Posts Tagged ‘best time’
Don’t Disappear After the Sale
How many businesses do you hear from after you make a purchase? All to few, I would bet. And the ones you do hear from are usually larger businesses and all you get from them after a sale are catalogs and advertisements.
The moments during and after a sale are when you are closest to your customer. He or she has decided to trust you enough to buy from you. You are having a meaningful interaction, one that could and should lead to a growing relationship. And then you never call until you want another sale? How rude is that?
Keep the Conversation Going
You did a lot of work to get your customer to the point of making a purchase. It took a building of trust, among other things. So why would you want to waste all of that effort by ignoring the customer after the sale?
This is the best time to start a deeper relationship with the customer. By this I mean that you can become a more important part of your customer’s life, not just a company that he or she bought something from once. This all starts right around the time that you make that sale.
You should have some kind of plan for staying in contact with your customers on a regular basis. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to do this is with an email newsletter. Invite each customer to subscribe to the newsletter at the point of sale. That way, you have an outlet to keep in touch with them regularly.
Remember to Be Personal
While email newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with a large audience, don’t ever forget that the decision of a customer to purchase from you is a personal one. Keep that connection alive. Plan on several personal connections throughout the year. This could be anything from hand-written birthday cards, to phone calls just to say hi, to regular face to face meetings (perhaps at a nearby restaurant).
By being personal, you are showing the customer that you remember them and are grateful for their business. Don’t be pushy on getting new sales on these contacts. Just be friendly. Throughout the conversations you have, you will learn the customers needs and can lead them gently to new sales.
Reap the Rewards
No customer is a one time customer. Whether or not they ever buy from you again, each customer is an extremely valuable resource for your business. There are three things that I talk about your being able to tap past customers for. They are repeat sales, testimonials, and referrals. But there is also a fourth thing that shouldn’t be ignored. That is, feedback. Each customer can help you get a better picture on how you are doing and how well you are meeting customer needs.
By staying in contact after the sale, you are giving yourself a much better shot at bringing in new business as a result of a customer.
Provide good information, consistently, and the customer will be more likely to remember to refer you to the a friend. By the way, that referral is most likely to happen when that friend is in need, which is exactly what you want. If you just ask for out of the blue referrals at sale closing, all you will get are cold leads. Stay in contact, and you are bound to get some very hot leads via referral.
Staying in contact also helps to keep your business in front of the customer, so if they are going to buy again, they are much more likely to buy from you. You already have the trust factor since you closed one sale. Now, you just need to maintain awareness. But please note, just sending postcards doesn’t cut it anymore. Provide your customers with valuable information on a regular basis.
Having the relationship also makes it possible to get honest answers from customers regarding your business. It makes asking for things like video testimonials easier, as well.
There are great depths to plumb with any old customer, and you are letting a lot of potential go to waste if you just disappear after a sale (only to reappear when you want another sale). Find ways to stay in contact. You can provide great value to your past customers. At the same time, you can gain great value from them.
photo credit: Lucy Boynton
Recommended Reading
I am constantly on the prowl for good business books. Right now, I am reading Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk. I love Gary’s take on passion and business. This book will give you a kick in the butt to get up and get moving as you pursue your passions and your business.
If you are interested in Crush It, you can get it through Amazon by clicking here or by visiting your local bookstore.
Have a Small Business Question? Ask me and I will answer it here – email me with your question now.
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Bradford Shimp is the publisher of All Biz Answers. He is also the co-creator of Idea Anglers, a place to see your ideas come to life through collaboration. Follow on Twitter @bradfordshimp. Let Bradford help you with your business – visit BroadRiverCreative.com
Are You Missing Customers?
Have you lost customers because you just haven’t stayed in touch? Do you look back at your list of past customers, see a good one, and think, why aren’t we still doing business? Throughout the course of running your business, it is too easy to lose touch and lose customers. Here are a few tips to help end unnecessary customer leakage.
1. Have a Good CRM
Having all of your customer information together in one place is essential. A good CRM is accessible, no matter where you are. It is easy to use. It also should integrate with your other tools, such as email and invoicing. Use your CRM as more than a file cabinet. Learn to interact with it on a daily basis. Send your emails out from there. Record your phone conversations there.
Make use of tasks and to-dos for each customer. Every customer in your CRM should have an upcoming task, even if they are not currently in the sales process. Schedule several points of contact throughout the year. When you make a contact, be sure to add another point for later on. Stay on top of this and you will never forget a customer again.
2. Stay in Contact with a Regular Email
If you don’t email your customer list regularly because you are afraid you might annoy them, you are crazy. The simple solution to that is, don’t be annoying. Its not don’t send email. Instead, send emails that will be useful and enjoyed by your customer list. Be personal, informative, educational, funny, etc. Don’t send sales pitch after sales pitch. The idea of the regular email is to keep the conversation going and the relationship warm so that when you need to do a sales pitch, you will have ready and willing ears.
3. Have a Follow Up Plan
What do you do with a customer after you make the sale? This is the best time to establish a long term relationship and to make additional sales. Yet, many companies have no follow up plan.
You could start by sending a nice thank you. Large sales can even get a gift. From there, get them into your email system. Get them special offers for add-on products or services. Whatever you do, don’t ignore them. Someone who just bought from you is your most qualified customer.
There are three things you should try to get from a customer who just purchased. Another sale, a referral, and a testimonial. Start tapping into the potential with a good follow-up plan.
4. Have a Reason to Get on the Phone 4 Times a Year
While automated emails and other points of contact are great, you also want to make sure that you maintain a personal touch with your customers. If you can, go ahead and visit your customers. A little face time can go a long way. If not, try to do at least 4 phone calls a year. You may want to call your customers on their birthdays. Another idea is to offer a special discount over the phone. Even if you have a lot of customers, you can call a few each week with the special discount offer.
You can also plan some service phone calls. You could do a survey. Heck, it doesn’t hurt to just call to say hi. The point is, finding a reason to get on the phone with your customers is not that hard. You just need to plan it and do it. This will only help you reinforce your relationship. You will also have a better chance at noticing any issues that may be driving a wedge between you and your customer. And if you are on the phone with them, you can deal with it right away.
If you look up from the grind and find that you are missing customers, start implementing these steps right away. No customer deserves to be ignored.
Have a Small Business Question? Ask me and I will answer it here – email me with your question now.
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Bradford Shimp is the publisher of All Biz Answers. He is also the co-creator of Idea Anglers, a place to see your ideas come to life through collaboration. Follow on Twitter @bradfordshimp. Let Bradford help you with your business – visit BroadRiverCreative.com
