Selling online is no longer just an option; creating strategies to adapt to this new reality is necessary. New technologies and the possibilities brought about by digital transformation have revolutionized the way of consuming anything.
Essential Settings For Selling Online
Planning will be vital to being successful in online sales. And this planning needs to go through fundamental points, such as:
- Niche and segment: identifying who your company wants to sell to is essential to direct approaches, as well as the mix of products available;
- Choice of online sales channels: it is also necessary to choose which sales channels you intend to use. Website, marketplace, chat, and messaging apps are some of the options;
- Accessibility and Availability: Whichever channel you choose, it should be easily accessible and provide quick responses.
The most important thing is to make it as easy as possible for the customer to access the business, as the consumer may feel the need to contact your company before, during, and after the purchase. Besides, of course, knowing the audience well to speak their ‘language.’
Techniques For Selling Online
Now that you’ve seen the importance of online sales, check out what to do – and what not to do – to succeed in online sales.
1- Understand How The Sales Process Happens
As you can imagine, selling online is different from selling physically. Instead of your salesperson going to the consumer to ‘take the order’ or carrying out the operation over the phone, for example, your customer comes to you. Comfortable. But that doesn’t mean it’s simple.
It is necessary to have a website prepared to receive orders. This requires investment mainly in infrastructure (its construction or use of a ready-made model) and security in operations. Another critical issue is business management, which must be well-maintained.
2- Show The Value Of Your Products
Did you know that price is different from value? While the former focuses on what can be measured (the cost of raw materials used in manufacturing), weight is much more relative and abstract.
This makes you think about the possible ways your products can be sold online. One of the ways is to show their value and their differentials compared to competitors, for example.
3- Assemble A Team To Take Care Of Online Sales
It’s not enough to just put the products on the website and wait for online sales. You will need to be prepared for this! The ideal is to have a dedicated team for the most diverse functions.
The virtual store’s back office includes talent from the commercial area (order management), logistics, inventory, and billing. All these personnel must be knowledgeable about the company’s culture and products. It is worth carrying out training, including integration between areas. Knowing what the other does will facilitate individual and joint work.
4- Have An After-Sales Strategy
A company that does not pay attention to after-sales is losing the immense potential to do new business. Think about which is more work: conquering a new customer or retaining the one you already have?
A post-sales strategy has this utility, showing that satisfaction with the product or service is fundamental for the brand. What she needs to consider:
- Have up-to-date information when building a customer history;
- Keep a communication channel always open and prepared to respond within a maximum of 48 hours;
- Offer personalized offers and opportunities;
- Measure all information provided by the customer.
5- Open Communication Channels
Today’s customers expect content relevant to what they’re doing anytime, anywhere, in the format and device. It is the consumer journey that dictates the strategy.
The important thing is that this journey reaches your e-commerce, generating new sales. But how to achieve this? One way out can be to be present on digital communication channels. And what else makes sense: having a blog, WhatsApp, and profiles on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter?
Another essential tip that can help you sell online is to feed your channels always, at least once a week. For example, there’s nothing worse than going into a profile and seeing that the last update is from months ago.
6- Maintain A Relationship With The Audience
Think like a consumer. Are you interested in pages and profiles that want to ‘push’ products? Certainly not! The customer expects much more than that.
Don’t just talk about the portfolio. Produce exciting content related to the customer’s universe. If you have a food industry, for example, think of healthy eating tips that use your products! If you are a computer distributor, it is worth exploring the universe of new technologies and then mentioning a specific item.
