By Felicia Vaile

It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product or a service, nor does it matter whether your business  is bricks and morter or internet based, sales are sales and if you don’t make any your business is in trouble. 

 Here are 5 creative tips to help sell your product or sevices:

1. – Re-package – If your product or service isn’t selling get creative, think outside the box and repackage it.  Let’s say you create websites but lately business hasn’t been great, why not create a website package that includes a basic website, a domain name, and free hosting for one complete package price?  The customer is is still paying for the domain name and the hosting but the prices are repackaged  into one nice neat little package.  This works in the same way for retail.  If you’re a gift shop owner and the serving trays just aren’t selling, how about pairing them with a set of placemats and napkins beautifully wrapped in cello and ribbon, again factoring in the individual prices when pricing the set.  This isn’t a new idea by any means and can be accomplished with any product or service including real estate, professional services, retail products, food products, rental products, etc.

2. – Create Hype – It never hurts to creat a little hype.  Make an announcement on your website or just to your loyal customers that you will be having an exclusive sale.  Unvail your repackaged products.   

3. – Create Urgency – Don’t go for an open ended event or sale.  Choose a deadline and stick to it. This creates a sense of urgency to the buyer that they only have a limited time to act.

4. – Everyone wants what others want – I love this one and it is so true!!  How many times have you been at a store looking at something and then people start horning in try to see what your looking at.  They think there must be a good deal so they feel compelled to check it out.  Let’s say you plan a sale event that you are booking appointments….Maybe your renting out apartments.  double book, even triple book your appointments.  When your potential buyer sees other buyers interested in the same apartment it becomes somewhat of a competition.  Everyone wants what others want.

5. - Take calculated chances – Sometimes you have to take chances in business.  I’m not saying the above tips will work 100% of the time but you will never know if you don’t take the chance.