by Milton Johanides

Created on: June 29, 2009

Increasing sales is one effective way of improving the standing of your business, and if it can be accompanied by increased profitability then you are on a winning streak.

Let's look at the different options that are available to you to increase your sales effectively. Before deciding the best route however, it is wise to assess the stock holding and production capability of your business. There's no point building up your sales amount beyond your ability to supply. That will only create a product shortfall and will irritate the hell out of your customers. So the first step is to make sure you have sufficient capacity, or that if necessary you can afford to expand your production when required. Many managers forget there is an inherent cost in doing this, for instance in higher wage bills and higher supply costs. Any plan to increase sales should take this factor into account. In simple terms, you need money to make money.

So assuming you have your production capability in place, how do you go about hitting those record sales figures?

1) First, ensure you have the best possible quality standards you can achieve. The best way of improving sales is to generate maximum repeat business from satisfied customers. If you are shipping junk, it won't be long before your business implodes. It takes a lot of work to secure a new client, when you have him, look after him

2) Set up a promotion campaign to publicize the quality of your product. Make sure the campaign reflects the demographic of what you are trying to sell. For example, there's no point printing leaflets on luxury paper using the best inks, if you are promoting house clearances. Similarly, don't use budget materials to try and sell luxury items like jewellery or designer clothes. Consider the needs of your target market and tailor your campaign to them. Your budgets will determine how extravagant your campaign should be. Your promotion should include some sort of additional benefit to your potential buyers, something they wouldn't normally be entitled to. But don't try and fool them. Customers these days are too wise to sham offers. Switched on buyers want genuine deals they can't get elsewhere.

3) Connect with your target market. Perhaps the best way to reach your buyers is to throw a party; or to take individual prospects out to lunch; or just to try and contact them through a targeted Internet campaign. These days there are more ways of reaching the market than ever before; think of web tools such

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