Choosing the right channels to sell to your customers is a crucial decision. You need to know how and where customers want to buy your products or services, and the best way of getting customers to hear about them.
For some businesses, reaching customers is relatively straightforward. High-street shops, for instance, rely on customers walking through the door.
The more sales channels you use, the more customers you can reach. But each channel adds costs. If you add a new channel only to find it attracts sales away from an existing channel without bringing significant extra sales, you’ll be increasing your costs for little or no benefit.
This guide looks at the main sales channels you can choose from. It explains their strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use them to your advantage.
Face to face sales
Selling your products direct to the customer, face to face, offers several advantages:
- you can explain and even demonstrate complex products
- it’s convenient for the customer and easy to bring in other individuals who need to be involved
- you can learn more about what the customer wants
- you can build a personal relationship
- you can use your selling skills to convince the customer to buy
Selling face to face also has some disadvantages:
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It is the most expensive sales channel as it demands higher staff and premises costs.
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Travel time and costs can be significant. A travelling salesperson might spend a whole day on the road for just one meeting. Where possible, plan trips so that several customers in the same area can be visited.
The costs of face to face sales may outweigh the value of an initial order. But if the customer then makes several repeat purchases, the expense will be justified.
Use face to face sales for:
- high-value and complex products and services
- establishing initial contact with a key target customer
- strengthening relationships
Face to face selling may not be cost-effective for low value sales. Instead, you may want to sell direct to the customer but at a distance: for example, over the internet or using telesales.
Read more: nibusinessinfo.co.uk
