5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Selling to Your Office Supply Company's Existing Customers

You shouldn't focus on selling your office supplies and services strictly to new customers. Statistics show that existing customers are 50% more likely to buy a new product than new customers. And when they do make a purchase, existing customers spend about 31% more than new customers. If you're going to sell to your B2B company's existing customers, though, you should avoid making the following five mistakes.

#1) Not Personalizing Your Sales Message

If a customer has already purchased from your office supply’s company, you should know his or her name, company for whom they work, interests and other information. Using this information, you can personalize your sales message to achieve a stronger response. According to Marketing Land, personalized sales messages are six times more likely to yield a sale than non-personalized sales messages.

#2) Not Following Up With Past Orders

Just because a customer has purchased from your office supplies company in the past, there's no guarantee that he or she was satisfied with the office product or service. Attempting to sell to an unsatisfied customer will likely result in rejection. This is why it's important to follow up with customers on their past orders. Whether you call or email them, you should contact customers about their past orders to see if they are satisfied.

#3) Using the Wrong Price Point

When selling to existing customers, you should use the same or similar price point for the customer's previous office supplies purchase. If a customer spent $500 on storage racks and bins the last time, he or she purchased from your office supplies company, don't try to raise the price. Instead, offer complimentary facility storage systems for the same or lower price.

#4) Contacting Too Soon After Previous Purchase

Don't contact an existing customer with a sales pitch immediately after he or she makes an office supply purchase. Rather, wait a little while so that you don't come off as being pushy and overly aggressive. Depending on your what the facility purchased, you may want to wait a few days, weeks or even a month with complimentary offerings.

#5) Relying on a Single Communication Channel

Another common mistake to avoid when selling to existing customers is relying on a single communication channel. Even if reached the customer through email the last time he or she made a purchase, this may not work for subsequent purchases. Therefore, you should use multiple channels to reach existing prospects with your sales pitch, including photo, live chat, direct mail and face-to-face meetings.

What are Your Customers Up to Next?

One of the best ways to keep on top of what your customers are doing is to use the new SalesLeads ‘News Alert’ feature included with your subscription. Add your customer names and decide from the provided list what you want to track. For instance, if you get an alert that your customer is expanding to another town, they will certainly need your office supplies. As soon as the alert comes in, develop your strategy and take action!