• 24 January 2022
• Albert Rockwood

Sales Hacks for Small Businesses in Need of New Clients, Sales Series Part 2

With the new year comes new business resolutions, and what better resolution than to add some new clients to your roster? Getting new clients and increasing traffic shouldn’t feel like some great secret. So, we’ve compiled this list of sales hacks for small businesses in need of new clients. We call them “sales hacks,” but once you read our list, they should feel more like something you’ve been doing all along — we’re just here to provide the refresher.

1. Engage with Yelp and Google reviews (even the negative ones)

In today's business world there is no avoiding customer feedback. Apps and sites like Yelp and Google are new customers' first look into your business. Embrace it. These reviews and feedback are crucial to your business and give potential clients and customers an insight into your business. People want a business they can relate to, something that feels human. That’s why it’s important to be transparent and show potential customers that you, as a business, are constantly trying to improve. And what better way than addressing customer feedback head-on?

Now sometimes these sites can be a little negative, but this doesn’t have to work against you. A small sales hack to turning a negative review into a positive is to directly engage with the reviewer. How you react to negative feedback says more about your business to new clients than anything else. If you can stay calm, collected, and even open to discussing the negative comment, it shows new clients you are not only open to criticism but that you also handle it with professionalism and kindness.

2. Spread the positivity

Bouncing off the previous sales hack, there’s so much you can do with positive testimonials. Don’t let these kind words from previous clients exist only on other businesses' websites and apps. Take these testimonials and spread them across every facet of your business. By this point you probably have a favorite testimonial in mind, so why not post that on your website?

Here are some other ways to use these testimonials:

• In social media posts
• Create a section on your website dedicated to what people are saying
• Post product reviews alongside the products they pertain to
• Include them in your business advertising

3. Turn potential clients into new customers instantly

So, you've got your social media platforms up and running — now what? This sales hack is all about taking your social media visitors and turning them in new clients with a single tap or click.

The great part of social media today for small business owners is the ability to add a simple “buy now” function to your posts. “Buy now” functions can turn curious potential customers into new clients in just a few seconds and create new sales almost instantly.

“Buy now” functions take a lot of the friction away for potential customers who are curious and/or interested in a product. What's better than seeing something you're interested in and then having the option to purchase it right then and there? Tailoring your posts around the “buy now” function is a perfect way to inform your customer about several factors, including product description, potential sales/discounts, price and availability.

Unfortunately, this can be a bit of a process. But it will pay off in the end for both you and your new clients. Here’s a helpful guide on all things “buy now” functionality on Instagram.

4. Transparency, transparency, transparency

This sales hack can work in tandem with your social media presence. Potential clients will be doing as much research as they possibly can before they even step into your business. A small business hack is to provide them with as much information as possible to gain their trust and loyalty. A lot of people are scouring social media, Google, Yelp — anything to better understand that what they’re looking for is not only available but also within their budget. Be transparent about what you offer and for how much. More likely than not, if a potential client sees a price and it aligns with their budget, the sale has been made far before you ring them up.

On the flip side, not posting prices will create uncertainty for a client and could end up with you losing out on a sale. A lot of people look at a missing price tag as a sign of the product being too expensive for them to afford. It’s important to be transparent about every aspect of your business to gain a client’s trust.

5. Let’s talk direct mail services

When you're a small business, you might not necessarily have the budget or means to create fully fleshed out ads to attract new clients. Print, radio and TV can be quite costly and time-consuming for a small business looking for new clients.

An effective sales hack for small businesses is utilizing direct mail promotions. Direct mail services are an efficient and budget friendly way to reach a wider audience without all the effort of traditional advertising. There are two different approaches to direct mail promotions: Every Door Direct Mail^® and targeted direct mail.

With Every Door Direct Mail^® you can simply choose an area where you want to advertise and send your mail promotion to every address in that area, whereas with Targeted Direct Mail you can reach a very specific list of customers. Luckily for you The UPS Store^® offers both of these options. Click here to learn how The UPS Store can effectively reach the audience you want to attract.

Every Door Direct Mail^® and Every Door Direct Mail - Retail^® are products and services provided by the United States Postal Service ("USPS^®").

6. Keep and stay in touch with clients and prospects

You’ve now got some new clients, but how do you keep them? Simple: Stay in touch. Whether it’s new clients or old clients, keeping in touch means the most. That doesn’t mean bombarding them with messages. Instead, check in with yourself, think of who you haven’t been in touch with in a while, and then shoot them a message.

Bonus sales hack: Make it more personal. Clients can tell when you’ve just copied and pasted a message and changed the name. Take the extra time to include some personal pieces when writing to a client. It will go a long way, and they will remember it.

Maybe they aren’t a client yet, but you have their contact information — shoot them a message too! There’s no better way to turn a prospecting client into a new client than some personal contact. Get in touch and see how you can help them become a new customer. There’s a reason why they gave you their information, so don’t waste that opportunity.

There you have it. Some helpful sales hacks for your small business and how they can help you gain new clients. Now, this is in no way a definitive list, but just some examples we think all small business owners should utilize to keep current clients and gain new ones. Keep these sales hacks handy because you don’t just need a new year to consider growth: Any time of the year is a great time to grow your small business.