This is a guest post by Amanda Green
Business managers will tell you that organization is what makes a business profitable; marketing professionals will say, it is due to their advertisement campaigns, but in truth, it is the sales team that increases your revenue, especially if you have a team that works together like a well oiled machine.
Here are 6 things you can do to improve your sales while at the same time reducing certain overhead expenses to produce more profit:
1. Consider Working with Distributors or Outsourcing your Sales
A distributor already has a network of retailers or businesses they work with. They have sales reps that cover the entire nation, and some even offer international services. This gives you a better chance of giving your product or service the best visibility.
A company like Cydcor has experienced sales reps with a large portfolio of existing clients. So getting your product to a larger number of customers is easier and can be cheaper if you outsource your sales to someone like this. Check out Cydcor on Facebook.com to learn more about how this business model operates.
Working with a distributor can also help you reduce your overhead costs as you don’t really need to carry large inventories of product. Remember, a company like Cydcor will also want to add products to their existing line that gives them a more varied mix and better sales returns.
2. Expand Your Sales Across the Nation
If you can’t find a representative willing to take your product line on, expand your sales team to cover territories that are closest to you. You can also start a search, looking for online stores that carry similar products. Focus on territories where the most stores carry products like yours.
3. Sell to Department Stores
This is another way to expand your business and save on costs. Work directly with department store buyers. Contact the buying department directly and find out what requirements suppliers must meet to work with that particular chain. All you really need to do is get your foot in one department store door, and your sales will increase dramatically, allowing you to reduce the effort your sales team makes on smaller sales.
4. Specialty Chain Stores
Focus on small specialty stores which have national chains. Identify the stores that have several branches and focus your efforts on these small stores as they can be large buyers but are easier to sell to than the larger department store.
5. Online Service
Find other successful e-commerce websites to showcase your product. Use catalog websites such as Yahoo, Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, Groupon and Shopify to showcase your products.
There are actually many inexpensive ways to increase sales while decreasing your overhead. It’s just a matter of getting out there and talking to consultants, reps and other people that can help distribute your product. The absolute best solution is to outsource some of your sales duties by finding a representative willing to help you with your product.