Saturday, November 14, 2009
You have just successfully made a sale. Closed the deal. The customer is walking away happy and you are content. He got a good deal and great service so he will surely tell his friends about you and return to you again next time he needs your product or service, right? WRONG!
Unless you have monopolized your area, you have just as much chance as winning your customers' repeat business as you competitors. Your new potential customer relationship will need to be nurtured and tended constantly to develop them into a lifelong repeat customer and referrer. One of the most basic of human desires is the desire to feel important. If your client doesn't feel like you value them, they probably won't be back.
So how do you convey to your customer just how much they mean to you (and remember, they should mean EVERYTHING to you - without them you would be broke and starving)? You could give them a tight hug and tell them you want to be best friends, but that's not what I'm recommending. You will need to remind them how much they mean to you more than once, so you will need to know how to find them to do that. For everyone you meet, whether you make a sale or not, collect the following information:
- their full name
- their mailing address
- their date of birth
- their email address
- their best contact telephone number
If its not usual for your business to need these details, how will you request them without looking like a stalker? Give the customer and incentive! Let them know you have a regular draw for a store voucher or restaurant dinner etc or that you would like to keep them up to date with new items in store or upcoming 'VIP' sales. Anything that may be of interest and use to them.
Now that you know how to get in touch with your customer, what next? Well that's the exciting part! Check back here very soon to find out how to make the most of your new, valuable information.
You are good at what you do. You know your product. You give good customer service. You do 'letter-box drops'. So why are your competitors winning more and more clients while you languish behind?
If your clients forget how great you are they won't return and they won't send their friends.
If your clients don't feel valued by you they won't return and they won't send their friends.
If you don't stand out from the crowd your clients won't return and they won't send their friends.
I am a successful Finance Broker. I have the same lenders to offer my clients as everyone else, so why have I succeeded while most others do not? Of course I know my products and always give great service but its the few extra small things I do that my competitors don't that makes me succeed.
Most people have heard of these techniques, some might have even tried using one of them. Its when they are combined and used with consistency that the results become astounding. Everything I will discuss is either FREE or very LOW COST for you to do and none take much of your time. Apply these techniques to your business and you will be amazed too.
Labels: clients, marketing, referrals, repeat business