With 2025 just around the corner, it’s time to take stock of what 2024 has taught you. It’s just as much about your wins as it is about your failures. Hidden in every action is a lesson that will help you shape your business plan for next year. Since sustainable growth and profitability are at the top of pretty much every business owner’s list, there are some key questions you need to answer if you want to cross them off your New Year’s Resolutions. The answers to these questions will determine what sales goals you need to focus on in 2025 to increase sales and grow your business.
What do your customers want?
Understanding your customers’ wants isn’t just about delivering a service to them, it’s about how you’re delivering it. If you want to increase sales in 2025, you need to narrow in on exactly why your customers buy from you. What pain points does your service solve? How does your service make your customers’ lives better? Identifying these specific problems will ensure the selling point of your service is always customer-focused and aligned with your sales goals.
How are you going to keep your customers?
Don’t be sidetracked by the drive to gain new customers. Of course, new business is important but it’s much more cost-effective to focus your efforts on customer retention. Loyal customers don’t only provide repeat business but they also become advocates for your business to potential prospects. Creating a customer retention strategy that rewards loyal customers and offers promises to new customers will drive up sales in 2025, meeting your sales goals.
Where will you find your customers?
You need to make sure you’re meeting your customers where they are in 2025. If you’re not already using social media to connect with your customers, it’s time to start. And, if you are using these platforms but seeing no results, it’s time to re-evaluate. Either way, don’t use a platform just because it’s the most popular, actually determine which one(s) your customers use to achieve your sales goals.
How are you going to connect with your customers?
Determining where to find your customers is only step one, you then need to develop a strategy that will help you build meaningful connections with them. Why? People want to know that their money is contributing to something significant. Yes, your service could change their lives but if you don’t create this connection with them first, they’ll never buy it. Personalised experiences are where you should be focusing your sales efforts in 2025, to meet your sales goals.
How will you prove your value to your customers?
A vital part of building these meaningful connections is through establishing trust and credibility with your customers. When it comes to buying decisions, we often turn to another, trusted source or our peers for consultation before committing. You can make this easy for your customers and your business by delivering this social proof directly to them. Ask your current customers to provide testimonials, answer surveys or give any kind of feedback you can share to attract new and retain your customers.
2025 isn’t the year of hard-selling
Don’t make 2025 the year you double down on pushing services harder than previous years. If you do, you’ll find yourself in the same (or worse) position this time next year. Make it the year you realign your sales goals efforts to focus on value and building long-lasting customer relationships.