By: Toby Nwazor April 12, 2016

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269617

It is a new year and you must have made your plans. You must have made some projections with your management team to decide where you want your organization to be at the end of the year. One area you just can’t afford to ignore during this planning process is your sales department. It deserves your attention because your sales team determines how successful your business will be. To a large extent, whether you make profit or incur losses depends on it. Take a good look at the sales figures. What are they like? What kind of results did you get from the sales department in the previous year? How can it improve? What can you do to ensure that the sales team delivers this year?

One of the best things you can do for your team of sales professionals is to provide the needed motivation to pursue the goals you have set for the year. At times, motivating your sales force may not be enough. The use of some innovative ideas or employing the aid of some basic technology may be the solution your organization needs. Below are technological innovations I wish I knew about earlier, as they would have allowed my business to grow beyond my wildest imagination.

The alarm clock.

An alarm clock is the simplest tool you can use to get more productive and boost your sales. Most sales people get poor results simply because they all follow the same pattern. Decide to be different this year. Get your alarm clock and set it to wake you up an hour earlier each day. One extra hour a day gives you the ability to prepare your sales calls. It gives you the chance to develop ideas that will nurture the existing relationship with your clients. That one extra hour can equally give you time to do some research that will maximize the limited attention span that your prospect has. Lastly you can use it to read or listen to an audio program on sales. At the end, you get to have seven extra hours of self improvement each week. That alone could be all you need to double your sales.

A business website.

Some SME entrepreneurs feel that since their business is still quite small, having a website is an unnecessary hassle. For other SME entrepreneurs, they love the idea of a vibrant online presence for their business, but they worry that having a business website is too technical or expensive, and they may not be able to run it. Not having a business website in 2016 is suicidal because US online retail sales is projected to grow to $480 billion by 2019. Getting a business website helps you reach out to new customers that your sales team may never get to see. It gives you a shot at driving an effective internet marketing campaign. Starting from search engine optimized adverts to Email marketing, it helps you make more online product sales. Thanks to the internet, there are countless free resources to help small business owners start and run a business website. Moreover, there are thousands of webhosting companies that can help you create one and host it easily.

Virtual phone systems.

A typical customer sees a large and successful organization as a reliable one; one that he/she should do business with. A virtual PBX phone system will help you give your customers the impression of being a big and successful company with a ‘real’ receptionist even when there is none. For instance, this system comes with an automated receptionist that will greet your callers and offer options like: Press 2 for Sales, Press 3 for enquiries, etc. This feature alone helps your business create a professional image especially for people calling for the first time; and is guaranteed to increase your sales.

Real-time video chats.

Delivering an excellent customer service is one way to ensure that your business stands out. This is why millions of dollars are invested each year in customer service to ensure regular customer satisfaction. One way to improve your customer service is to go beyond answering customers conventionally through emails or online chats, and employ the use of video chats. Doing this will help you see your customers’ emotional expressions and adjust your approach accordingly.

This experience will give your business a personal touch which customers will love to identify with, and hence drive more sales.