mailed every 30 days to potential and current customers has proven to be very effective.
Another great way to get new clients is to request referrals from your satisfied customers. You can make it fun for your clients to participate in referring new customers by coming up with a referral game they can participate in, where they get something in return for a certain number of referrals who buy. Let your clients help your business out. They honestly do want you to succeed in your business.
SELL AND DELIVER - Selling is easier when you are genuinely interested in your clients and want to help them. ASK them what they need. That makes it easier to sell them your services or products. Here’s an example, a family of 4 who wants a van to cart the kids and their equipment around to sports activities is going to walk off in disgust if the salesperson is showing them 2-door sports models, despite the fact that the sports car is a good deal.
After you’ve sold the product, courteous, professional, fast delivery is a key to guarantee your customer’s satisfaction. This is especially important if you are in a service business. Taking care to deliver exactly what you promised, when you promised it. can ensure repeat business and referrals for new business.
PREVENT THE WASTE OF MONEY - For every dollar you agree to spend in your company, figure out how it is going to bring $5 or more in income back into your company. Set aside a percentage of the income every week to pay for an advertising budget and then figure out the most effective ways to reach your customers within the budget. It is no laughing matter when the income you worked hard to earn gets wasted on expenditures that do not give you a profitable return on your investment.
REPEAT SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONAL ACTIONS - Look back at when you were last making the most sales. Find out what your successful promotional actions were at the time and put those actions back in.
There is a revolutionary new money management software tool available to help you focus your time, energy, and creative thinking power on planning how to increase the income. That gets the CASH FLOWing in the right direction. It helps you manage your money so you can put your attention back on customer service and you’ll find you are enjoying your business more.
Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, has years of experience helping company owners manage their money to reach their financial goals. To find out about the Money Management Software she created, visit her website and watch the FREE 5-minute demo video at www.moneymgmtsolutions.com
- Sandra Simmons