If you have not created your own eCommerce, because you think that you should apply sales strategies that are too complex, today you will see that this is not entirely the case. It is that, today, to achieve success on the Internet you have to offer “a plus” that tips the scales in favor of your business and to the detriment of the rest of the competition.
This is precisely due to the large number of Online Stores and businesses that proliferate every day on the Internet, many of them with an increasingly innovative and powerful marketing strategy or plan . However, there are many occasions when simplicity and the traditional can triumph over the more complex or too sophisticated.
Do you want to know what we are talking about? Keep reading and you will find out. But, first, let’s start by correctly defining this topic to get in the situation:
What are sales strategies really?
A sales strategy is the planning of a commercial project that positions a business, brand or product as the leader of a sector, to boost its commercial results and obtain a greater competitive advantage.
This goes beyond a simple projection, the most successful business strategies are those that, by focusing on their target audience and involving all the departments of the company, help the business to boost the sales force of its products or services.
Taking this definition into account, we could say that your own eCommerce can still benefit from those so-called traditional sales strategies. Of course, adapting them to your business style to attract a greater number of potential customers.
What are the conventional sales strategies that still work in eCommerce?
And it is precisely on this subject that Javier Gázquez has come to speak to us, who in this guest post will give us a complete review of all those more conventional techniques that continue to work today.
I am sure that most of them can be applied successfully in your own online business. Take note and put them into practice as soon as possible!
Sales strategies and conventional marketing techniques applied to the eCommerce sector
Time has passed very quickly. I still remember all the time I spent working as a door salesperson and how desperate it could be at many times.
However, from that time I have gained a lot of very valuable experiences and knowledge that, today, help me to succeed in the online universe.
It is evident that, despite the fact that electronic commerce is currently a trend and that it has its own rules, the different conventional sales and marketing strategies have played, and continue to play, a key role in this type of business.
This is the reason why I have decided to explain to you here, in great detail, what are the best ways to implement sales strategies typical of the conventional environment in the online world.
Perhaps you would never have thought that there was such a direct relationship between the two, but I assure you that, when you finish reading this article, you will have discovered a new reality that will also be very helpful to you.
The 13 best conventional sales strategies that also fit on the Internet today
These that I will show you below are some of the best techniques that worked and still work when selling your products and services on the Internet, especially when you have an eCommerce:
1) Build trust: key to engagement
Since the origins of humanity, trust has always been a basic aspect in the business world (and in almost any other).
And it is that, for a local store to stand out above the others in terms of consumer tastes, it was vitally important that it generate security.
Until not too long ago, conventional stores had to earn the trust of their users by providing good shopping experiences and encouraging word of mouth .
Today, although the media and channels are different, this has not changed much.
To build trust, what new e-commerces do is create a blog and work on their content marketing strategies .
By creating articles and tutorials on their blogs, they manage to provide elements of value to the user.
When he feels that the brand in question has been helpful in a certain aspect and has not harassed him with promotions and calls to action , the most likely thing is that he will buy it, recommend it to his acquaintances and trust it again in the future. future.
I remember how, on hundreds of occasions, I had to go out into the street with ‘flyers’ and brochures in hand, to distribute them to everyone who passed by.
My objective was none other than to publicize the brand for which I was working . Honestly, it wasn’t too scrupulous a job, as he handed them out to passers-by without rhyme or reason.
The online universe has offered us many possibilities in this regard. Thanks to him, nowadays you don’t even need to spend money to print those promotional documents.
It is enough to design them and upload them to the network, so that the users of the brand can see it. But where?
The most used and important social networks have become the most appropriate vehicles for this. The first reason that explains this circumstance is that they allow a high degree of diffusion of the brand .
In addition, those who ‘Like’ a page and follow its activity are generally already predisposed to buy on its website.
Customers also prefer this medium, as it greatly simplifies their work. After all, they just have to click on the links provided or tap their finger on the screens of their mobile devices.
Undoubtedly, another conventional sales and marketing strategy that has evolved and adapted to the new times, which are given in the field of “Social Media”, by advertising on Facebook Ads and other platforms.
3) Capture attention on the Internet: “all or nothing” in a few seconds
If you have worked as a salesperson like I did, you surely know that convincing a potential customer to buy a product is not easy.
In fact, these sales strategies require a lot of time and effort and the perfection of a method capable of working.
Looking back, I can safely say that I used to close a sale for about every six visits I made.
In the online universe this is not the case, but it works the same way.
And it is that, according to statistics, on average, an online store that offers a more persuasive product than that of the competition, usually makes at least one sale for every 500 visits it receives.
It must be taken into account that consumer behavior has changed significantly. It is true that before, when I knocked on the door of a house as a salesperson, 50% closed the door in my face.
At this time, users, when they enter a website, make an average of three clicks on it and spend a minute and a half browsing.
Before, at least, when you managed to capture the attention of a potential client, you had 15 or 20 minutes to try to convince him.
Not now. For this reason, you have to put public speaking aside a bit and focus on attracting attention. At this point the maxim that ‘what is not seen, does not exist’ applies.
4) Dealing with trolls is part of the deal
Traditional businesses were required to have at least one person dedicated exclusively to address customer requests and complaints.
Even, as in my case, the sales representatives had to offer an after-sales service related to this issue. This was vital to achieving customer satisfaction .
The users themselves already refuse to use this system. Obviously, when they have a problem, they still want to interact, but not in the same way. Now they use social networks as a vehicle to do so.
This has a number of pros and cons. The main benefit that it provides to the eCommerce sector is to be able to instantly respond to the request or complaint.
In addition, if the solution is satisfactory, it will be visible to other users and provide value to the brand. However, this is a double-edged sword.
Just as in a queue at a store you can find someone trying to sneak in or yelling about the poor service that the brand has provided, today ‘ trolls ‘ appear on social networks .
That is, users who only have the purpose of destroying your image . And, if other people listen to them, they can do a lot of damage.
It is curious how, in the first case, people tend to have a negative opinion of those who act in the way I have said, but when they do it on the Internet it is not so.
That is why, today more than ever, in eCommerce you must also continue to take care of your post-sale services.
5) Offers and discounts come first
I am sure that, on more than one occasion, you have entered a store or a supermarket looking for a specific item and you have not found it.
In fact, you may have even asked one of the establishment’s workers and, even so, it was difficult for you to find him. And it is that, although it seems a trivial matter, the placement of the products on the shelves is really important for customer satisfaction.
In the online universe the same thing happens. You have to worry about placing the products in the right place. If you don’t do it and your clients find it more difficult to find them, it is most likely that they will go to another business that makes things easier for them.
The same can be said of those items that you have on sale or on which you offer discounts: they must be visible and be seen intuitively.
6) Differentiate yourself from others, generate a brand
You are walking down the street of a city that you do not know during your vacations and, in the distance, you see a building with a gray facade and green letters.
Unfortunately, you are a bit nearsighted and cannot make out what it says, but you know for sure that it is an El Corte Inglés store.
Each business must have its own image that makes it different from others and that allows users to quickly recognize it among the competition. This is vital in conventional trading, but it is even more so online.
Honestly, when a user enters a website and has the perception that it is a generic portal and identical to so many others that swarm the Internet, they get a feeling of disappointment and lack of attention.
Why buy from her and not another if they are exactly the same?
It may be that buying a template and paying a Web designer to put a few frames and colored backgrounds is the cheapest, but I assure you that it is not the most appropriate.
The Internet is saturated with businesses like yours and, to gain a space in this medium, you will need to invest heavily and differentiate yourself, creating a unique image.
7) Calls to action have been and are the most effective
I still remember the day I bought my house. I had visited a real estate agency and there I had seen a flat that I liked at a reasonable price for my possibilities.
So I decided to visit it. I made an appointment with the commercial and, when I arrived at the portal of the block, which was the meeting point, I was astonished to see that there were 15 people that the agency had placed in the same place and at the same time.
I liked the apartment and, as I walked out the door, I ran to reserve it.
It’s been a long time since then and, honestly, I’m happy with the purchase. But now I know that I was a victim of this technique that is as old as it is effective and that fits perfectly with online shops.
And it is that creating a sense of urgency through a call to action or CTA’s always works.
Obviously, the online environment has its own rules and you can’t do what that real estate agent did to me. But you have other different sales strategies.
For example, you can put, on certain products, posters of:
- “Last units”.
- “50% discount before 12 at night”.
This will help you dispel the doubts of those who come to your website while still undecided.
8) A satisfied customer is a loyal customer (the best of all sales strategies)
There is a basic sales and customer loyalty strategy that, because it is simple, attracts my attention. For example, imagine that you go to a chicken shop or a hairdresser (establishments that, according to my experience, are very prone to put it into practice).
At the end, they give you a card with 10 squares and put a stamp on the first one . The promise is that if you shop there 9 times, the tenth time is free.
I don’t think anyone ever got around to filling out those coupons completely. I, at least, don’t. But it is clear that it is a very motivating sales strategy to continue going to the same place.
Transferring this conventional marketing technique to the online environment, you have many options. For example, you can offer a small discount or the chance to get a free trial of another product after a customer purchases one.
This, if they have received good service and have been satisfied, will motivate them to trust you again.
You can also invite them to bring friends and acquaintances, offering them the chance to enjoy good discounts for all those who register on your website from their account and make at least one purchase.
In this way, “you will kill two birds with one stone”:
- On the one hand, you will increase your sales.
- And, on the other, you will spread the name of your brand.
9) Offer trust, transparency and guarantee
You need a new computer. You go to the store, choose the one you like best and go to the checkout to pay for it.
At that time, the worker in question gives you your receipt and your invoice, which is what entitles you to enjoy the relevant two-year warranty .
The truth is that I still can’t conceive the reason why many online businesses have not understood that this should be exactly the same way, even though the medium is different.
Remember that one of the reasons why the eCommerce sector has taken longer to expand and succeed has been the distrust that existed among users to be scammed .
Of course, although it has been largely forgotten, a bit of that feeling still remains. And if you take more than 30 seconds to send the receipt to your customers after purchase, it will bloom like a rose in spring.
You may think that this is not a sales technique, but you are deeply mistaken.
Traditional stores play with that trust, which generates among users to be able to deliver their purchase receipts instantly and have a place to go if they have a problem with the product.
Obviously, not being physically present, you cannot do the same. But, if you want to compete, you have to try to get as close to that reality as possible .
Customers are aware that the virtual environment works differently, but they are not willing to wait or suffer for a single second after making the payment.
10) “Influencer Marketing” was and is one of those booming techniques
“Oh! How nice is the girl from the new bakery. And the breads are very good!” This is a typical phrase that you will not only have heard more than once, but you have probably said it on several occasions.
That phrase is the result of another very, very old and traditional sales strategy called “word of mouth” .
What it is about is that, based on the experience that you provide to your clients, they recommend others to come to you without you having to do any promotional work.
Without a doubt, it is the most economical and effective technique that exists.
Today we are tired of being harassed by salespeople and shop assistants to get us to buy. In addition, due to the nature of their profession and knowing for sure who pays them, we tend to distrust them.
It’s normal, it’s an obstacle I’ve come up against all my life and it’s still present.
In the online environment, the rules have changed this concept. On the one hand, the maxim of the recommendation of a friend or family member is still valid , but there is much more.
Surely you have heard of the ‘ influencers ‘ or, said in Spanish, of the influencers. Specifically, these are people who have managed to carve out a high reputation on the Internet within a specific field.
This is the reason why their followers tend to come to them when they need to make a purchase decision.
Thus, suddenly, the example of Microsiervos or Xataka comes to mind. In fact, I am sure that if you have bought a mobile phone or an electronic tablet in recent years, you have come to the latter to find out and get its opinion on the device.
This is a very effective variant of “word of mouth” that you should work on.
Invite ‘influencers’ to try your products and write reviews about them.
If everything goes well, your website traffic will grow exponentially and it won’t take long for you to improve your sales levels.
11) Personalize your messages and you will reach your customers
Offering a personalized service has always been a pipe dream for traditional businesses. However, they have polished sales strategies over time to achieve this.
For example, they collect information from you when you make a purchase with a credit card or when you provide your zip code. In this way, they can offer you more exclusive promotions.
Fortunately, online shops have it much easier in this regard. On the one hand, customers, when buying and registering on your website, are practically obliged to provide you with their name and surname, their address, their gender, their age, etc.
From the items they buy from you, you can also infer their purchasing preferences and interests. But what to do with that data?
Design a Newsletters campaign through which you provide personalized offers to each user. This must always be done based on information managed by Big Data systems.
It has been shown that when users receive emails from companies that are addressed to them directly and that are not generic, ‘spam’ rates are reduced exponentially .
12) Added value means earning their interest
Traditional businesses cannot compete on prices with those that operate through the Internet. The reason is simple:
They must face the payment of the rent of the premises, the taxes, the Social Security contributions, the payment of the salary of the personnel, etc.
However, they have played with the advantage of being able to offer personalized treatment and added value to their clients in order to compete.
You have won the price battle as a sales strategy with them, but not with your competition. That is when, just as conventional stores have achieved, you must work with added value.
But how exactly can we do it?
What you should try to achieve is that your users get the best possible shopping experience and that, when they need it, you are there to provide them with quality content, immediate assistance, etc.
For example, it occurs to me that a good way to add value to your online business is to create a sales strategy based on transactional email .
Imagine that you have an online store specializing in the sale of car parts and that someone has bought you a set of four tires.
You know perfectly well that these products are perishable. On average, they have a life of 5 years or 60,000 kilometers. After that time, you can have the platform send them an email reminding them that, for their safety, they should be replaced again and offering them an incentive in the form of a discount for doing it with you.
13) Traditional marketing changes shape but is still booming
The doomsayers who said that physical and neighborhood businesses were going to disappear in a short time because of eCommerce remind me of those who said that television’s days were numbered with the irruption of the Internet.
And it is obvious, after everything I have just said, that marketing is a science in continuous evolution and that it has been able to adapt perfectly to the online environment, based on principles that have been working very well for decades. real and direct trade.
Conclusion
It is evident that, although times are advancing and more and more techniques are emerging that we can apply to our eCommerce or online businesses in general, there are sales strategies that always remain.
And both these that I have mentioned today and others of a traditional nature, are valid even with the appearance of the Internet, social channels and will continue to be so with the new channels that will appear in the near future.
