Is everything all shipshape with your current customers?
If you are like most of us there are usually a few things that need tidying up.
It is easy to get hooked on “get more customers” to make your business succeed. However this is a common trap when marketing your products and services.
Of course you need new customers to replace those that leave and it is one way for your business to grow. However if you do not have everything all in order with your current customers then you are likely to be missing out on opportunities that save time and/or money.
It can also help when attracting new customers.
So how do you get your customer house in order?
Have a database
Just as you need to have a website, a database makes life simpler. You can record all information, run reports and segment your list for email campaigns etc.
There are numerous ones available and I would suggest you look at BatchBook which has some powerful features including tags and integration withMailChimp (I am not an affiliate of either product).
Know why your customers buy
This includes both the rational and emotional reasons. This is a key area and guides you when communicating with new customers. One thing is do not guess or just say because they trust me.
Find out the key reasons if you do not know.
Have a keep in touch program
This is made easier if you have a database. The main point is to have a program that keeps you in regular contact such as newsletters, phone calls, meetings, postcards, hand written notes. Work out which ones have the best response and keep doing it. This also goes for social media if that is where you connect.
Know what they buy and how often
This type of information can bring up opportunities that you may have overlooked. For example do they buy all your products or services or only one or two? Are they buying your products or services once a year when they could buy on a more regular basis?
Getting the house in order doesn’t have to take a long time. The real benefit is that not only will you be in a better position to keep these key customers you will be ready to welcome new customers.
As always please share your tips on how you get your customer house in order.
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Susan,
Hi.
Lovely post and lovely house! Is it yours by chance?
You are so right about trying to strike the balance of keeping existing customers and getting new ones. As a novice marketer myself, I have the most trouble finding out why customers buy and in marketing toward that specific group. Thanks to your expertise, I am gaining much insight into these questions!
Yoni
Hi Yoni,
Thanks as always for your comment. Unfortunately the house is not mine, but I do like the look of it. To be honest it isn’t always easy finding out why they buy, but keeping a note of comments, feedback and when you are talking with you helps give you insights over time. Really it is just one step at a time unless you want to do a survey.
Get Your Customer House In Order Before Attracting More Customers…
Is everything all shipshape with your current customers? If you are like most of us there are usually a few things that need tidying up. It is easy to get hooked on “get more customers” to make your business succeed. However this is a common trap when …
I find it amazing that many business owners spend so much time and money on attracting new customers; while at the same time neglecting their existing ones. It is much more economical to retain existing customers than attracting new ones. I would add few additional pointers – Give incentives to frequent customers, Engage with them in social media, introduce new products. I had written a blog post on how to keep existing customers recently. You can find it here – http://www.angelbusinessadvisors.com/blog/2010/06/how-can-you-hold-on-to-your-existing-customers/
Thanks for adding some of the tactics you can use Sally.
Agree with you Susan. Have submitted your site to Stumbleupon. Hopefully you will get a lot of visitors.
Thanks a lot Catarina. Appreciate you submitting my site.
Susan, I’m new to e-commerce and have a lot to learn. I subscribed to your blog to get more of your tips. Everything gets so overwhelming and it’s hard to know what to do to get customers to buy from you. Thanks
Hi Chris,
Thanks for subscribing and you are right it does it overwhelming. One suggestion for you is to get to know more about your current customers as you will find some common elements that you can use to get more customers. Do you have a profile of your current customers?
Yes, I do for my pet sitting clients, but it’s the store that has me overwhelmed. I don’t really have customers yet as I now have to market it to the internet. I’ll be working with some people on that. Thanks Chris
It is good you are going to work with others as they will be able to take you step by step.
Best of luck Chris and I am sure it will be successful.
Thanks Susan
Your existing customers are a great source of new referrals. If they are happy you will get new business. If they are unhappy with your follow through that is what they will remember no matter how good you started off.
I have the most trouble with follow ups with people in our pipeline. We get many requests for publishing consultations but we need to be more organized in our follow ups. what tools do other people use for following up with leads.
Hi Julia,
You are right they will remember and for a long time which we forget. Regarding follow ups I use aweber after working out up front what would be the steps in the process combined with a database. There is also Mail Chimp which I think has the same auto responders and Infusion Soft which is more expensive but I believe very good. The have a trial period if you want to test it for your business.
Thanks for the info Susan. I retweeted it. I do work on keeping my current customers happy but there is always room for improvement! I find that a simple thing like remembering a birthday by sendng an e-mail or card goes a long way.
Stacey
Hi Stacey,
Thanks a lot for the RT. You are right it can be the simple things that matter, just like in our personal relationships I think.
Exactly! Your current clients are the best resource for future work. Plus if you don’t really make sure to keep them happy, they could end up being dissatisfied. That can pull business away.
I have many returning clients and I have recently found that if I ask them, proactively, if they need any help with a writing project, they often say yes! That was quite a surprise to me. Somehow I had thought that was rude at one time, but now I see that they need the nudge. They want the nudge!
Laura Sherman recently posted..Dean Blehert On Becoming A Poet
Hi Laura,
Speaking to a number of small business owners, they are hesitant about being proactive. My IT guy is great but he is not as you say nudging at all and is missing out on business. It is how you do it and we forget that our customers are so busy doing their stuff they need reminders.
It sounds like your clients are happy for you being proactive, which is great.
I suppose the old saying is still relevant – if yo do not ask, you will never know.
Hi! Yes, people often are timid to ask. I developed a similar statement when I was young – If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. For me, that’s been very true all my life.
Laura Sherman recently posted..Dean Blehert On Becoming A Poet
Hi Laura,
Very true and particularly when you are up against a lot of competitors.