If you’re in the music business, you are in business, and the point of being in business is making money. And whether you’re an instrument retailer, an accessory wholesaler or service provider, your customers are the ones who make the cash register go cha-ching!
Before that happens, though, you have to close a sale, and that takes a team that’s focused on treating your customers the way they want to be treated and provides the service that keeps them coming in the door.
Here are three suggestions on how to build a strong team to grow your sales.
Make It Work
You may be your only employee at the start, but if you wish to grow your business—and maybe even reach “the big time”—you’ll need employees to drive sales. And that starts with you! Are you a good boss? Futurist and management consultant Simon Sinek has a TedTalk on the matter that’s well worth 11 minutes of your time.
What it boils down to is this: Your job is to help your employees do their best work, stay motivated, and excel. If you set up sales quotas for example, your job is to help them achieve those goals. Are you investing in advertising to support their efforts? Have you provided them with the training, information, and materials needed to perform at an elevated level? Are there incentives for achieving benchmarks or providing other value-added benefits for your business?
If the answer is “no” to any or all of these questions, you’ve got some work to do!
Knowledge Is Power …
Successful bosses not only know themselves, but they also know their customers. Understanding their wants and desires and providing your team with the tools to satisfy those drivers leads to sales, and in a well-managed business, that leads to profits. Market research, including good old-fashioned interaction and engagement, should provide you with solid insights and knowledge into who your customers are, their demographics such as age, geographic location, education level, and income. This information is vital to developing and executing marketing efforts that will help support sales.
Online Is a Must
If you’re a brick-and-mortal business. make sure you have a solid online presence. A LinkedIn article points out five important reasons:
- Increased visibility
- Increased trust
- Improved customer service
- Increased brand awareness
- Cost-effective advertising
If you’re not a tech expert, don’t be intimidated. There are numerous resources to get you up and running.
Website builders like Wix, for instance, provide templates and intuitive tools to help novices build great-looking websites.
Setting up social media channels are just as easy. YouTube provides countless videos on how to set up your online presence and get going with social media. Additionally, there are agencies and individuals who specialize in building an online presence.
Finally, a visit to Fiverr will give you access to freelancers who can help with all relevant tasks at reasonable prices. Truthfully, your kids can probably help you get set up—and you’ve covered their room and board for years, so they owe you!
Building a successful business is an ongoing effort that takes awareness, effort, creativity, adaptability, and patience. Remember, if you want to drive sales to beef up the bottom line, you have to take care of the people who take care of your customers.