Sales are the driving force behind your business and you need to find ways to increase the number of sales that you make. There are a lot of businesses that have quotes which do not turn into sales and you need to consider what can be done in these cases. We spoke to a quoting expert – Matt from Skilled Fencing, and he told us there are a number of steps that you can take to ensure that your quotes translate into sales and revenue for your business.
Address Leads Early
One of the most important steps that you need to take with your quotes is to get them to potential customers as soon as possible. If you wait too long, the potential customer may choose your competition because they communicate faster. A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that business leads which were provided with a quote within the first hour after the initial contact are more likely to develop into sales.
Taking too long to provide a quote will also affect the perception of your business. Taking too long will make the potential customer assume that you will always take long to communicate and that you will take a long time to complete the work they want. This is something that can easily be avoided by simply getting the quote to your potential customer quickly.
Have Standard Branding
Many people do not realise how important the branding on your quote is. If the branding on your quote is not consistent with the rest of your business, this can lead to customer confusion. Most customers will get quotes from up to 3 different businesses before they make a decision. If you do not have consistent branding, the customer may not be able to place which company provided them with the quote and could discard it.
Consistent branding is also a sign of a professional business. It is vital that you always give the impression that you are a professional business who is not going to disappear when the customer needs you.
Have A Call To Action
Your quote is a sales message and at this point, the customer has not agreed to anything. This is why you need to include a call to action in your quote. It will prompt the customer to take the next steps to turn the quote into a sale. You should also look at including other sales messages in your quote.
These other sales messages can include why they should choose your business instead of your competitions. You might offer the best price, but you still need to sell your company to the customer as price is not all they look at. Your quote is the best way to do this because it is something that your customer will look at more than once.
There are a number of ways that you can turn a quote into a sale. Being consistent in your branding is important because it instils trust and will make your business appear more professional. You also need to include a call to action in the quote which will prompt the potential customer to take the next steps.