Table of Contents
How to increase sales? How to sell on the internet? How to increase online sales? How to increase sales volume? Here is the complete list of methods to boost your online sales. It’s amazing, you know. Generate enough sales to make a business profitable, and make it prosper. It is a remarkable achievement.
Selling on the Internet
Whether you sell physical or digital products, you watch your bottom line like milk on the go. Every morning it’s probably the same ritual: a quick spin on your sales stats… And you watch how much you’ve made.
For two reasons :
Reason 1: you know you have a minimum to reach: the breakeven point. Underneath you lose money.
Reason 2: once this threshold is reached, you try to maximize your turnover, by need (to invest in your business), or by desire (to earn as much as possible).
The difficulty of Selling on the Internet
You are not alone on the web. Your competitors are there, they deploy a wealth of ingenuity to attract customers.
But it’s not the hardest part. There is another problem that I have seen on my own sites. A problem that requires you to constantly question to last in the ruthless world of the web.
This problem is that sales techniques wear out. Let me explain. It isn’t enough to open a site, build traffic, and put a product up for sale to make money. It would be too good. Open a site, and sell from the beach! This is the false message that many internet gurus are carrying.
This is the main surprise for online entrepreneurs: simply offering products is not enough for a living. I have been living my blogging 100% for 2 years, and I assure you it does not work like that.
Alas! If you want it to really work, you have to go out and get the customers with the teeth. you always have to come up with something new. Not necessarily a product. But a different way of selling.
The result Selling on the Internet?
In terms of income, the difference goes from one to ten. Really, I see it on one of my blogs that sells digital products. If I do not do any specific operation, I will make 3 or 4 sales during the week. If I apply aggressive sales techniques, I do between 20 and 50. To think about it.
The main cause of online failure
I’m convinced. If you sell little, it is often because you are not trying enough different selling techniques. People think that you just have to blog, write 10 articles, come up with a product, and the money is going to fall from the sky. This is wrong, and the return to reality will hurt.
Selling online is testing. It is to question oneself. It is accepting failure and understanding that no success is final.
Changing your sales methods doesn’t have to take long to do. It is not necessarily complicated to implement. But what I’ve learned since making a living on the internet is that customers don’t just fall from the sky. You have to attract them, convince them, seduce them. So to grow your business, you better read this.
How to increase sales? how to have an online sales site … that sells?
I will help you. I am going to give you 37 unstoppable methods to improve your site sales. It works in 3 steps.
Step 1: Read
Step 2: Apply
Step 3: Harvest the fruits of your labor.
Here are 37 methods to boost your sales
1. Test your sales pages
What’s this :
You are going to perform what is called split-tests or A / B tests. You will make multiple versions of your sales pages, and keep the one that sells the best.
How to do :
A tool makes it possible to carry out split-tests: it is Optimizely. Thanks to this service, you will test different colors, different sizes of buttons, text disputes… Layouts of pages… The presence of videos… In short. Everything you want to be successful in having pages that convert more and more.
If you use an auto-responder – Activecampaign is recommended – you can also test different versions of promotional emails and see what works best. An intense split-testing strategy can double your sales.
2. Add a service to the product sold
What’s this :
A little something extra that sets you apart from the competition and allows you to sell for more. The more you offer, the more the perceived value of the product increases.
How to do :
Offer your customers support via hotline, during defined time slots. Offer a telephone interview in a month to take stock (useful if you sell weight-loss diets). Be inventive. There is inevitably a little extra service that will make your customers crack and that will differentiate you from others.
3. Add physical bonuses to the product sold
What’s this :
This is the Happy Meal. The children’s favorite menu. Why do my young kids LOVE eating at McDonald’s? For the extraordinary quality of service and food, the impeccable cleanliness of the tables that never stick? For the price, more than a good fresh sandwich? No. My kids love it because Ronald gives them a toy. Point bar. It’s the first thing they open. So add more. Do the same.
How to do :
Give an extra. Either one more file, one more video, one more small object… It doesn’t matter. But report it on your sales page. “In addition, 100% free, I offer you the …”. It’s Red Bull for your sales.
4. Set up efficient customer support
What’s this :
Your customers may encounter usage difficulties. Some do not know how to download the products. Some do not have Adobe Reader on their computer and cannot read PDFs. Your real products can arrive damaged… In short. Your customers need to have someone to help them quickly and well. Personally, I have already spent an hour on the phone with a customer of 75 years to have her install VLC!
(Bad) reputations quickly build online. It is up to you to be irreproachable because those who speak are generally dissatisfied.
How to do :
The minimum is to have a contact email address that you look at every day. Then, if you want to improve your customer service, you can use a support ticket service.
5. Build a mailing list
What’s this :
This is essential, Fundamental, this is the key to your success. Let’s be a little Suspicious: the purpose of your site is not to inform. The purpose of your site is to capture emails. You need emails from people who come to your site. When you have their email, you can send them your news, and offers.
If you’re happy with Facebook, expect 3-4% of your links to click. If you send an email to your list, you may have 20 or 30% clicks.
How to do :
You must subscribe to an auto-responder. Mailchimp is the best known. Install an email capture form and entice people to leave their email address by leaving a bonus. There are other techniques but this one always gives results.
6. Relaunch your old customers
What’s this :
Usually, people are interested in a topic for 6 to 12 months. Then they do something else. If your business is in a particular niche, you have new visitors every day. They will follow you for a few months, possibly make a purchase, and then they will disappear. These old customers are worth gold so relaunch them. It costs 5 times less to resell to old customers than to find new ones.
How to do :
Export your sales file to an Excel table, and find the customers who have made at least two purchases (those who like you a priori). Select those who haven’t bought anything from you for at least 6 months. Take your courage in both hands, and send a personalized email to each of them giving them a nice promotional offer limited in time. You are going to make sales, that’s for sure. I tested it this week on my Branded Clothing Store Shop Empo Limited and I hit it hard.
7. Make a press release
What’s this :
You will post a press release on your site in the press or on popular websites. You will thus increase the notoriety of your business.
How to do :
All journalists have a Twitter profile. And it’s a great way to approach them. Also, think about sites dedicated to press releases.
8. Organize a competition
What’s this :
A contest will not increase your sales directly but in two stages. First, you are going to bring people to your site with a great bundle (which serves as bait). Then you will capture the email of people wishing to enter the contest. And finally, you can send them your offers, so make sales.
How to do :
A competition is organized thoroughly, with an agent. Sites like Rules of the game offer fully integrated solutions to organize your competition within the rules. Good to know: choose a targeted lot that interests your potential customers. If you donate an iPad, lots of people will register, without necessarily having a great interest in your business …
9. Know your visitors
What’s this :
What sells is what solves people’s problems. When we understood that, we understood everything about sales. How to make a fortune in two steps? One: ask people what their problem is. Two: Create a product that solves this problem. Simple isn’t it?
How to do :
Track your visitors, Age, sex, income, marital status, driving car, hobbies, vacation spot. The more you know about them, the more relevant your offer is. Take surveys on your site with Surveymonkey. Get to know them, and ask them what they would like to solve.
10. Connect with bloggers in your niche and gift them a product
What’s this :
It is a great classic of beauty blogs. Cosmetics brands are throwing a shovel on products and bloggers are testing them. Then they write an article. Perfect for boosting the sales of a cream, as long as you choose the right partners.
How to do :
Whatever your product, there is definitely a blog or forum on the subject. Do your research on Google, then test the authority of the site in question with Graphystories. Contact the blogger in question and offer them the product in question in exchange for a post. A good way to boost the visibility of your product and therefore your sales.
11. Sell in affiliation
What’s this :
It is in a way the logical continuation of the preceding point. You will sell your products on another site, in exchange for a commission. You can thus offer your product to a wider audience.
How to do :
The easiest way is to go through an affiliate platform, like Amazon Associates, which simplifies all the technical management and redistribution on the part of everyone. But nothing prevents you from setting up a live partnership.
12. Develop a range of complementary products
What’s this :
It’s Apple, When you have a Mac, you want an iPad. And when you have both, what better than an iPhone. And when you have all that, well you’ll see that you need the smartwatch. Keep in mind that reselling to an existing customer is more profitable than trying to find new ones.
How to do :
Instead of creating a global product, segment. Solve only one part of the problem. So that your customer is tempted to buy the other product. If you have a beauty blog, sell eye makeup training, and nail art training. If you sell surfboards, also sell swim shorts.
13. Systematically offer samples
What’s this :
One of the barriers to buying when you have an online business is that you can’t see or try the product. Likewise, if you are just a blogger selling information products, you may have a hard time convincing your prospects that your product is of quality. So offer a free sample to convince the most reluctant.
How to do :
If your product is digital, put the first chapter on your site for free consultation. If your product is physical, pack it in small quantities and offer it to people who have signed up for your list. No, the cost will not be huge compared to the potential gain. If your product is too big (I use the surfboard example), send a sample of a complementary product (wax for example), or upload a demo video of your product online.
14. Put a video demonstration of your product on your site
What’s this :
Video is a weapon on the internet. Online video is what TV is to print media. More fun, more alive, more exciting. So do not hesitate to show your products in spots.
How to do :
The catch is that shooting quality video doesn’t work like this. If you want it to bang, you need professional shooting and sound equipment. As well as lighting. So yes, it sells. But yes, it is quite expensive to achieve.
15. Put on an animated demonstration
What’s this :
Instead of complicating your life with video, showcase your product’s features with animation.
How to do :
Use a service like Go Animate to create the animation you want and put it on your site.
16. Make limited-time promotions
What’s this :
You will boost your sales by offering a short-term discount. The shorter and more intense it is, the more it sells. It’s a bit like the principle of black Friday in the USA. A day at a broken price where sales explode.
Note: a promotion always has an end date, it is an obligation to announce a deadline.
How to do :
Take your products, create a promo code, or lower your prices manually. Post the operation on your site, and send a message to your subscribers to inform them.
17. Create packs
What’s this:
Creating packs is a super-efficient way to dispose of old products. It’s a bit like in record stores (for those who remember what it feels like to buy a record): you always had packs of 3 or 4 old albums at knockdown prices. It also works for digital products.
How to do :
Choose 3 or 4 old products, and create a discounted pack. Don’t hesitate to sell all three for the price of one. Promote it on your list and to your subscribers, and increase your sales with a limited time.
18. Organize a shortage
What’s this :
The idea of scarcity always drives sales up. A cyclone is coming? Supply difficulties? People are rushing for gasoline, batteries, cans, and water bottles. The rarer your product seems the more sales go up. So everyone wants one right away. Sony is also a specialist at each launch of Playstation.
How to do :
Sell unique and numbered products. Explain that the product is rare and that you only have 4 in stock. If your product is digital, say that you will only sell the first 20 customers anyway, and no more. Do not be afraid. Your 20 products will sell like hotcakes. And then keep your word. Don’t sell anymore. People will languish. In a few weeks, bring out a product. And your frustrated prospects will pounce on them.
19. Sell a luxury version
What’s this :
Some people always want the best. I have a friend (very rich) who always buys the most expensive phone, the car with all the options, the extended 24-month warranty… The premium versions will be systematically purchased by 5 to 15% of your customers. Take a look at the Apple site, look at the number of options you have when you buy a computer: screen, memory, processor… You can triple the bill by taking more powerful and not necessarily useful equipment.
How to do :
Add some! Lifetime support (don’t worry, no one is using them), faster delivery, extra insurance, a more luxurious version (look at diamond-encrusted watches)… It’s limitless! Try to have a very expensive, very extensive VIP offer, and you will find that many customers will choose it.
20. Explode your sales by starting a blog
What’s this :
You will publish on your site articles related to your theme, by creating a blog section. Why ? Because blogging sites have 97% more inbound links. They bring in more traffic, therefore more potential customers. Do you sell cosmetics? Post beauty tips. Do you sell ski boots? Publish articles on the mountain… etc.
How to do ?
For this to work, you need to publish and promote quality articles. It’s an art. I explain in this article the 4 pillars of successful blogs.
21. Do you sell to individuals? Advertise Facebook
What’s this?
55% of American marketers believe that advertising on social networks is beneficial in terms of sales. It works, but it is not an absolute weapon. Consider this a plus. You will pay for campaigns on Facebook to send advertising to your prospects. The good thing is that Facebook knows what you like. So Facebook can really present your products to a targeted audience.
How to do ?
Create Facebook campaigns based on three criteria: Start by targeting people based on interests. Then target prospects similar to those who pass through your site. And finish by targeting prospects similar to those who signed up to your site. Yes, it’s very easy to do, I invite you to read this article.
22. Do you sell to professionals? “Network” on LinkedIn
What’s this?
LinkedIn is the # 1 professional social network. You can increase the visibility of your products by directly reaching interested people.
How to do ?
Be active. Join groups, participate, connect with influencers. Knowing that some people have hundreds of connections, this will catapult your visibility online.
23. Interview the heavyweights in your area
What’s this ?
Online sales are particularly dependent on your qualified traffic. That is, the number of people who see your site, AND who are interested in your products. By interviewing a recognized heavyweight in your industry and posting the video (or audio), you will attract qualified traffic.
How to do ?
Connect with an influencer. Do it via tweet, by email. Start by building a relationship. Exchange. Ask for advice. Give constructive advice. Once the relationship is established, come up with your interview request.
24. Invite one of your customers to do a demo
What’s this?
It’s an old teleshopping trick. The client who comes on the platform and who testifies to the pounds lost easily thanks to a weight machine. Does that sound outdated to you? You are wrong. It sells. Teleshopping is the school of sales.
How to do ?
Email a few loyal customers and ask them to testify about the product. Save, Upload, Sell.
25. Set up a loyalty program
What’s this :
Another trick is watching like the world! If it’s been going this long, it’s because it works. Reward your most loyal customers with exceptional discounts.
How to do :
Send a small email to each customer who has purchased more than 4 or 5 products from you. Thank them. And offer them a huge discount on the next purchase. Guaranteed result!
26. Make an offer whenever possible
What’s this :
The sites that sell the most are also those that offer the most sales opportunities. Think about it. A visitor comes to your site, subscribes to your list, arrives on confirmation pages, downloads PDFs… As many times as you can offer him a deal.
How to do :
Take a sheet of paper and map your visitor’s journey on your site. Go to each of the pages and add a sale offer. For example: “Thank you for downloading my PDF guide, here is a 20% discount code, valid for 24 hours …”. Don’t overdo it at the start of the course. People who come to your site are not yet ready to buy. But whoever downloads a PDF, yes! At the end of your Ebook, include a promo code for any future purchase. The more offers you add, the more you sell.
27. Set up rigorous statistical monitoring
What’s this :
A rigorous professional needs to know what’s going on in their business. Measure everything. Archive everything. Visitors, subscribers, email open rate… Thus, you can target your actions on your weak points and improve them.
How to do :
Create a weekly Excel table, and write down the numbers for the week. Traffic, email open rate, the click-through rate on your links, sales, number of subscribers… Take 15 minutes every Monday to get your stats from the previous week.
28. Never be a carpet seller
What’s this :
Bad sellers drive sales. And no one likes to be forced. Don’t be the carpet seller.
How? ‘Or’ What :
The right salesperson presents a problem, a solution, a result, and makes a compelling offer. He suggests, proposes, and questions. But he doesn’t push and never begs.
29. Offer a guarantee
What’s this :
The big concern with selling digital products online is competition and lack of credibility. You are probably serious, but you may be just the head of a small business drowned in the vastness of the net. Why would your visitors trust you? The warranty solves this problem.
How to do :
Offer a satisfied or refunded guarantee. Do not be afraid. Yes, there are clever kids who abuse it. But from experience, I tell you that it works. One of my bestsellers offers a 50-day money-back guarantee. I have not had any refund requests. And I made some big sales. So yes, guarantees are reassuring, and they work.
30. Offer a free trial
What’s this?
You have a translation business or CV writing … In short, you offer service. It’s not easy to get people to write you a big check when you start your business. So offer to start work for free to prime the control pump.
How to do?
Are you a photographer? Offer the first shot. Translator? Offer the first 100 words. Etc. etc.
31. Simplify your sales pages
What’s this :
Internet users are butterflies. They go from flower to flower… Uh, I mean from link to link. If your sales page is full of buttons, links, these are all possible leaks. And someone who leaves the sales page isn’t coming back anytime soon.
How to do:
There should only be one way to exit the sales page: The order button! In general, simplify your site. The purpose of your site is not to inform. The purpose of your site is to capture emails. A little cynical, but true.
32. Try to sell elsewhere
What’s this :
Your site is not necessarily the only place where you can put your products for sale. Why not take advantage of specialized platforms that have huge traffic to offer your products to qualified traffic?
How to do :
Sell your physical products at Amazon. Sell your services on Upwork (the new name of Odesk), or Fiverr. Sell your T-shirts on Spreadshirt. Sell your training on Udemy. Take advantage of their traffic and pay a commission in exchange.
33. Present results, not characteristics
What’s this :
It’s the basis of a sale, and it’s the biggest mistake I see online. Don’t sell features. Sell a result. It’s the bottom line that makes the sale. The customer must already see himself with the product, and visualize the wonderful life he will have after the purchase.
How to do :
An example. Don’t say “this blender has a 1000 watt motor and 3 different beaters”. Say “this blender, designed to last a lifetime, will allow you to make cocktails that will wow your friends”. Go over your product presentations and check that you are selling a result.
34. Relaunch abandoned carts
What’s this :
About 3 to 5% of customers will fill the shopping cart, put their address, credit card info, and do not order. A technical problem, a doubt, an interruption. You are wasting money if you don’t fix this problem.
How to do :
Go to your order management tool and list the emails and names of those who have not finalized their order. Send them a nice little follow-up email. You will manage to recover some, you will see.
35. Check the speed of your site
What’s this :
If a page takes more than 3 seconds to display, you lose half of your visitors. Half ! It’s huge and it’s one of the biggest traffic killers.
How to do :
Use a tool like GT metrics or Pingdom to test the speed of your pages. If the result is not up to your expectations (roughly if your site is a snail), you have a technical site ahead of you. If tech isn’t your thing, contact a developer who will do whatever it takes to improve things.
36. Insert testimonials
What’s this :
Another technique is to watch like the world that increases your level of credibility. If you do, try to include the testimony of a famous person in your topic.
How to do :
Again, patience, Connect with an influencer the right way. Forge a bond. Send the product to him. Let him do his test. Then ask him if he’s okay with you posting his review on your site.
37. Submit an upsell on a sandwich page
What’s this :
When you go to McDonald’s (decidedly), you are always offered a coffee or dessert. Let’s look at the numbers. A menu revolves around 7.23 $. Extra ice cream is 2.37$. Add a coffee and it’s 1.66 $. Total? 11.26 $. That is an additional gain of 55%! Not all customers do, but it weighs in terms of turnover.
How to do :
Create a sandwich page. When one of your customers clicks to buy a product, send it to the intermediate page (the sandwich page), on which you will offer them an additional product at a discounted price. Many of your customers (between 15 and 30% according to my tests), will buy the main product and the upsell.
It’s easy to sell more on the internet
Have you seen the multitude of possibilities available to you? There is enough to turn a weak business into a profitable business.
You just have to do one thing in the end. Each week, take an hour. That’s all. Put yourself in a room, quiet, without phone, without interruption.
And think about what you can do if you want to sell more. Try to come up with a new deal every week. There are enough ways to make more money online in this article to make it happen.
So now go for it. Take a few minutes. And get started.
Generating leads and sales is a major component of the “Traffic & Customers” program.