Why don't individual salespeople or even entire teams fulfill their sales plan? Often neither managers nor company leaders can answer this question. Instead, more excuses are made, hasty decisions are made, but the situation does not change.

Qvidian, a business solutions company, tried to find out what was behind the low performance and conducted a study ( 2015 Sales Execution Trends study), which reflected the latest trends in the modern world of sales.

It turned out that the degree of responsibility of sales managers is greatly exaggerated: only 30% of company heads surveyed cited poor coaching skills of specialists as the reason for low sales. On the other hand, the two most common responses made us think about the quality of salesperson training: 42% of managers complained about an excessively high failure rate, and 41% were convinced that their employees simply did not know how to profitably present a product.

Main priorities

The main concern of most companies in 2015 is achieving high financial performance: 94% of managers expect an increase in profits and 87% - the fulfillment of sales plans. Based on the data obtained, the authors of the study identified the TOP 5 reasons why salespeople fail to cope with their responsibilities:

1. Too many deal refusals (42%)
2. Inability to competently present the product (41%)
3. Overload with administrative tasks (36%)
4. Long waits for results from new employees (36%)
5. Poor training of salespeople (30%)

“Tip for 2015: Provide better training and motivation for your employees.”

In the endless race for big profits, do not forget about the key sources of growth and income of the company:

1. Finding new clients (59%)
2. Increase in average check due to cross-selling (43%)
3. Increased sales efficiency (35%)
4. Optimization of transaction conversion rate (31%)

Most businesses today are gradually realizing that they need more rigorous forecasts regarding their trade policies. Almost 46% of executives admit that their understanding of the modern sales cycle and consumer behavior needs clarification.

"Tip for 2015: Study your customers' behavior and create relevant content"

According to the study, in the business world, along with high competition, there is an increasing gap between new and old technologies: the growing popularity of modern CRM systems (by 7% compared to 2014) is adjacent to a clear commitment to old channels of interaction with customers (by 11%). since 2014). This discrepancy cannot but affect the overall sales process.

One of the biggest difficulties today, according to 24% of company heads, is the insufficient effectiveness of managers in training employees. Compared to last year, this figure increased by 15%, which indicates the need to increase the competence of management personnel and update knowledge in the field of sales.

Advice for 2015: Invest in modern technology and business analytics

Conclusion

A study conducted by Qvidian illustrates the current business situation by 2015. As long as most companies are concerned with the transition from cautious development to aggressive growth, obstacles such as incompetence, poor employee onboarding, irrelevant data on purchasing behavior, inappropriate customer communication channels and poor business intelligence will remain the main reason for poor financial performance and slow growth. .

The shopping list has shifted towards essential items

Russians began to buy less electronics and household appliances. According to two retail chains that sell appliances, sales have unexpectedly gone negative since the beginning of 2017. However, why is it unexpected?..

It would seem that the ruble is strengthening, the “enemy” currency is falling. But for some reason Russians have not become richer, and they are in no hurry to buy TV sets in droves. Sales of computers, tablets, phones, refrigerators, cookers and other equipment were in the red for eight weeks of this year. At the end of January, the decline reached 11%, and only slowed down slightly at the end of February.

The decline began in December 2016 and, in spite of New Year’s purchases, amounted to 10%. “The solvency of the population is falling,” Vladimir Ionkin, deputy executive director of the association of retail companies, explains to MK. - The line of purchased goods is shifting towards essential goods. Electronics are still not one of them. In general, this is a normal post-New Year's decline. Sales always fall in January-February. Wait, now in March on the eve of the holidays there will be a peak.

An economist told MK more about this phenomenon Vladislav Ginko:

There were two waves of active purchases of equipment by Russians: at the end of 2014 and 2015. However, this year, for the first time in ten years, the dollar did not strengthen against the ruble, but vice versa. It is known that demand for durable goods jumps when Russians are in a hurry to arrange money somewhere before it depreciates. Now this has not happened, and this is the result. Another reason is the result of the work of retailers. In the current situation, it would be logical to reduce costs and try to sell cheaper, because the amount of money in a Russian’s pocket will not increase. Indeed, there is a fact: household incomes are only declining. However, retailers are in no hurry to understand this and reduce their profit margins: of course, you cannot change certain costs, such as the purchase price in China, but logistics or renting retail space is flexible and mobile. Now there is a consumer draw: if he has a hundred rubles in his wallet, then it is impossible to sell him something for two hundred!

Of course, there is also credit money. However, now our consumer is demonstrating amazing restraint and tries to take out loans only for a serious purchase - for example, a mortgage or a car. Consumer loans, as well as credit card turnover, are declining. People reason sensibly: maybe I can live without a new laptop or without a fashionable smartphone, but at least I will eat well and satisfyingly? If the retailer sits in the position of the now popular Zhdun and endures until Russians get more money, nothing will change.

Hello, dear readers! Today there will be a short article about sad things. Today I will swear, express my misunderstanding and kill the main cockroach in the heads of people who are starting to do business or just earn money on their own, do some kind of project, etc. In general I will talk about the main, gross mistake of novice entrepreneurs because of which many people ask the following questions: “I have done everything, but there are no sales” or “I have done everything, but there is no traffic on the site,” etc. Read every letter in this article and everything will start moving up for you: traffic, sales, clients, income, results...

No competitive advantage

Yes! This is the most important mistake and problem of current entrepreneurs, and especially beginners. I'll tell you another one below, but for now we'll stick to this one. I'll explain why now.

Absolutely different people contact me through me and their number is growing every day. I receive more than a hundred questions a day and almost everyone who complains has one problem - lack of CLEAR competitive advantages. I openly answer such people that if you are not a marketing guru, then nothing will help you specifically in your situation, because you are the SAME LIKE EVERYONE else!

I can’t understand why people have so much laziness in their pants that drags them down? Why are you all so used to copying? You people are fucking not a photocopier! Sorry for the swearing, but sometimes I feel ashamed and offended for some people. They seem to be smart, purposeful people, but why didn’t God reward them with imagination? Or is mother’s laziness really getting in the way? Why did you see something, and like monkeys under hypnosis, you run to copy one to another and vehemently believe that everything will be trampled. It can trample, but very rarely in such situations. But most often you are left without clients, without sales and without traffic on the site.

Now, although there is not much competition in various markets, it still exists. You enter a market that has been formed by someone and want to take a piece of it. But at the same time, you didn’t even try to move your brain and think about how you are different, why should customers come to you and not to someone who is already in the market?! In any fight you need to not only wave your arms, but also use your head.

Solution

The most important thing you should think about even at the stage of HAVING an idea is how I differ from my competitors. Those. As soon as an idea comes to your mind, you sit down at the computer, select the TOP 10 competitors, see what you could improve, how you can stand out from them, and only then make a decision whether to start such a project or not! This sounds sad, because you can dismiss some projects in the bud, but I assure you that this is even good, because you will not waste effort and money on their implementation.

How everything should look. You must write on paper AT LEAST 3 advantages. But only CLEAR advantages. And the fact that your price will be lower by 5 rubles is not an advantage, but a pleasant bonus, don’t write that.

Benefits can be sought:

• In improving the quality of service delivery (IMPORTANT). But they need to be shown even before they buy from you for the first time and they will appreciate it;
• The usefulness of your product, service or information;
• In price, if the difference is large and the quality is high;
• In free bonuses, but in MEANINGFUL ones, and not a gift in the form of a trinket;
• In professionalism (there are few professionals now);
• In the assortment, but in a significant difference, and not by 5-10 positions;
• In the exclusivity of the offer. What a person will really get only from you. Maybe you produce something yourself or are an official distributor of some goods that no one else has, etc.;
• In personal qualities (more for the service sector). You as a person may just be a pleasure to deal with. This point is difficult to explain, but try to understand.

This is the first thing that comes to mind!

Next, you should show your 5 main competitors to your acquaintance or friend (preferably several), and show the results of thinking about your project. And when there are 6 pictures in front of them (roughly speaking), then your friend should point his finger at the one he turns to. And for him to point his finger at you, he needs to immediately see your advantages.

And only when you do this can you move on to further thinking about the idea and its implementation.

In my brief for developing one-page websites and landing pages, I added the item “Name at least 5 of your competitive advantages.” And what do you think? The number of completed briefs began to be received in response by 2 times less)) And in those that do come, these items are empty or complete nonsense is written. God grant that people grab their heads and find these advantages in themselves and in their business.

When you find really clear advantages, then advertising will start working for you, and sales will come, clients, money and everything in the world.

This is how I do it

I always start thinking about a new website or a new project to sell goods or provide services by identifying the benefits. Eh, I wish I could film me doing this)) I walk around the apartment like mad, waving my arms and ideas just pour out of me. Not because I'm such a genius. NO. But because I really want to do COOL! I want to do it like no one has done before. I want my readers, clients or customers to say WOW! I also steal ideas, but I process them so much that the result is a product that is almost completely different from its analogue, which at least I enjoy! I wish you to do the same;)

What about earning schemes?

All of the above can be compared with various earning schemes that you can find on various sites in paid and free formats. The scheme is essentially clear step-by-step actions, as a result of which you achieve certain results. But any scheme stops working when a lot of people start using it. Because there is not enough market for all the monkeys who make carbon copies! We need to continue to experiment, move away from the scheme, invent, fantasize, etc. Therefore, only those who got up first can repeat one to one and get a positive result!

Conclusion

So my reasoning has come to an end. In conclusion, I want to say that in life there are no absolutely identical people and your friends are with you because YOU are like this or that. They love you and appreciate you because you are not like everyone else and each of them loves you differently, because they are also different. So in business, your clients are with you because you hooked them with something, because you are not like everyone else. And if you are ordinary, the same as someone else, then it is unlikely that anyone will be drawn to you.

Therefore, I wish not only you, but also your future and current business to be different and interesting in their own way. Try to do it so cool that you feel all the buzz yourself and feel proud that it was YOU who did it.

P.S. I look forward to disputes, disagreements and other discussions in the comments!

Best regards, Schmidt Nikolay

Reading time: 10 minutes

The following situation often arises: at first glance, everything is done with high quality, advertising has been developed and launched, but the target audience, that is, the people to whom the product is aimed, are in no hurry to buy it. In this case, many business owners are perplexed as to why sales fell and where they made a mistake, overlooked something or did not work properly.

Even if your business is organized correctly in principle, there may be at least four reasons for a decline in sales. If you know why sales fell, you will be able to analyze the situation and quickly eliminate the shortcomings.

From this article you will learn:

1. 4 main reasons why sales are falling
2. 9 reasons for declining sales in an online store

4 main reasons why sales fell

Reason 1. Incorrectly chosen sales strategy and tactics

So, let's look at the first reason for the drop in sales. It should be noted that it is one of the most common and obvious. An enterprise or retail outlet has already identified a portrait of a potential client, formed a target audience, analyzed the market situation and understood exactly who their product or service is aimed at. But there are still no sales. Accordingly, profits too.

First, you need to analyze your chosen sales strategy and tactics to understand why sales have fallen. It is likely that they are simply not suitable for the selected market segment, or that the strategy and tactics are very complex. Typically, to improve your situation, you just need to objectively look at what you are doing from the perspective of an outside observer. Then you will understand why sales fell and find a way out.

Reason 2. Ill-conceived pricing policy

According to some marketers, the main parameter for consumers when purchasing is cost. But this point of view is wrong. Of course, price is important, and the buyer always pays attention to it. However, he mainly thinks about what benefits the acquisition of the product will bring him and what problems he can solve with it.

An example would be a situation where a person enters a store that has over 200 phones in its assortment. But that doesn't matter to him. The potential buyer is busy searching for a model that fully meets his requirements. A professional seller will build a dialogue with the client in such a way that he will sell the phone. He will demonstrate the models chosen by the buyer from their advantageous perspective, talk about the advantages of the company and let him know that the purchase should be made here. If your staff is customer-oriented and always highlights the quality of the product from the buyer’s perspective, then your sales will not decline. Think about this now as you analyze why sales fell.

Reason 3: Unclear warranty terms

When a person makes a purchase, he must understand that the product he is not satisfied with can be easily returned. The order of the return procedure itself is important here - the simpler it is, the more the buyer trusts you. Nobody wants to deal with paperwork to get their money.

In accordance with Russian legislation on consumer protection, goods can be returned within two weeks. As a rule, 14 days is enough for a person to understand whether he likes a thing or not. No matter what happens, if the buyer wants to return the product, he will bring it to the seller one way or another. The law will agree with this provision, since the client is always right.

In this regard, when thinking about why sales have fallen, you should pay attention to this parameter - perhaps you are providing customers with unclear warranty terms. Adjust them to make them clearer and more transparent. Your target audience should understand that if something happens they can return the product without any problems. She will regard this point as your significant advantage.

Remember that returns are inevitable in any retail outlet. If you make sure that they benefit your reputation, you won’t think about why sales fell.

Submit your application

Reason 4. Wrong time, wrong place

Why did sales fall? Answering this question can be quite difficult, and often the problem lies not in you as a bad seller, but simply in the poor location of the outlet. So, if you understand why sales fell and find out that this happened for the reason stated above, then what to do?

Of course, changing the location is much more difficult than eliminating another cause. However, this factor greatly affects the business, and therefore if your sales have really dropped and the store is poorly located, it is still better to choose a more accessible location.

The product may also be getting ahead of itself - another reason why sales have fallen. That is, the audience is not yet ready to perceive and use your product. Here it is appropriate to cite the example of the largest company Apple, whose products were simply not in demand for many years - consumers were not ready to accept innovative solutions and advanced technologies. Often, it takes time before a product becomes familiar to the user and becomes understandable to him. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to correct the situation.

So, we looked at 4 factors that could cause sales to fall. Let us note that we focused only on the main and most common reasons for the decline in consumer demand. In reality, there may be much more, and this should be taken into account. But if you know about the mistakes that entrepreneurs often make, then you, as a businessman, can learn from them and avoid making similar mistakes in your practice.

Managerial mistakes that cause sales decline

Mistake 1: Late offer to purchase

So why did your sales drop? Often managers make the mistake of continuing to persuade the client to purchase a product when he is already ready to do so. The purchase offer is an art, and here you should remember certain nuances and subtleties. The procedure can be compared to fishing, when your active action must be completed exactly on time and not a second earlier or later.

If your company has a competent and professional sales manager, then most likely he knows exactly how to offer a product or service to a client.

Mistake 2. Telling the buyer not about the benefits for him, but highlighting the advantages of your company

You take pride in your company and the products and services you offer. Of course, any sales manager must love and believe in what he is promoting. This is the key to successful sales. But the client’s psychology is such that in the acquisition process he is only interested in his own benefit. Not your product or service, but the benefits and benefits that he will receive after purchasing.

In this regard, when conducting negotiations, a professional manager must highlight the value of a product or service for a potential buyer. This approach will allow you to increase your implementation in the future. And now it is possible that your sales have fallen precisely because of the illiterate actions of the staff.

Mistake 3. Being embarrassed to touch on the topic of cost

Managers are often embarrassed or afraid to tell the client the cost. Especially if they themselves consider it overpriced and know that competitors offer lower prices. Managers are afraid to hear from a potential buyer that he is not ready to purchase a product because of its high cost. It is the seller’s doubts that may be the reason why sales have fallen. The client feels that the specialist is not confident in what he is saying, and this causes doubts in him at the decision-making stage. “Am I doing everything right? Perhaps I was given little time to think? Perhaps we should ask for a discount?”

How can a manager deal with fear and embarrassment to discuss price? There are two ways:

• practice speaking confidently about price;
• practice responses to the “Expensive” objection and do this until they become automatic.

Mistake 4. Using complex phrases and terms in a conversation with a client

Often, sales managers, especially inexperienced ones, use abstruse phrases and specific terms, long and difficult-to-understand sentences in conversations. What does this lead to? The potential client gets tired of receiving such information, stops understanding what the manager says, and the deal falls through. It is possible that your sales have fallen precisely for this reason.

Why do managers of many companies express themselves this way? To demonstrate to the client your professional level and knowledge of the topic. But what is more important - to show a potential client that you are competent and have an excellent understanding of the issue, or to sell a product or service? If it is in your interests to sell your products, express yourself in such a way that the person understands exactly what you mean. This way you will significantly increase the likelihood of a successful transaction, and you will not have to analyze why sales fell.

Mistake 5. Getting into a dispute with a client

Disputes over any issue are a distinctive feature of our mentality. Why should you never get into a dispute with a client? It’s all very simple – in this case the person simply won’t make a purchase.

Even if the client is obviously wrong, do not argue with him, unless, of course, you are interested in selling a product or service. Buyers are often wrong. But you are the one who knows the properties and characteristics of your product very well, and not the client who has barely gotten acquainted with the product. When you express your point of view, then, of course, you are pursuing noble goals - to prove to the buyer that the product is really of high quality and to sell it. But you should voice your opinion carefully so as not to provoke a conflict. If you argue with many customers, then this may be the reason why sales in your company have fallen.

Why sales fell during the crisis, and what this could lead to

The strength of any business can be significantly shaken due to the economic crisis. One of the most vulnerable forms of entrepreneurship is intermediation, including in trade. Wholesale companies are constantly balancing between the requirements of manufacturers and the needs of buyers, and the slightest deterioration in the market situation can lead to a failure of the entire system and serious financial difficulties for the company. That is, another reason why sales fell may be the onset of a financial crisis.

Here is the order in which difficulties appear in the channels for the movement of goods and how participants connected with each other through trade relations - retail stores and wholesale enterprises - react to them:

Customer demand is decreasing

So, your sales have dropped. When there are problems in the economy, demand among buyers falls - in the country and at the global level. This happens because organizations are cutting jobs, delaying wages, and experiencing difficulties in obtaining and repaying loans. That is, everything is interconnected.

The retailer receives less money from selling products in stores

This has an immediate impact on costly retail business activities. When there is less working capital, it is more difficult for a retailer to take out and repay bank loans, pay wages to subordinates, pay rent for retail premises and conduct advertising campaigns.

In such situations, store owners reduce retail prices and increase advertising activity. Retail operators transfer the costs of these activities to wholesale organizations - the retailer requires the wholesaler to further reduce prices and extend the loan period.

Of course, threats to change the wholesale supplier and demand delivery of products on sales terms are extreme measures. But they cannot be excluded. In this case, the reaction is determined by the financial condition of the company and its position in the market.

Among other things, a retail company whose sales have fallen begins to get rid of some of the product names with the least liquidity. Because of this, the wholesaler cannot offer the entire range of products to the end buyer.

If there is an economic crisis in the country and sales have fallen, especially if the forecast for the future is unfavorable, the retailer chooses liquid goods at the expense of the markup. This causes a change in the assortment in retail outlets - cheaper products predominate on the shelves.

Often, retailers also tighten requirements for the costs of wholesale enterprises to promote their goods in retail chains. Such retail protection measures are entirely justified.

Difficulties also affect wholesale

If sales in the wholesale trade have fallen, the collection of receivables from suppliers becomes more difficult. In addition, inventories at the enterprise are also accumulating due to a reduction in retail orders. The result is a decrease in the turnover of accounts receivable and inventory of goods. This, in turn, leads to a deterioration in the company's financial performance.

As the firm is forced to cut wholesale rates to keep sales the same, give customers additional discounts, and increase promotional costs, its profits are cut sharply. A company whose sales have fallen finds itself in unfavorable financial conditions, in which it becomes more difficult for it to take out and repay loans, and a cash gap occurs.

A wholesaler begins to experience a financial deficit, and therefore cannot effectively and quickly adapt to changing crisis market conditions, maintain a product range that is in demand among customers, and fulfill obligations to partners. Consequently, business profitability decreases and financial problems become more numerous.

9 reasons why online store sales have fallen

So, you're wondering why sales in your online store have fallen. Here it is worth paying attention to the latest research and its analysis to determine why your store is not growing in the number of transactions and there is no demand among customers. And let us immediately note that maintaining a leading position in the online trading market is quite difficult.

For three years, Qubit collected customer reviews and complaints from 400 sites. As a result, it was possible to identify the 10 main reasons why sales of online stores are falling, as well as to form a portrait of the buyer and his expectations, which often do not correspond to reality.

Below are the 10 most common customer complaints about online shopping, according to Qubit research.

1. Price.

It is possible that your sales have fallen due to inflated prices. As a rule, customers most often complain about them. The results of the study show that the two most common complaints among buyers are “too expensive for the product presented” and “too expensive for me.”

Based on Nomis Solutions' metrics, shoppers are 7.4 times more sensitive to online prices than to in-store prices. Therefore, you should take care of the competitiveness of your prices in relation to other companies in the market. In addition, it is important to have a unique selling proposition. You need to have something that other businesses don't have.

1. Assortment range.

Today, a large number of people prefer online shopping, and there are a number of reasons for this. One of them is a wide range of products and the opportunity to choose what you like. Customers shopping online want a product that is easier to find than in stores. That is, even at the initial stage of website development, you should take care of a clear user interface of the store and provide users with a convenient and quick search for the necessary items.

According to the researchers, product assortment needs to be improved by investing in resources such as a recommendation engine, new and seasonal product listings, and related product groupings.

When analyzing why sales have fallen, be sure to pay attention to this indicator and correct the situation if necessary.

1. Size.

If your online store doesn't have useful and accurate sizing charts, then this could be another reason why your sales are down. At the same time, their presence greatly helps the buyer to navigate and choose the right product. As the owner of an online store, this saves you from problems associated with returning products, issuing money to customers, and negative emotions on their part.

1. Waiting period.

When thinking about why sales in your online store have fallen, pay attention to this parameter. The average buyer is impatient and aggressive. He wants the site to load as quickly as possible. Complaints related to long loading times are very common today. This indicator is truly important, and its importance will only grow in the future. That is why you should definitely take care of sufficient loading speed of the Internet resource.

1. Search the website for the necessary information.

Buyers are very angry if the search engine on the site does not work at the level of Google. In order not to irritate customers, improve and develop the tag system on your site, add advanced search options.

1. Availability of products.

Users often complain that the site does not have the products they need. Despite the fact that such complaints have decreased since the last study, this factor can also contribute to a drop in sales in an online store. First of all, customers are dissatisfied with the fact that the desired products are not on the website or have already been discontinued, but they are still presented in the assortment. Often, customers hope that online stores will have a large selection and a wide range of products. If things are not going well for you, then it is likely that sales have fallen due to this.

1. Navigation.

When analyzing why sales fell, evaluate the structure of the site. Take an objective look at the navigation. It is possible that it is difficult for customers to navigate and find the goods they need. Make sure that information about popular products and sales is clearly visible to users, and that the site interface is clear and simple, allowing easy navigation between sections.

1. Discounts and sales.

Customers are often unhappy that it is difficult to find windows on the website to enter a discount code. If you are running a promotion, discount using coupons or codes, make sure that a person can quickly navigate and understand what’s what. If customers have difficulties using your online resource, sales will fall.

It should be noted that a number of online stores today impose temporary restrictions on the purchase of certain goods, due to which the sensitivity of customers to prices is reduced.

1. Images.

Your online store should look aesthetically pleasing. If you analyze why sales have fallen, then it is possible that your website is not attractive enough. The results of eye tracking studies indicate that visitors first visually perceive a page, look at it, and only then read the text. In other words, beautiful and high-quality images on the site are very important.

Data obtained during the study indicate that before purchasing, the client tends to view as many photos and images of the product as possible. In addition, he is more interested in seeing how the clothes look on models. The more high-quality pictures and video content you add to the site, the more you stimulate the client to buy.

How to find out why sales fell: analysis and control

In accordance with the formula of Ron Hubbard, who developed one of the most successful management technologies, control always equals income. When you begin to control and carefully analyze a particular process, you influence the situation, saving your energy, money and increasing efficiency. The sales process also needs control and analysis.

To avoid wondering why sales have fallen, continuously monitor:

• how many potential clients contacted you - the number of people who entered the sales area, the number of phone calls or visits to the official Internet resource;
• how many transactions were concluded and receipts processed, the number of real clients, that is, those who made a purchase. This indicator is necessary to calculate conversion and evaluate the professionalism of sellers;
• in what volume the average transaction was carried out or the average check was issued. To obtain this value, the total daily sales volume is divided by the number of transactions and punched checks;
• seller conversion rate. This parameter indicates the professional level of your employees, their knowledge and ability to use transaction technology.

If you are analyzing why sales have fallen, then first of all evaluate the degree of control of this process. If you do not effectively monitor and control implementation, then you cannot influence the indicators. Only a tenth of clients tell senior management about conflicts and controversial issues that have arisen, allowing the leading manager of the company to eliminate the shortcomings. The rest of the dissatisfied customers simply refuse to further cooperate with the company.

So how can you control the work of sellers? First, look at how they communicate with clients. Often, companies, analyzing why sales have fallen, discover that sellers are primarily to blame. Perhaps they are discourteous to clients, ignore their requests, or are overly intrusive. Do not forget that if you do not maintain discipline, then after some time you will see that you have lost profits due to a decrease in performance. The sales process is managed using two tools – motivation and control.

The most effective means of supervision, according to many managers, is the installation of a video surveillance camera with a microphone in the sales area or in another area where sellers work. The presence of video cameras allows the manager to monitor the work of salespeople online, assess the situation in the room, and generally determine why sales have fallen.

There is nothing surprising in controlling subordinates today, and this method is successfully used by many modern enterprises. That's why if you want to find out why sales have dropped, it's definitely worth installing video cameras and finding out what's wrong. If you, as a business owner, realize that sales have fallen due to the fault of employees, you can impose disciplinary sanctions on them or simply fire them and hire others in their place.

The next stage of control is the introduction of daily reporting for sales managers. That is, the responsibilities of employees will include daily filling out special forms, which will display information about the volume of products or services sold, the number of calls made or presentations held, and plans for future activities or other important data for your company will be entered there. . All this information will subsequently be useful to you for assessing the results of both a specific employee and the entire department.

Another effective method to understand why sales have fallen is to visit the company under the guise of a “mystery shopper.” Thanks to this technique, you will be able to evaluate from the outside how the enterprise works, putting yourself in the client’s shoes, and find out why your sales have decreased.

First, they prepare and agree on a legend with the management of the enterprise, and then pay a visit to the company under the guise of a “secret shopper.” This allows you to understand whether the service is high quality, whether the employees are qualified, and also to feel the atmosphere of the sales area through the eyes of the buyer. Checking competitor firms will help you know their advantages. Using this information, you will attract new customers who yesterday chose other companies, and you will understand why sales in your company have fallen.

How to increase sales after a decline

So, you've found out why sales fell. Now your main task is to improve your performance. That is, existing customers should consume more of your products or use your services more often. In addition, it is worth working on attracting new customers.

Attracting new customers

In this case, you can lure customers away from competitors or develop new market segments. In both the first and second cases, you should use certain marketing tricks. The table indicates the tools for implementing each of the methods listed above. However, some of them are universal.

Increasing sales levels from existing customers

There are also two implementation options here - working to increase consumption and increase sales conversion.

Increase sales conversion

1. Improve the quality of service. The store must provide high-quality service so that customers return to it again and again. A good salesman will sell anything. A bad seller will not be able to sell anything. There is intra-company marketing - the attitude of an enterprise towards its staff. If you create favorable operating conditions for your subordinates, then, accordingly, you receive more income and do not wonder why sales have fallen. Don't forget about components such as training and motivation.
2. Pay attention to merchandising. Your sales and profits directly depend on how the goods are laid out on the shelves. There is an arm's length rule in marketing. Perhaps your sales have dropped because you don't follow it. According to this rule, in 80% of cases the buyer takes a product that is easy for him to reach. If the item is located above or below this level, the sales volume will be insufficient.
3. Carrying out sales, promotions, issuing bonuses. But remember that thanks to such events you will increase conversion, but only for the period of their validity.

Increased consumption

Everything here should be aimed at increasing the average check. In this case, sellers:

1. They increase the cost. By raising prices for goods, you increase the size of the average check. But conversion may decrease. Accordingly, your sales and profits will not increase. To avoid such a situation, keep in mind that the slightest change in prices must be justified. That is, it should be clear to the buyer that you increased the price not because you wanted to, but because you changed the packaging to a more convenient one.
2. Offer additional or related products or services. Once your client has decided on a product, you can draw his attention to related products. Let's say you sold a bracelet. In this case, it is appropriate to offer a beautiful gift box. The client will not spend a lot of money on such a purchase, but the total receipt will be larger, which, of course, will only benefit you.
3. Conduct loyalty programs. Thanks to a loyalty card, the size of the average check will not increase, but the number of purchases made by a person in your store will increase. There are several types of discount cards - bonus, savings, privileged. Each has its own purpose, but all of them are primarily aimed at increasing sales.

What is the principle of operation of the loyalty program? Let's say you are the owner of a grocery store. If a person makes a purchase for an amount of 1000 rubles or more, you issue him a loyalty card. Next to your store there is a similar retail outlet that does not have its own loyalty program.

Where will there be more clients? Of course you have. People who have your loyalty card will regularly visit the store in order to receive bonuses, discounts or gifts - everything is determined by the type of card. That is, with the help of such programs you bind customers to you, and they willingly come again. Accordingly, your sales and income grow.