Synclio
Look Bigger & Handle CallsMore Efficiently
Get Started »
Contact Us
Leave Us A Message BelowMore Efficiently
Using Your Virtual Phone System to Capture Leads
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
If you’re leveraging a virtual phone system for your
business, you already know it’s a cost-effective tool to stay connected, look
more professional and provide superior service to your clients, colleagues and
prospects. Did you know that you can also use this tool as a way to generate
more leads and boost sales? It’s simple – you just use recorded
messages to help funnel your buyers through the process.
The first step is deciding on your message. Think about what
you can offer to your prospects that would make them want to dial in and pique
their interest enough to listen to the whole message. Perhaps product tips or
helpful how-to information. You could even provide callers with advice on what
they should consider before they make a purchase. The more value you offer, the
better.
Next, you have to record your message. Use a script as a
guideline and try to sound as comfortable and confident as you can. Nobody
wants to listen to a robot spewing useless sales dribble. If you don’t feel
confident enough to handle this part, ask someone else on your team or enlist
the help of professional
voice talent.
Once the message is recorded, it’s time to distribute the unique
number you have assigned to it. Not only will this direct callers to the exact
information they’re interested in, but it will make measuring analytics much
easier.
Tips for Getting the
Most Out of Recorded Messages:
Clearly communicate
the value and deliver a call to action that will urge your
prospects to pick up the phone and listen to your message.
Make it known that
the message is recorded. Sometimes the thing that holds people back from
inquiring on a particular product, service or special offer is the idea that
they will have to deal with a pushy sales pitch. By letting your prospects know
upfront that the number leads to a recorded message makes it much less invasive
and overcomes that objection.
Offer them options.
With unlimited extensions, you have the ability to offer your callers as many
options as you’d like, which can help them narrow down their own selections and
help you weed through to identify those prospects that are more inclined to
buy.
When it comes to generating leads and boosting sales in
today’s competitive environment, it’s all about being creative and thinking
outside the box. Now you can use your virtual
phone system to do just that! It’s just one more way we’re helping
businesses of every size realize their own success stories!
Labels: sales tips, small business tips, virtual phone system
4 Ways to Entice More Online Purchases
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
One of the greatest thing about the web is that it has
opened so many doors for businesses of any size to increase their sales
nationwide – even globally. But the whole “if you build it, they will come”
theory isn’t necessarily going to have your customers knocking down your cyber
walls to give you their hard earned money. There are certain things you must do
to improve your online sales. Good news! We’ve got a few helpful tips to get
you started…
Create demand, even if there isn’t much. Think about Amazon.
How many times have you added an item to your cart only to see a little
indicator that says “only X left in stock”? Strategies like this give the
impression to the customer that they must act now or they’ll miss out on the
item or sale price, and it’s something that you can leverage as well to improve
the chances of closing the deal with your online customers.
Don’t just tell them – show them. Quality content is great, and
the better you describe your inventory, the better. That said, research has
shown that using video to relay product information is much more effective if
pushing a maybe to a yes when it comes to sales. Get creative and put yourself
in your customers’ shoes to figure out what type of video marketing would get
the best results, such as product demos or helpful how-to’s.
Leverage reviews and feedback. You can shout to the rooftops
how fantastic your products are, but when it comes from your customers who have
actually bought and used your products, it’s much more powerful. Let your
satisfied and loyal customers do your marketing for you by providing them with the
opportunity and encouraging them to complete surveys and write reviews. You can
then leverage those good reviews by sprinkling them throughout your website to
encourage new prospects to buy from you.
Use upselling and/or cross-selling techniques to give buyers more
options. Set up your site so that when your customers are shopping,
they’ll see either a similar product that is of higher quality and slightly
more expensive (upselling) or they’ll see another product that complements the
product they’re considering buying (cross-selling). Both of these techniques
can boost sales in some instances, so it’s worth a shot!
With the technology available today, the possibilities for
businesses of any size to market online are virtually limitless. Doing so
successfully, however, takes some work. By employing these techniques, you’ll
have a much better chance of grabbing those online sales and increasing your
bottom line exponentially. What are you waiting for? Get out there and get
selling!
Labels: online marketing, sales tips, small business
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 1:59 PM
How to Successfully Sell Complementary Products
Sunday, January 13, 2013 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
You don’t have to be a marketing genius to know that placing
one product next to something else that it can be used with can mean a boost in
sales. It just makes sense – if a customer has already made the purchasing
decision for one product, why not entice them to buy something complementary at
the same time. But as much as the concept seems like a no-brainer, there is a
certain strategy that is needed if it is to be carried out successfully. Here
are a few tips to get you started.
Offer the second
product for a discount. If a customer knows that by purchasing one thing,
they can get a second similar product for a lower price, it could be just
enough to entice them over the edge. It can also help you avoid the “I’ll buy
this one now, and the other one later” dilemma by making it worthwhile for your
customers to buy everything in one shot.
Clearly communicate
the value of the second product. To really drive that second sale, you have
to clearly deliver the message that it’s valuable and a “must have”. Encourage
your sales staff to mention the add-on and tout its value in terms of the first
product. The more you push this message, the better results you’ll get.
Give the offer a
level of urgency. It’s probably the oldest tactic in the book, but it’s
highly effective. When you provide a sense of urgency with your complementary
offer (i.e. “Today Only: Buy A, Get B for 50% Off!”) you force your customers
to make an immediate buying decision. When they don’t have the option to go
home and think it over before pulling the trigger, they’re more apt to bite the
bullet and make the purchase just to take advantage of the deal.
Offer more than one
complementary product. If one add-on item is good, it only stands to reason
that two is better, right? If possible, offer two additional products to go
with your main sale to make it that much more of a bargain.
Keep it relevant.
As long as the complementary product you’re offering makes sense as an add-on,
even if your customer doesn’t purchase it, they’ll understand the reason behind
the push to sell it. If you try to push something irrelevant, on the other
hand, you risk ruining relationships with your customers altogether. Keep it
related and you’ll have a much better response.
Selling complementary products can be a great way to boost
sales, but it has to be done right for it to really be effective. Follow these
tips and you’ll have a good chance of capitalizing on this powerful marketing
strategy.
Labels: marketing, sales tips
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 7:51 PM
5 Tips for Launching a Successful SMS Texting Campaign
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
In today’s mobile society, people are increasingly turning
to their mobile devices to do everything from staying in touch to conducting
business, and just about everything in between. More and more businesses are
beginning to see the benefits of using SMS, or text messaging, to market their
products and improve sales. But there is sort of a science to the technique if
it is to achieve the desired results. If you’re thinking of launching your own
SMS campaign, here are 5 tips to help make it a success.
Choose the Right Provider – There are plenty of fish in the sea
when it comes to SMS providers, but not all of them are created equal. Before
you embark on your mobile marketing journey, make sure the company you choose
to work with is reputable and offers a product that meets the specific needs of
your business. (We happen to know of a great one – wink, wink!)
Stay Compliant – Just as with phone calls, there are certain
laws and regulations that govern the use of text messages for commercial
purposes. Make sure you are aware of these laws before hand so you can
carefully comply and avoid any potential problems down the road. A good place
to start is the Mobile
Marketing Association’s Consumer Best Practices document, which will give
you a better idea of what you can and can’t do in terms of marketing via mobile
devices.
Offer Something of Value – Whether it’s a coupon, discount,
free giveaway or invitation to an exclusive event, be sure that whatever it is
you’re offering is something that your audience will find worthwhile. Otherwise
the majority of your messages will end up in the ‘deleted’ file, and you’ll
probably find yourself with an increasing number of requests to unsubscribe.
Remember, the point of SMS marketing is to entice your target audience to come
in and spend money on your products or service, so give them something that
will do just that!
Leverage the “Limited Time Only” Technique – There’s something
extremely powerful about telling people that they only have a short amount of
time to act on an offer. It’s what’s known in the marketing industry as a call
to action, and it’s something that can be very effective in SMS marketing
campaigns. Consider sending out an offer that is only valid for a given
timeframe to really entice people to come in and do business with you. For
instance, a restaurant owner might offer a free appetizer or drink to anyone
who visits in the next 2 hours and mentions a particular word or phrase.
A Little Goes a Long Way – Just as with email marketing and any
other type of communications with customers, SMS texting is most effective when
it’s used in moderation. A few well-timed messages will get you much better
results than bombarding your audience with endless texts. Otherwise, after a
while what doesn’t end up in their deleted folder will simply be seen as noise
and ignored. Keep your campaigns spaced apart and provide timely, valuable
offers.
At the end of 2011, there were approximately 6 billion mobile
subscribers worldwide. The world is going mobile, whether we like it or not,
and if you’re not leveraging the power of this technology for your business you
are most certainly missing out. When done correctly, SMS marketing can be
wildly successful. By following these tips you will be well on your way to
developing and implementing your own mobile marketing campaign that will help
you boost sales and improve your bottom line.
Labels: marketing, outbound sms, sales tips, sms
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 5:25 PM
Leveraging Your Virtual Phone System to Close the Sale
Friday, August 31, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
When it comes to being successful in business, regardless of
industry, closing the sale means everything. Unfortunately, not everyone is a
master salesperson, and not every small business owner has the budget to hire
an expert sales team. The good news is you can actually leverage your virtual
phone system to help reel in that big client and seal the deal – and for much
less than it would cost to pay salaries for a sales team. Here’s how.
Superior Customer Care – What better way to endear a prospect
to your brand than by providing them with the utmost in care and attention. A virtual phone system allows you to give your
callers all of the options they need to reach who they want, when they need to,
helping you to score a home run when it comes to customer satisfaction. When
prospects see how well you treat them, they’ll want to give their business to
you!
Access to Information – If a potential customer has to jump
through 20 hoops and sit on hold for 10 minutes just to find out what your
address is, chances are slim you’ll be hearing from them again any time soon.
With features like IVR
and custom greetings, you can provide your callers with important static
information quickly and easily. Customers love hassle-free transactions!
Personalized Service – The truth is most consumers prefer
personalized service from one, trusted salesperson. Virtual phone systems allow
you to set up
extensions for every member of your team, so that customers can always
reach exactly who they want to speak with, without having to go through a slew
of other people first, or having to talk to a new person every time they call.
This personalized service will create brand loyalty and may even lead to some
valuable word of mouth marketing as well!
Mobility – Any good salesperson knows that in order to truly be
successful, you can’t be tied to a desk all day, just in case the phone rings.
The mobility of a virtual phone system will free you up to focus on growing
your business while also keeping you connected. Features like advanced call
forwarding and find me
/ follow me let you make and receive calls anywhere, any time so you never
have to worry about missing that important call.
Closing that big sale can be challenging no matter what
industry you’re in. Successful salespeople use all of the tools available to
them to get the job done. One such tool is a virtual phone system. Ready to see
for yourself what one of these innovative systems can do for your business?
Start your free trial today!
Labels: sales tips, small business, virtual phone system
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 1:13 PM
Could Your Sales Use a Boost? Check Out These 3 Tips
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
I suppose the question I posed in the title of this article
is rhetorical, because, really….what business owner would say ‘no’? Of course
you could benefit from increased sales! That’s fine and good in theory, but
actually finding a way to do so can be a challenge. Sure, you’ve heard the old
adage, “think outside the box” or “be creative”, but these are just sayings. What
you need are real, actionable steps you can take to do more than just imagine
your sales numbers going up, but to actually see it happen.
Understand Your Customers – This is perhaps the single most
important part of marketing, because if you don’t know who you’re trying to
sell to, you could very well be missing the mark. There are a number of ways
you can learn what your customers and prospects want, such as doing web research,
conducting surveys and asking for feedback. The key is to learn exactly what
the needs of your customers and prospects are and deliver a solution to meet those
needs. When people begin to see you as a resource that can help them, they will
naturally want to work with you and you’ll see your sales steadily rise.
Examine and Refine Your Strategies – The best predictor of
future behavior is past behavior. That being said, if what you’re doing hasn’t
been working for you in the past, that’s not going to change in the future if
you don’t take the time to change your tactics. Conduct regular analyses of
your marketing campaigns and sales techniques to determine what’s working, what
might need some tweaking and what might be better off scrapped altogether.
Otherwise, not only will you be wasting your marketing spend, but you’ll be
missing out on potential business.
Improve Your Presentation – This can be applied to everything,
not just your sales pitch. Take a good, hard look at your business as if you
were a potential customer. Is your website professional and easy to use? Does
your logo really convey your message? If you’ve been in business for more than
a couple of years, chances are there are some things that can be improved to
make a better first impression on potential customers. Be honest with yourself,
and address what needs improvement – it may cost a few dollars, but it’s a
priceless investment into the future success of your business.
Of course, these are just three of the countless things you
can do to boost sales and improve your bottom line. Above all, you should
consistently strive to be engaging, dynamic and attentive to your customers.
Remember – they are the very reason you’re in business in the first place. When
you put these steps into action, you will be better poised to achieve the
numbers you want and need for continued success.
Labels: sales tips, small business tips
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 4:16 PM
How the Right Follow Up Can Turn a Lead into a Sale
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
We all know the importance of networking, right? You know -
shaking hands, schmoozing and rubbing elbows at various events. But while doing
that might get you a list of potential leads, it’s the follow up you do after
the fact that will actually get you results, which is to reel them in and hook them
as paying customers. So what are the best techniques for reaching out after
that first contact and keeping communication going? Here are a few pointers and
best practices to make your follow up activities more successful.
Strike while the iron
is hot. Don’t wait too long after your initial meeting to reach out to your
new leads. Whenever possible, tell them precisely when you plan to do so and
stick to it. For instance, when telling them how great it was to meet them, let
your new prospect know that you’ll be following up on Monday to discuss XYZ
with them. By specifying a timeframe you are much more likely to stick to your
guns. And, as an added bonus, when you follow through with your promises your
prospects will be impressed with your professionalism.
Determine the best
method of communication. Sometimes an email is enough to touch base and can
count as enough follow up to keep someone interested. More times than not,
however, if you really want to keep your leads hot and your prospects engaged,
a phone call is much more effective. Take a look at my article from a few
months ago which goes over why sometimes
email just isn’t enough for the many reasons why. Of course, if your new
lead specifically requested that follow up be done via email, respect that and
do so accordingly. Or, consider sending an initial email requesting a date and
time for a phone call, which will give you more leverage and better your
chances of landing a new client.
Keep at it. Just
following up once won’t necessarily win over those prospects and get them to
take the next step. Sometimes it takes several attempts to finally close the
deal. In fact, there’s a marketing theory called the “Rule of Seven”, which suggests
that it can take up to seven interactions with a brand before a potential
customer takes the leap and makes a purchase. Be consistent and stay in touch
with your leads through a variety of different methods, including emails, phone
calls, and newsletters and do your best to keep your brand at the top of their
mind without overdoing it and being too pushy. Your hard work and persistence will
pay off in the long run.
Gathering leads is the easy part. Successfully turning those
leads into paying customers is the challenge, and good follow up is the key. By
employing these three simple techniques, you can stay in contact with your
prospects and improve your chances of converting them into loyal clients.
Labels: marketing, sales tips, small business
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 3:13 PM
Effective Selling – Overcome Your Fear and Become a Sales Master
Monday, April 23, 2012 – posted by Rebecca Daneault
Some people could sell ice to an Eskimo or hay to a farmer. Unfortunately, not everyone has the inherent talent and, well, guts it takes to be a stellar salesperson. The fact remains that to be successful in small business, you have to effectively sell yourself, your products or your services. So what happens if you’re an absolute wiz at what you do, but haven’t a clue at how to deliver this information to prospects and land new clients? Here are 4 simple techniques to help you overcome your fear and become a master at closing the deal.
Get an Attitude Adjustment – One of the biggest hurdles would-be salespeople face is the idea that they have to be pushy in order to get the job done. If you’re one of these people, try adjusting your attitude to view yourself and your team as problem solvers, instead of a pushy sales force. Whatever the nature of your business, your products or services provide a solution to your customers’ needs; otherwise you wouldn’t still be afloat. Position yourself to communicate that solution to your prospects and you’ll win their business.
Ask the Right Questions – There’s a reason why people have two ears and one mouth. One of the keys to successfully closing a sale and landing a new client is carefully listening to your prospects. Ask the right questions to learn about their needs. Then you can offer them customized solutions. In addition to showing them the impact your business can have on their needs, it will also show prospects that you’re truly interested in them, and not just their wallets.
Identify a Need and Fill It – When you first started your business, you surely did research to determine whether there was, in fact, a need for your products or services. Selling involves the same strategy. When you take the time to learn what the needs are of your target market, you can develop a solution that will essentially sell itself. All of this before you even step foot in front of a potential client. You’ll be armed with knowledge and well prepared to overcome objections and convince your prospects that you can help them.
Step Back – The cold, hard truth is, not every prospect is going to turn into a paying customer. If, at the end of a meeting with a potential customer, you feel that you truly wouldn’t be a good fit, step back and disengage. If your services or products are of good quality, you shouldn’t have to chase people. Know when to walk away, for everyone’s sake, so you don’t create a negative association and potentially burn any bridges, closing the door to future opportunity.
Selling doesn’t have to be that dreadful task you continuously put off. To the contrary, if you put these simple tips into action, you can effectively and confidently engage your prospects, deliver your message and seal the deal to bring in new business.
Labels: sales tips, small business tips
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 12:12 PM
X
posted by Rebecca Daneault @ 11:27 AM