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The ultimate goal of any commercial interest is to make money, ideally more than is spent, in order to earn a profit. For a small business, it may take several months or even years to get to a place where income outstrips expenditure, and even small fluctuations in earnings can have a major impact on the bottom line. So finding ways to increase sales is always a priority. Of course, you can’t exactly force consumers to buy more products or services. But you can certainly find ways to make the prospect more appealing. And with the right motivation your employees will go above and beyond to convince customers to make purchases. However, you’re going to need some tried-and-true strategies up your sleeve in order to ensure this turn of events. Here are just a few tricks you should try.

1. Upsell. When you’re offering new products and services, it may take a while for consumers to realize that there are better options than what they’re used to buying from you. A good way to familiarize customers with the latest and greatest you have to offer is through upselling. When they come in to buy the stuff they’re used to, expound upon the benefits of your upgraded offerings. And don’t forget to tell them about ways they can add value with only a slightly higher expense, such as through warranties, accessories, or other types of add-ons.
2. Offer employee incentives. Many companies increase sales by offering their employees incentives to sell. This could mean giving a commission on all sales, but as a small business owner you might not be able to afford this profit loss. Instead you could offer them incentives that aren’t going to break the bank for certain types of sales. The trick is figuring out what is going to motivate your employees to compete with one another to make sales. For example, you might offer some kind of prize to the employee who sells the most units of a new product during the month it debuts in your store. This could be a cash prize, paid time off, or an item like a new TV or even your own products. You might also encourage your team to hit certain financial or sales goals by offering incentives to the whole staff, such as a company event or trip of some sort. This will encourage them to work together to make sales, and the bonus is that it can act as a team-building exercise.
3. Start a consumer club. Offering rewards to frequent shoppers can help to create loyal patrons and encourage consumers to buy more than they would normally. So start a consumer club for your business that tracks their purchases and helps them to rack up points that can translate to coupons, gift cards, store credit, and so on.
4. Offer samples. Since you have to spend money to make money, why not offer samples of new goods or services as a way to entice customers into buying? Many customers will overlook products if they don’t really know what they do, how they’ll work, or why they’re better than what they’ve already got at home. Free samples, trials, and even in-store or in-home demonstrations (for free) can help to convince them that they need the next best thing.
5. Modernize deals and discounts. If you’re not pushing sales, coupons, and other offers in the online and mobile arenas, you’re selling yourself short. Sure you’ve got a website and an online store and you’ve listed with a variety of brilliant directories and set up social media accounts, but now you need to use online platforms to your advantage by pushing notifications (about new products, sales, and so on) and offering special deals to your followers. Modern consumers are a lot more likely to scan a coupon on their phone, which is with them all the time anyway, than they are to clip and carry paper coupons.