How to Make Sales That Stick

Too often, entrepreneurs focus on only one or two aspects of the sales process at any time. Unfortunately, this ends up in a lopsided sales cycle that doesn't have any staying power for your business. Consider the ACCD model:

In this model, you focus on your customer from the very beginning through to the end. Here are some considerations:

Attract: Make sure that your website, storefront, and any other attraction methods that you're using match up with what you are actually going to deliver to your paying customers. You don't want to set up a false set of expectations, because you will never turn prospects who have been duped into considering you into revenue.

Convert: This is the point at which you get your prospect to really pay attention to you and make a decision to buy. This may be your online shopping cart, or it might be your initial phone call with a new client. Be clear with your prospect about the benefits of buying from you vs. the many other options available.

Close: This is the moment at which your customer actually signs on the dotted line and commits to pay you. Make sure you have clearly outlined what he or she can expect - whether it is your average shipping time to your first in-person meeting, telling your customer what and when you will deliver is critical to making sure the check cashes.

Delight: The sales process never ends. From the minute the customer makes a purchase, he can still get "buyers remorse" and change his mind. Make sure you do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it. Meet and exceed your customers' expectations and they will come back to you again and again.

Virginia Ginsburg is founder and chief consultant at Swell Strategies. She is passionate about supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting and running successful enterprises. An avid reader, in this blog she reviews books and articles and relates specific learning points back to entrepreneurial businesses.