1. Keep in constant contact with your customer database (adding value, demonstrating your expertise and informing them of new products and services that could be relevant to them).
   
   
2. Devise and implement an up-selling/cross-selling strategy.
   
   
3. Segment your customers to increase the relevance of your product offer and proposition.
   
   
4. Set a target spending level for your customers.

   i. Work out how much your best customers spend.

   ii. Use this figure as a target level for other customer segments.

   iii. Understand why these other segments are not spending at the same level (using customer insight and/or research?)

   iv. Construct an incentive programme of added value to boost their spending to the increased level.

   v. Test different means of encouraging them to raise their purchase levels (see example ideas below).

   vi. Make sure that whatever you do is done fairly, so you do not receive complaints, and lose loyal customers.
   
   

5. Supply customers with multi-channel options.

   Can you sell through a combination of channels? (e.g. online, high street, direct response, mail order and telemarketing channels)

   Multi-channel consumers, on average, spend nearly twice as much as their single channel counterparts, and are more likely to buy from businesses with multi-channel options.
   
   

6. Give customers a reason to buy now. For example:
   
   
   • Use seasonal incentives/added value.
   • Offer a limited edition quantity of the product for a limited period only.
   • Use special offers/deals/discounts with an imminent closing date.
     
     
7. Review/test/change your pricing strategy.

   Choose what you should research/test/trial from this range of pricing options.
   
   

8. Give them a reason to buy more. For example:
   
   
   • Offer volume discounts.
   • Offer a greater quantity for only a slightly higher price.
   • Suggest that they spend X to get a discount (now/next time they buy?) off another purchase. (Put an expiry date on this offer)
   • Offer highly competitively priced bundles of related products.
   • Include discounted or free offers within the bundle.
   • Supply customers with discount coupons.
   • Consider using a sales promotion technique to drive sales (for example, a bounce-back promotion or a collectable gift with purchase, or a collectable free mail-in).
     
     
9. Get your timing right.
   
   
   • When is the best time to pitch your offer/proposition?
   • Is the buyer more likely to buy, upgrade during a particular season?
   • Will they have a budget at one time of the year and not another?
   • When during the month will there be most cash flow/disposable income?
   • Is the day of the week relevant?
     
     

Increase the frequency of purchase

.

1. Give your customers reason after reason to keep coming back.

   Brainstorm how you should do this.
   
   

2. Increase your team’s sales skills.
   
   
3. Always celebrate success to motivate your sales team.
   
   
4. Reward customer’s loyalty.  For example:
   
   
   • Offer a relevant, targeted discount coupon off their next purchase.
   • Reward customers who refer you to friends and family (See member-get-member).
     
     

Other ways of boosting profits

.

1. A  customer reactivate plan will almost always prove to be profitable.
   
   
2. Make is easier for customers to buy.
   
   
   • Let them spread the cost (see more in this section on pricing strategy).
   • Offer a range of payment options (credit card, direct debit, etc).
   • Give them different ways to buy (see multi-channel options, above).
     
     
3. Use marketing more productively. Test different channels until you know what works most cost effectively for each customer segment.
   
   
4. Exploit the word-of-mouth promotion of your business. 
   
   

Note. Any sales or marketing technique used to increase customer spend must be clearly beneficial to your customer base, and only incidentally beneficial to you.