How to determine your sales margin

Sales margin is an important part of your overall business finances. Successful business owners know what products they sell that bring in the highest sales margin. You want to make sure that your business is focused on selling the products that have the highest sales margin in order to make sure that your business finances are as good as they possibly can be. When you understand what a particular product brings into your business you can use that information to help plan: production, sales, marketing, and even staffing. Here is what you need to know about how to determine your sales margin-

- Know what the profitability is for every product that you sell-The first step in determining what your sales margin is will be to know what the profitability of every product or service that you sell is.You will need to have this information in order to clearly determine what the profitability of any particular product or service really is. This is done by taking the current price and subtracting the material and labor costs that are involved in making it. You should also consider the cost of equipment, marketing, and other overhead expenses in the product or service, as well. When you have subtracted all of the costs you will have a better idea of exactly what your sales margin is for every product or service.
- Ask for employees' input-Determining sales margin can be a difficult task. It can be helpful to ask your employees and others that work closely with your product or service for their input. Savvy business owners understand that their employees can be one of their most valuable assets. Meet with key employees and see what their thoughts are about the sales margin of your product or service. You mayfind information that you haven't even considered. Remember that you are focused on gathering data-nothing more. Each department of your business should be able to provide figures that will help you to calculate the true sales margin for everything that your business sells.
- Think about the future-While you may feel that a certain product or service is profitable enough now you need to ask yourself if it will be so in the future. Sales margins will change as the product or service moves through its own lifecycle. You will need to take a close look to determine if the product or service can still be profitable for your business not only in the short term but in the years ahead. If you don't see continued profitability and a healthy sales margin you will need to make changes to your sales and production plans. Savvy business owners understand that the demand for their products or service may change, by either increasing or decreasing and they are prepared to meet those market demands.
- Keep your emotions out of the equation-It is surprising to learn that many business owners have a certain attachment to the product or service that they sell. Perhaps you have a product or service that that was the beginning of your business. However, if it is no longer profitable for you then it is time to make a change. You cannot afford to have a product that is simply taking up space on your shelves. If you don't want to cut the product or service completely from your lineup then you will need to determine how you can make the product for cheaper and increase it sales margin. However, most business owners understand that they must focus on providing the most profitable products and services for their customers in order to stay in business for the long term.