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Turn
Your Customers into a Sales Force for Your Product or Service
by Kevin Nunley
No matter how large or small your company is, you could benefit from
more experts selling your product or service. Hiring and training an
in-house sales force is much too expensive for many small businesses.
Even larger firms that already have sizable sales departments could use
help finding prospects and turning them into paying customers.
The easiest and cheapest way to build your sales force is to give
existing customers a chance to promote your products and services.
Satisfied customers not only know all about what you sell, but because
they have tried your product themselves, they have more credibility with
other prospects. A prospect believes when a past customer says
"Yes, I used it and it works great." No ad or commercial can
speak as powerfully.
*Create A Simple Referral Program
Many customers will
be delighted to tell friends about your product or service. You only
have to ask. Say, "I'm glad that you got great results from our
service. Please spread the word. I would really appreciate it if you
told a few people you know who could also benefit from our
service."
You can offer a discount to new customers referred by existing
customers. One store has a sign in the waiting area, "Tell a friend
and you both save 10% on your next purchase. Ask for details."
By sharing the product with friends and family, a customer almost
becomes an employee of your business. The advantage to this are
two-fold.
*Start Your Own Affiliate Program
Back when Amazon.com was first staring out, founder Jeff Bezos was at a
party. A woman who had just gone through a divorce told Bezos she wished
she could sell Amazon's books about divorce from her web site.
The wheels started turning inside Bezos' head. Back at the office he
worked with his programming staff to create software to track sales that
came from other people's web sites.
Today, affiliate systems like the one Amazon created are the Number one
marketing method on the Internet. Services like MyAffiliateProgram.com
and SimpleAffiliate.com offer affordable systems that are easy to set
up. Your online customers can paste a bit of HTML code on their web
pages to create a banner for visitors to click on. Then, any sale that
comes from their site is credited to their account.
Commissions can be based on a percentage of the purchase, a set dollar
amount, or a small fee for each person who clicks through to visit your
site. Most often, firms offer a percentage of sale, averaging around 20
percent. Kevin offers commissions up to $75 per sale at http://drnunley.com/affiliates.htm
*Training Your Sales Force
A lot of web sites started big affiliate programs only to shut them down
a few years later. Customers don't automatically get behind your
affiliate program. Like any sales force, they need training and constant
encouragement.
Your affiliates will need clear instructions on how to set up their
affiliate links. Usually you can adapt these from the instructions you
get from your affiliate system provider.
Show affiliates how to promote their site and your links. The most
effective way to make sales is for affiliates to include their link at
the bottom of all their email messages. Show members how to create a
signature file in their email program.
Take care to explain the difference between sending mail to Someone you
know, and spamming strangers. More than a few affiliate programs have
been derailed by members who spammed people without understanding what
they were doing wrong.
Also, make sure that your affiliates have an email address to contact
you when any questions arise about anything. This is important when a
member feels like they have hit a brick wall and need an answer from
someone. This will make them feel even more a part of your organization.
*Develop Your Marketing Materials
Affiliate members will need a series of marketing materials from you.
Have a professional writer create several sales letters members can use
in autoresponders. Provide an email letter members can send when they
are asked for more information. Also give members a page of web copy to
put on their sites.
Make your customer sales force a priority. Plan your strategy, then work
your plan consistently. Create a newsletter and publicly congratulate
members who make sales. Share member success stories that could motivate
other members to higher sales. Roll out new products, services, or
improvements from time to time. They will give your members exciting new
things to sell, and keep your affiliates energized.
*Affiliates Generating Affiliates
Further down the road, when your member affiliate sales force has become
well-established and lucrative, you can offer yet another incentive for
them. Offer a larger or additional bonus when an affiliate recruits and
trains another affiliate for you. Over time, the real go-getters will
show through, and they will have the knowledge and experience to take a
lot of the training load off of you.
You may also want to tier your referral program. When a member generates
a certain amount of sales in a short amount of time, then you can
recognize that person with a catchy moniker like "Rapid Riser"
or "Rising Star". It's important to do this with the newest
members, too. Remember, the possibilities for affiliate recognition are
only limited by your own imagination.
That is why it is so important to keep a pad of paper and pen handy, or
any other way to save your thoughts, like a PDA or micro-cassette
recorder. Many of the best ideas come about while you are away from the
office. If something comes to you in the middle of the night to improve
your affiliate program, it is easier to go back to sleep if you don't
have to get up to record it. Make sure that a recording device is within
arms' reach at all times.
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. See his 10,000
marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at http://DrNunley.com
Reach Kevin at kevin@drnunley.com
or 801-328-9006.
Turn Your Customers into a Sales Force for Your Product or Service by
Kevin Nunley http://www.DrNunley.com
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