How are sales like jump-starting your car?

If you've ever had a car battery completely die on you, you know that the experience can be pretty frustrating. If your battery is already weak, then all it takes is one wrong move to cause it to die out. It's a lot like sales - in order for them to work well, they need to be running at their full capacity. But if there are any faults or holes in your sale cycle ー for example, if someone hangs up too soon or leaves their browser window open ー then there's no way that they'll convert into a sale and will just become another ghost lead instead.

It's critical that you identify and fix problems in your sale cycle, especially before it costs you any money. One way to do it is by using the W.A.S.T.E.S analysis which I talked about yesterday. But another way is by using a sales-cycle model that actually tracks the rate at which sales are made, which is like a car's gas gauge or battery gauge.

Animation image: http://autoinsuranceforsalestorys.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-are-sales-like-jumpstarting-your.html

As you can see, it counts upward from zero and shows how many people have activated their credit card via the "submit" button ー in other words people who have responded to your email ー and then whether they submitted the forms online or via snail mail.

How Sales Are Like Jump-Starting Your Car

A sale is like jump-starting your car. To make a sale, you need to get your customer's attention, give them some incentive to want something, and then activate their credit card by getting them to submit the forms online or via snail mail. The more people you manage to get in this stage of the cycle, the quicker you'll reach your conversion rate goals.

In order for sales to be like jump-starting a car (and so that you can use it as a sales-cycle model), here are the 6 sales stages of your sale cycle:

1) Attract - Getting Attention.

To make a sale, you need to get your customer's attention. The main reason why people don't make purchases is because they don't receive enough attention from your sales team. So how do you get their attention?

i) Give Your Sales Team the Leads They Need to Get the Jobs Done!

You can do this via:

a) The email address that you're sending out to the leads that you'll be calling etc. (see this post for more information on segmentation and list-building)

b) Using a lead nurturing campaign so that people who are on your list will become more engaged with your business and thus buy from you (this post covers how to use a lead nurturing campaign).

ii) Choose Your Content Wisely!

Find out what will make your audience want to buy and then write content that is relevant and entertaining. You can do this via:

a) Blogging or writing online articles (see this post for more details)

b) Making Facebook status updates, tweets, and Google Plus posts about your company

c) Keeping your subscribers updated about any new products that you'll be offering!

iii) Make Sure That Your Website Is as Conversion-Friendly as Possible!

Your website should be:

a) Easy to navigate so that you can get your customers from point A to point B quickly and easily.

b) Should have a strong call-to-action that is really enticing.

c) Should give people an idea of whether you are trustworthy or not (you can do this via the BBB, testimonials and reviews).

2) Engage - Getting Incentive and Desire!

To make a sale, you need to get your customers to want what you're offering. They can't just be convinced by your business alone because these days there are many other options as to where they could spend their money. So in order to attract customers, you'll need to give them incentive to buy from you.

ii) Here Are Some Ideas of How You Can Do That!

a) Give your customers a good reason as to why they should buy from you. For example: if you're giving away an eBook then make sure it's relevant and valuable. If it's not then people won't want it and won't read it, which means that they won't want to buy!

b) Give customers incentives that they can only get by purchasing something that you're offering. For example:

i) Give customers a trial period whereby they can try out your products/services for free.

ii) Give them a free gift or gift card if they buy.

c) Make your product/service something that customers want to buy and thus give them desire. For example:

i) If you're selling something that people don't really need or couldn't really live without, then make it something that they simply can't live without, because they'll be desperate to get it and will do anything to get hold of it (this post covers why this type of sales method works).

ii) If you're selling a book that will help them to become a better salesperson, then make sure it's something that is useful and helpful for them.

iii) If you're selling a piece of software, then make sure it is something that solves their current problem.

3) Convert - Getting Them to Submit the Forms!

To make a sale, you need to get your customers to submit the forms ー especially if they are people who have actually activated their credit card.

Conclusion

I hope that you now have a better idea of how sales are like jump-starting your car and how you can use this analogy to help you create more sales and increase the number of people who complete your purchase processes (for example the leads, leads, people and prospects).

As always, if you have any questions or comments then please leave them below. And of course if you want to get in touch with me then please do so via email at: Bob@NailHealthPro.com or via Twitter: @NailHealthPro / @howtotracknbob.