8 Proven Online Sales Tactics

Get More Sales & Marketing Tips Here... FREE!

If you are selling something online, do you simply put a price tag to it and wait for someone to buy?

You may say no, but I’ve seen too many people doing that. Yet they are wondering why no one is buying their products/services.

In online selling, or any kind of selling for that matter, there are certain sales tactics you can use to boost sales. There is no need to reinvent the wheels. Today we will look at 8 of them.

1. Price Discount

Probably the most common strategy is price discount. I’m sure you are familiar with price discount. The only thing I want to highlight here is don’t just sell a product/service. Instead, you should try to sell a package, so that the overall value looks higher.

Say if you are selling an ebook for $10, don’t just sell that ebook. Bundle it with lots of other complementary products that you can find or create, so that the whole package has a perceived value of hundreds of dollars. You want to make your visitors feel stupid to reject the offer.

Price discount is often combined with other strategies described below.

2. Free Gifts

If you are tight on pricing, or you don’t want to create a price war, the next strategy you can use is to offer free gifts.

Such a strategy is often seen by affiliate marketers when promoting affiliated products. Since affiliate marketers can’t give a direct discount to the product they are promoting, what they do is they bundle the product with a bonus product. Whoever buying through their referral link will be able to receive the bonus product for free.

3. Time Sensitive Offer

In addition to having a price discount and/or free gift, you can further push sales by adding an expiry date to the offer. It is commonly known as a time-sensitive offer.

You can set an actual date when the offer will end, or you can just say, “It is a limited time offer. We may end the offer any time.”

4. Limited Offer

Besides limiting the time, you can also limit the product or freebie. For example, you can have an offer where the first 50 buyers will receive a special free gift.

You can also limit the product itself. This is often seen in membership sites, where the number of members are capped at certain number.

5. One Time Offer

One time offer is an offer that is presented to the prospects only once. If they miss it, they will miss it forever. Such offer is usually presented after an opt-in page or as an upsell after the first sale is completed.

6. Escalating Pricing

In this sales tactic, the price will increase after certain number of products are sold. The marketer will usually have a table showing the price distribution. Below is an illustration of what I mean.

7. Purchase With Purchase
In this technique, the buyer is offered an option to buy another item at a reduced price. It’s something like One Time Offer. If the buyer miss the offer, he/she will have to buy the item at the full price later on.

8. Continuity Plan
The last tactic is continuity plan. The marketer will think of ways to make the buyer keep on coming back and buy more. Common methods you may have seen are coupons, points, discount voucher etc.

For example, when a buyer bought something, you can give him some eDollar, which can be used to offset his future purchase. Even though the amount may not be a lot, many buyers are likely to remember that he has some ‘money’ with your website and will come back to buy more whenever they need something that is offered on your website.

Generating sales is not luck. It’s science. By using a combination of these sales tactics we’ve discussed here, it’s not hard to come out with a sales process that works. Coupled with a good product and service, making money online is inevitable.

Get More Sales Tips Here...

10 Marketing Mistakes That Reduce Profitability

Are you finding it hard to keep your business in the black? Then you might be making one or more of these 10 mistakes that have a negative impact on your bottom line. Find out what they are and get the solutions.

Mistake #1: They fail to market or market inconsistently.

Once you have committed to owning and running a business you must be equally committed to marketing and selling the products and services of that business. It is difficult, if not impossible, to stay and remain profitable without a commitment to ongoing concerted marketing.

Solution: Market all the time, every time.

Mistake #2: They hesitate to "ask for the sale".

Rather than seeming pushy or obnoxious they let profit-producing opportunities pass them by. They worry more about what someone thinks of them than they do about bringing more money into their business. If you find it difficult to "ask for the sale", you can be sure that you're not bringing in as much money as you could be.

Solution: Practice asking for the sale.

Mistake #3: They don't ask for help or assistance in the aspects of the business where they most need it.

Most business owners possess strengths in a particular area but whether by necessity or ignorance they often end up working in areas that aren't part of their strengths. When business is not going as it should they delay or procrastinate in asking for help. Each day that goes by with your business running at less than maximum efficiency means dollars lost from your pocket.

Solution: Get expert advice from an attorney, accountant, or other service professional before you really need it.

Mistake #4: They don't follow up with past customers.

It is usually much easier to reactivate a former customer than it is to attract a new one. If you are not following up with past customers on a regular basis you are reducing your profitability potential.

Solution: Develop and implement a regular method for customer follow up.

Mistake #5: They don't take regular stock of their expenses.

Savvy business owners regularly appraise their business expenses and find ways to reduce costs without sacrificing quality. If you haven't completed a cost analysis lately, you might be paying more than you need to be, which will reduce your profitability.

Solution: At least once per quarter review expenses and negotiate for adjustments as appropriate.

Mistake #6: They spend large amounts on glossy, slick marketing materials and expect business to pour in without any additional effort.

Glossy brochures and slick marketing materials are a nice addition to more active forms of marketing such as meeting people, calling people and speaking to people. Brochures and business cards, no matter how beautiful, do not replace direct contact. If you are spending money on flashy marketing materials rather than marketing directly you will be less profitable than you could be.

Solution: Take those glossy brochures and hand them out directly to people at the next possible opportunity.

Mistake #7: They spend a significant amount of time in low-return activities (as measured by dollars and personal satisfaction).

If you are spending the majority of your day completing tasks which are administrative in nature and/or which can be easily completed by other people you are reducing your profitability.

Solution: Track your time and figure out how much you're making per hour. Hire an assistant if you are spending the bulk of your time in administrative work.

Mistake #8: They charge less than they desire.

This challenge seems to arise especially for consultants, coaches and solo entrepreneurs who sell services. It is often tempting to accept less money than you need - so you get "some money" rather than "no money". After time, working for too little can leave you exhausted and resentful and it takes a deep cut out of your profitability.

Solution: Commit that, at the next opportunity, you will ask for full fee. And then do it.

Mistake #9: They make infrequent or no use of technology which could save them time and effort.

As a business owner, you have a fixed amount of time and energy within which you must maximize your profits. Technology can help you do this in the form of autoresponders, voicemail, wireless internet connections, speech recognition software and the like. All of these tools are designed to save you time and effort. If you are not making consistent use of technology in your business you are likely not as profitable as you could be.

Solution: Look for ways that you can make your business processes more efficient by using inexpensive technology.

Mistake #10: They adhere to outdated business models or plans.

If you do not stay up with the trends in your business you will notice a steady decline in your profitability.

Solution: Attend meetings and conferences that will keep you on target with your market. Implement new means of doing business and update your business plan at least every couple of years.

If you are serious about improving your business' profitability, start by implementing the suggested solutions to these ten common mistakes. Together, these solutions will help you make more money and have more fun in your business. Try them and see.

by Dr Rachna D. Jain