We all have heard that it is easier to sell again and again to an existing customer, than to find new customers, right?
In simple terms, it means, “Milk the old customer as much as you can”.
So, here are 4 simple ‘milking’ strategies for you. Some, you already know, some, I created.
1. Cross Sell – Offer the customer related or complimentary items. Example: Customer buys beans porridge, offer him bread or garri to go along with it.
2. Up Sell – Offer the customer something more expensive. Example: Customer buys a recorded video course, offer a one-on-one phone call to take their questions and offer a bit of personalized advice.
3. Bulk Sell – I created this terminology. Offer the customer to buy more units for a lower price.
Example: Customer wants a Tshirt for 4k; offer him 3 for 10k.
4. Future Sell – Again, I created this terminology. Offer the customer a plan to continuously sell to him in the future.
Example: A bachelor walks into your store to buy soup-in-bowls, offer him a plan to deliver a variety of half-litre soup bowls each weekend.
Now here’s what you should do:
1. Take out a sheet of paper and write all the 4 methods above.
2. Think about your business a bit more deeply and find strategies or products or ways to adapt these 4 methods to your business.
3. Call your team together and train them about what you have written down.
Here’s a simple example of how to train your shop girl on cross-selling, even if she is not so educated.
“Kike, if person wan buy egg-roll, tell am say we get chilled zobo drink. Make him jam the two together. Even carry chair bring for am”.
Listen to me – Until the things you hear and learn about business, become so relatable to you, you cannot apply them.
… and how do the become relatable?
You spend a minute or two, thinking about them and adapting them to your small business.
So which one are you trying out today?
written by Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze