Want to make 2010 way better than 2009? There is one to-do that I recommend: Think back to all of your failed presentations (the ones that DIDN'T turn into sales) and write down the objections the customer gave that killed the sale. In fact, strive to make a list of your top 5 objections that kill sales. 

Then, spend the next week (between now and the first weekday in January) and come up with 2-3 ways to counter each objection. Maybe you need to build more value into your product. Or maybe you need to find a way to accommodate the customer's request to escalate the sales presentation to someone else. Maybe you do need to drop your price. Or, maybe you need to be presenting on a longer timeline so potential customers have a chance to build your purchase into their budget.

If you have 5 top objections and you created 3 ways to counter each one, you'll have 15 top priority to-do's that you need to put into effect right away. And when you do, you'll counter those objections like a pro and make more sales.

Of course, you will face other objections – no one is denying that. But this isn't a situation that you can create a magic bullet for. You just deal with the top ones and move on. In fact, it might be a good idea to schedule an "objection review" at the end of each quarter where you work to solve the top objection you faced in that quarter. Over time, your prospect's objections will become weaker and weaker as your sales skills and ability to handle their objections becomes stronger and stronger.

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@ContemporaryVA on Twitter.  Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!

So you want to increase your sales. That’s not a surprise. Every business wants to improve their sales and increase their revenue. But what’s challenging is how: You can increase marketing, hone your sales cycle, or just spend more time "pounding the pavement" to increase the number of leads you get. But there is another way that might surprise you.

Help your customers to feel ownership over the products or services you offer. Yes, that might sound strange but it works. That’s because we all respond positively to things we feel we created. (Hey, you love your kids, don’t you?). When your customers feel a certain amount of ownership over a particular product or service they will be more likely to buy that product or service and recommend it to their friends and family.

So, how do you generate that sense of ownership? One way is to involve them in the research and development cycle. If you are thinking of creating a new product or service, solicit feedback from your current client base (or your prospects, too) about what it is they would like to see featured in your product or service.

I recently saw this by an ebook publisher. Before creating an ebook, he would invite prospects to fill out a survey indicating what information they wanted to see in the ebook. By the end of the survey, he’d have his ebook’s table of contents developed and he had a bunch of people who were curious to see if their ideas made it into the book.

It’s likely that you’ll have several iterations of development on any given project and soliciting feedback at various stages of the way will help you to bring in more and more people and to deepen the feeling of ownership from customers whose feedback is solicited more than once.

Another way to get more customer buy-in is to help them to feel like they can customize their product or service. You see this on some websites where customers can choose the color or the finish of the product they want to buy and they can see it online before clicking "buy now". This is easy for businesses to offer because you only need to offer a limited range of colors or finishes (or whatever would customize your product) but it still feels custom-made.

This can also work with services. Rather than packaging the specific elements of a particular service together, consider unbundling them and allowing the customer to choose. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, offer a package that includes one main logo and 3 of something else (and they can choose from 6 or 7 types of additional graphic design services you offer).

Customization isn’t always easy for every type of product or service but it does help to create that sense of ownership for customers.

Lastly, be sure to celebrate your clients. Take their pictures and put them up in your store (if appropriate), and promote their products or services on your website. Make them feel special and thank them for making your business successful. This will help them feel ownership over your entire business and they will reciprocate with loyal purchases.

Brought to by you by: Contemporary VA - Run your business instead of running in circles.

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter.  Follow the team to stay updated on business resources we deliver that cover strategies and tips, social media and more!