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Double Your Sales

Written by: Bob Janet

Article Overview: Double Your Sales without gaining new customers or increasing your marketing costs

Double Your Sales

Once I read how Proctor & Gamble wanted to double their sales of shampoo without increasing their advertising, without spending any marketing money or even increase the number of businesses that sold their product. Even without gaining a single new customer. And they did it. They doubled their sales by adding one 6 letter word to their label. Do you know what the word is? They doubled their sales of shampoo by adding the word, ‘repeat’ at the end of the 'how to use instructions'.

After I read the story I figured if Proctor & Gamble could double their sales I could too. I though of words that I could add to my labels so to speak. I sold tires, appliances, furniture, electronics, and jewelry. I thought, what does every buyer want when they purchase products and services. A guarantee. Simply by telling my customers, repeatedly, about the guarantee that comes with the products I increased my sales. Then I increased them again by improving the guarantees I gave my customers.

For example, in my electronics and appliance businesses, everyone guarantees to service, or have serviced the products they sell Monday through Friday, perhaps some on Saturday. I increased my guaranteed to 7 days a week.

One day I was selling a 20 inch diagonal color television to a customer and he said, "This is a really good deal." I replied, "It sure is, you should buy two of them." And he did. I learned a long time ago that you must always find out why people are buying from you so after I collected the money for the two televisions I asked him if he intended to purchase two sets when he came in. He said, "No". I made twice the profit just by asking him to buy two television sets.

Of course customers will just not make additional purchases simply because you ask them to. You must show them the value in making additional purchases. And that is easy. All you have to do is show them the benefits they received from purchasing your products and services.

Another way to double your sales without increasing your marketing costs is to bundle your products. Give your customers a better deal when they buy more of your products and services at the same time. It is well know that a washing machine wears out in less time than an electric or gas dryer. But I always felt the best time to sell a customer a new dryer was when they were buying a washer. After all they are in the buying mode. So after determining, by asking them questions, that they really were not in the market for a new dryer, only a washer I would make them a deal they could not refuse on a new pair (washer and dryer). I would also show them how it would only cost them a few dollars more a month if they financed the purchase. And since we offered same as cash, no interest charges, financing when the items were paid off in a set time period almost everyone took advantage of our financing.

A local office supply store just did the same thing to me. I was purchasing a new printer and the sales person walked me over to the ink display to show me that if I purchased a dozen cartages at the time I purchased the printer I would save 20% on the ink cartages. Then he convinced me that I should purchase a carton of paper because it was two-for-one at the time of purchasing the printer. He bundled me right into a good deal for me and for the store. And I am sure for his commission also.


Double Your Sales without gaining new customers or increasing your marketing costs by selling more products and services to each customer.

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Article Tags: appliances, color television, furniture, guarantees, jewelry, labels, letter word, long time, marketing, monday through friday, money, proctor gamble, shampoo, television sets, televisions, tires, wit



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