Could you make a sale today if you wanted to?

I'm not talking about customers coming to you, but rather, could you make a sale by going out and finding one?

Finding a sale on a minutes notice is a very challenging task. I know. I used to have a sales job where I had to do that.

When we would arrive to work in the morning, our boss would occasionally tell us we had to go out and find a new sale that day.  So we would hit the streets and try to find one.

One thing I learned from that experience was that it is much easier to make a sale with an existing customer than it is to find a brand new customer.

This is true because existing customers already have a relationship with you and know what to expect.

I recently noticed that one of our local coffee shops moved across the street to a smaller location.  I am not sure why but it could be that they are struggling financially and something stuck out to me in regards to their ability to make sales.

They appear to be completely reliant on their customers to make purchases on their own time.

While this coffee shop does many things right, finding ways to proactively engage their customers could help them generate sales.  When they want them.

Things like a formal sales process, an e-mail list, or even a strong social media presence can allow any business to pro-actively engage with their customers - without waiting for their customers to come into their store, on their own time.

How well are you able to engage with your customers on your time?

ACTION ITEM: Engage with an existing customer today in attempts to gain a new sale.