As a fellow business owner, I realize establishing a business encompasses more competition in the marketplace than ever before. Every time I go on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn I see loads of business owners working diligently to grow their business utilizing technology and the mass number of eyeballs viewing the respective websites.
There is no doubt the networking websites have become increasingly saturated with other like-minded individuals doing the exact same thing you are. As of 2009, there were 27.5 million small businesses in the United States alone and on the web you are dealing with business owners from around the globe (www.sba.gov).
If you take a moment and think about the number of industries and business types, there are only about 1170 different business types to choose from (www.smallbusinessnotes.com). If you do the math, there are a lot of people to compete with. This shouldn't intimdate you. As long as you are practicing the correct behaviors, you should be able to go from a good business owner to a great business owner.
One way for you to do this is to build long-lasting relationships with each and every current or potential customer/client you come in contact with. This doesn't mean you have to become everyone's best friend. I have personally tried that and it made me miserable. Now, I'm not telling you to be unfriendly. That's completely opposite of what I'm saying. I'm telling you to be friendly with everyone, but don't be too friendly to the point you will be disappointed if the person doesn't want to do business with you.
Everyone has different objectives, different thoughts, and different ideas of who they would like to be friends with and/or do business with. All you have to do is treat everyone with the utmost respect and friendliness and they will want to come back to you for their business needs time and time again.
Next, always be available to those who matter most. Believe it or not, if you don't answer your phone, you could potentially lose a lot of money. Today, people are exceedingly impatient and want their needs taken care of immmediately. If your potential or current client tries to reach you and you don't answer the phone, they not only will not leave you a message, but they will go to the next person on the list without any thought, remorse, or hesitation.
If you aren't able to talk on the phone, do your very best to answer it just to tell the person their call is important to you and you will call them back as soon as possible. This behavior goes along way in the world of business because there is so much less personal touch with technology nowadays that people feel like you or other people don't care.
Lastly, when someone chooses to do business with you, make sure to show your gratitude and appreciation. Remember, you worked extremely hard to acquire your customers. You don't want to waste all that money and time on trying to acquire new customers when repeat customers are exponentially more satisfied, easier to sell to, and can build your business much faster than dealing with new customers every day by sending your referrals.
One of the best ways to do this is to send your customers a "Thank You" card and to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. You don't have to call them every week to see how they're doing or if they need anything. This behavior will annoy them and they won't want to do business with you any longer.
All you have to do is send each customer a quarterly card. Make sure each card provides value to your customers whether it be for a Birthday, Holiday, or any other special event. Don't forget to tell your customers about your latest promotions but keep in minimal. These cards are not to sell your customers so be very careful and thoughtful about what you say. A perfect service for doing this is called SendOutCards (www.sendoutcards.com). If you haven't heard of it before, it's a must-see.
Although there are many ways to move your business from Good to Great, just remember to always go above and beyond for your customers. Afterall, without them, you don't have a business nor income.
We write for small business marketing and development - giving you tips and tricks to assist you with growing your business, increasing your revenue, sales, and ultimately, income.
Showing posts with label how to get a customer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to get a customer. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Creating Customer Loyalty - ISSUE 12 - 9/9/11
In today's marketplace, you must work very hard to increase the loyalty of and learn how to build relationships with customers. With so many people working to do the exact same thing you are, you can't afford to let any of them go. Obviously, you don't want to annoy your customers to death, but you can provide consistent value to them and they will greatly appreciate you, your efforts, your business, your mission, your passion, your level of customer service, and much more.
If you take a look at what the most successful companies are doing, you will quickly see they have some type of way they have created customer and brand loyalty. How you go about doing this depends significantly on your business and the demographics of your customers. For example, if you own a construction company, you probably don't want to write a weekly newsletter to your clients. However, if you’re an Internet based business, writing a weekly newsletter could be extremely detrimental to your success.
Instead, try sending the less-inclined clients a mouse-pad with your company name printed on it and have your company logo and tag-line on it, as well. If you want to go a step further, make the mouse-pad have a slot for a picture. This way your client can slide in a picture of his family or favorite sports team.
Now that you have a better idea of how to provide value to your customers, try being creative. The idea is to set yourself apart from the rest of the companies competing for your customer's business and to be the first person/company your customer thinks about when they are in need of your product and/or service.
As I mentioned previously, you can't afford to let your customers go once you have attained them. There is another company just like yours knocking on their door everyday and you can't leave anything to chance. You have to build the relationship and nourish your customer. You want to think of each customer as a precious diamond. If you leave it alone, it will be lost forever.
Here are some examples of ways you can increase your sales, grow your business, and of course, create customer loyalty:
1) Create a VIP program. Many companies already do this. They offer an in-store debit card for you to use whenever you visit their store. Some companies even give you FREE stuff when you spend a specific amount of money. This is genius! Your customers will want to spend more money with you because they know there's a reward waiting for them on the other end.
The best example of this is Starbucks. Starbucks has created a loyal world-wide following. They have the best VIP program around. They make you feel like a million bucks and they even give you a Gold Card with your name on it. Once you earn enough stars, you get a very nice postcard in the mail for a free coffee any way you like it. To learn more, visit your local Starbucks or go to www.starbucks.com.
2) Write a weekly newsletter. No matter what type of business you own, you are most likely an expert in your industry. Even if you aren't, it doesn't matter. Get to know your customers’ behaviors, interests, dislikes, etc. This will provide you with valuable insight into what to write about. Each newsletter should be packed with "value" and not sales pitches. If you focus your time and energy on the former rather than the latter, you will have life-long success.
Your customers are bombarded with the equivalent of 5GB of information every day -- equivalent to 33,333 web pages, 500,000 emails, 1,250 downloaded mp3 songs, 14 hours video streaming, or 185 hours of music streaming -- most of which are sales pitches. This is astronomical! These sales pitches can be in any form -- TV, Radio, Billboards, Newspapers, Magazines, Websites, Emails, Newsletters, etc.
Your customer-base has to ignore 99.9% of all these messages because it’s information overload. Remember, you want to set yourself apart. You don’t want to be like all the rest. Make your customers excited to read each week's installment. Make them want more. Don't make them block you out because you are annoying, pestering, and always trying to take their money.
3) Build Life-Long Relationships. This is easily done and most of the time, overlooked. Make your customers feel good about themselves. Most people are so busy nowadays they don’t have time for a lot of friendships so to some people, their professional friendships are the most important to them. Get to know your customers on a personal level. If nothing else, make sure you know their name, their spouse’s name, and their children's names.
Believe it or not, this is not done enough anymore. People just don’t care about other people like they used to. This is why this behavior is so powerful. Getting to know someone on a personal level is very simplistic and can make or break your business. If you have a hard time remembering people’s names, write them down on a 3x5 index card along with the information about them, their hobbies, their birth date, and their family. Start creating a Rolodex you can quickly access when you are speaking with them on the phone and ask them about them. Never focus on yourself.
Another great exercise is to repeat the person’s name at least three times in the first meeting you have with him. This sounds funny but it really works. You will be blown away at how many names you will begin to remember and you always want to greet him by his name when you speak to him on the phone or see him in person.
These are just a few ways to create customer loyalty. As I mentioned previously, be creative. Please share your thoughts and ideas with us on how you create customer loyalty with your customer base. info@suitedmarketing.com. We’d really like to hear from you and may even feature you in an upcoming article.
If you take a look at what the most successful companies are doing, you will quickly see they have some type of way they have created customer and brand loyalty. How you go about doing this depends significantly on your business and the demographics of your customers. For example, if you own a construction company, you probably don't want to write a weekly newsletter to your clients. However, if you’re an Internet based business, writing a weekly newsletter could be extremely detrimental to your success.
Instead, try sending the less-inclined clients a mouse-pad with your company name printed on it and have your company logo and tag-line on it, as well. If you want to go a step further, make the mouse-pad have a slot for a picture. This way your client can slide in a picture of his family or favorite sports team.
Now that you have a better idea of how to provide value to your customers, try being creative. The idea is to set yourself apart from the rest of the companies competing for your customer's business and to be the first person/company your customer thinks about when they are in need of your product and/or service.
As I mentioned previously, you can't afford to let your customers go once you have attained them. There is another company just like yours knocking on their door everyday and you can't leave anything to chance. You have to build the relationship and nourish your customer. You want to think of each customer as a precious diamond. If you leave it alone, it will be lost forever.
Here are some examples of ways you can increase your sales, grow your business, and of course, create customer loyalty:
1) Create a VIP program. Many companies already do this. They offer an in-store debit card for you to use whenever you visit their store. Some companies even give you FREE stuff when you spend a specific amount of money. This is genius! Your customers will want to spend more money with you because they know there's a reward waiting for them on the other end.
The best example of this is Starbucks. Starbucks has created a loyal world-wide following. They have the best VIP program around. They make you feel like a million bucks and they even give you a Gold Card with your name on it. Once you earn enough stars, you get a very nice postcard in the mail for a free coffee any way you like it. To learn more, visit your local Starbucks or go to www.starbucks.com.
2) Write a weekly newsletter. No matter what type of business you own, you are most likely an expert in your industry. Even if you aren't, it doesn't matter. Get to know your customers’ behaviors, interests, dislikes, etc. This will provide you with valuable insight into what to write about. Each newsletter should be packed with "value" and not sales pitches. If you focus your time and energy on the former rather than the latter, you will have life-long success.
Your customers are bombarded with the equivalent of 5GB of information every day -- equivalent to 33,333 web pages, 500,000 emails, 1,250 downloaded mp3 songs, 14 hours video streaming, or 185 hours of music streaming -- most of which are sales pitches. This is astronomical! These sales pitches can be in any form -- TV, Radio, Billboards, Newspapers, Magazines, Websites, Emails, Newsletters, etc.
Your customer-base has to ignore 99.9% of all these messages because it’s information overload. Remember, you want to set yourself apart. You don’t want to be like all the rest. Make your customers excited to read each week's installment. Make them want more. Don't make them block you out because you are annoying, pestering, and always trying to take their money.
3) Build Life-Long Relationships. This is easily done and most of the time, overlooked. Make your customers feel good about themselves. Most people are so busy nowadays they don’t have time for a lot of friendships so to some people, their professional friendships are the most important to them. Get to know your customers on a personal level. If nothing else, make sure you know their name, their spouse’s name, and their children's names.
Believe it or not, this is not done enough anymore. People just don’t care about other people like they used to. This is why this behavior is so powerful. Getting to know someone on a personal level is very simplistic and can make or break your business. If you have a hard time remembering people’s names, write them down on a 3x5 index card along with the information about them, their hobbies, their birth date, and their family. Start creating a Rolodex you can quickly access when you are speaking with them on the phone and ask them about them. Never focus on yourself.
Another great exercise is to repeat the person’s name at least three times in the first meeting you have with him. This sounds funny but it really works. You will be blown away at how many names you will begin to remember and you always want to greet him by his name when you speak to him on the phone or see him in person.
These are just a few ways to create customer loyalty. As I mentioned previously, be creative. Please share your thoughts and ideas with us on how you create customer loyalty with your customer base. info@suitedmarketing.com. We’d really like to hear from you and may even feature you in an upcoming article.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
5 Secrets to Making Money Online By Bob Parsons CEO and Founder of GoDaddy.com - ISSUE 7 - 4/9/10
"With the right product and right know-how,
you can make a lot of money with an online store."
Bob Parsons
you can make a lot of money with an online store."
Bob Parsons
1) Make an offer the customer can't refuse
"Presenting the right offer is incredibly important."
- A) Make it clear why customers should buy from you and not the competition.
- a. Find the points of differentiation
- i. Price
- ii. Quality
- iii. Service
- iv. Experience
- b. Communicate those differences on your website and all marketing materials.
- B) Whenever possible, there should be no risk for your customers.
- a. Money Back Guarantee
- b. 100% Refund Policy
- c. Give customers peace of mind, which will help close sales.
- C) Tell your customers why they need your products
- a. Tell them how it will make their life better or their business more successful.
2) Find the right audience!
"First and foremost, you have to get your product or service in front of the right buyers."
- A) Your advertising must attract prospects who are interested in what you offer.
- a. Don't cast too wide of a net.
- b. Start small and stay very focused.
- i. Focus on SEO and Paid Search Ads
- a) See Bob Parsons video blogs: #17 and #22
3) Show them what you've got!
"The right presentation is important."
- A) Get to the point
- a. Forget about the fancy music and layer upon layer of graphics.
- b. If you have music, and don't sell music, lose it!
"You're driving customers away and losing sales."
- B) Provide customers with detailed descriptions of all your products and services.
- a. The more clarity you provide about your products and services, the more likely a customer will buy from you.
- b. People are visual, so pictures of your products are an absolute must!
- i. Pictures or video give your customers a sense of what they're buying.
- ii. Inadequate visuals leave buyers cold.
- c. Testimonials from previous customers will help new customers in their buying decision.
4) Be Easy!
"If customers want to spend money with you, make it easy for them."
- A) Have lots of payment and shipping options.
- B) Always be quick to fulfill orders.
"Nothing makes a customer happier than instant gratification."
5) Give Service With a Smile!
"Always, Always, Always take care of your customers."
- A) Listen intently to complaints.
- B) Fix issues fast.
- C) Always be learning to techniques to help service customers.
"General Failure 101: Huge mistake most vendors make
is trying to eliminate human interaction with customers."
is trying to eliminate human interaction with customers."
- D) Make it easy for customers to talk to you to get questions answered and solve problems.
"Great service will bring customers back time and time again."
TRANSLATION – BETTER BOTTOM LINE
FOR YOUR BUSINESS!
FOR YOUR BUSINESS!
Please visit www.suitedmarketing.com to learn more about our company, educational products, services, and promotions and our What We Do page for more information.
www.suitedmarketing.com
shane.russell@suitedmarketing.com
Visit our Library
Benefits of Excellent Customer Service - Brand Loyalty - ISSUE 4 - 3/3/10
Implementing a VIP Program into your business
I met with some clients today about helping them build and market their beauty salon. Their business has been around for almost a year and they still don't have the traffic they would like. They have done an unbelievable amount of word-of-mouth advertising by handing out coupons and flyers. These people are fantastic! They have even partnered up with the local restaurants and other businesses to trade for advertising space on their billboard. Even though the economy is tough, they are going to continue to fight and be tougher than both the economy and their competition.
Although your business may be a little different than this client, all the principles of the VIP program will be the same across the board.
I met Roxana, Mrs. Roxy Herself, at the local wireless store. She was handing out her flyers and I instantly thought about helping her market her business. About a week later, I ran into her again and I greeted her with excitement. It was as if we had known each other for years.
I then quickly made it a point to ensure we would be able to talk again. I took a coupon and went to get a haircut. As soon as I walked in the door of her salon I began smelling opportunity in the air. With my background, experience, knowledge, and education, I knew I could help them turn their business into a thriving business.
During our discussion tonight we came up with many great ideas, which I will be implementing shortly, but first we decided to develop a VIP program for their customers. This is a great way to focus their efforts on the easiest and very best way to earn business, repeat customers and referrals.
They already worked twice as hard as their competition to earn the business, now it's time to help them keep the business!
I told them we are going to create a VIP program not only to get those hard-earned referrals and repeat customers, but also to grab their customer's information so they can build loads of value for their customers. I told them they to be value-driven so their customers will come back time and time again.
I learned many of the techniques I'm mentioning here from Jeffrey Gitomer. Visit our Library for more of his techniques and other resources.
Their customer's information is like Gold simply because they will be able to keep in constant contact with them. They will be able to send them "value" letters, not necessarily "sales" letters. They will build a loyal customer base and have no choice but to expand their business.
They have a great niche. They just haven't capitalized on it yet.
Now that we decided to implement a VIP Program, we have to determine what information is the most valuable and necessary. Below is a list of all the information you want to get from all your customers so that we can learn about them, their interests, their family, and what's important to them. This will allow you to send "Value-Oriented" letters, postcards, flyers, emails, etc. as well as to give a personal touch and remind you about each customer before assisting them.
Obviously, the more information you obtain from your customers, the more ammunition you will have in your back pocket. People really like to be welcomed, recognized, and remembered when they go somewhere, especially somewhere they frequent. This makes them feel important and it's your job as a business owner to ensure this.
If have haven't already, purchase customer tracking software to do this for you. An example can be found at: http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-tracking-software. Please visit the website to learn about how this software can help make your life easier and assist you in building your business.
If your customers don't feel comfortable giving out their personal information, explain to them the importance and how it will benefit them. Say something along the lines of, "Mr. Customer, I understand this is a little out of the ordinary but you are very important to me as a customer, and I would like to get to know all my customers' needs, wants, and interests, including yours, so you will have the very best experience each and every time you come to our store. Plus, we have great promotions and discounts for all our VIP members including, but not limited to, a discount on all our products, FREE Birthday haircuts for you and your family, coupons delivered to your house, and more!"
Make them feel like a million bucks. They will get a very warm feeling inside and will never go anywhere else again! I assure you most people will gladly sign up because everyone wants to get free stuff.
In addition to obtaining your customer's information, you must spend a minute before assisting each of them to review the information from previous sessions. You must also spend a minute after to document the current experience and customer's preferences for future reference. This will give you something to talk about and you will already have an idea of their needs and wants.
There are too many people for you to remember everyone's needs, wants, preferences, every time. Don't even try. Just spend the extra minute. It will save you loads of time and will be worth the investment. I promise.
If you live in the Salt Lake City, UT area, please visit Roxy's Beauty Salon. It's a great atmosphere and they do an amazing job! They most certainly have the quality you would want as well as the ability to make you feel welcome and like part of the family.
I met with some clients today about helping them build and market their beauty salon. Their business has been around for almost a year and they still don't have the traffic they would like. They have done an unbelievable amount of word-of-mouth advertising by handing out coupons and flyers. These people are fantastic! They have even partnered up with the local restaurants and other businesses to trade for advertising space on their billboard. Even though the economy is tough, they are going to continue to fight and be tougher than both the economy and their competition.
Although your business may be a little different than this client, all the principles of the VIP program will be the same across the board.
I met Roxana, Mrs. Roxy Herself, at the local wireless store. She was handing out her flyers and I instantly thought about helping her market her business. About a week later, I ran into her again and I greeted her with excitement. It was as if we had known each other for years.
I then quickly made it a point to ensure we would be able to talk again. I took a coupon and went to get a haircut. As soon as I walked in the door of her salon I began smelling opportunity in the air. With my background, experience, knowledge, and education, I knew I could help them turn their business into a thriving business.
During our discussion tonight we came up with many great ideas, which I will be implementing shortly, but first we decided to develop a VIP program for their customers. This is a great way to focus their efforts on the easiest and very best way to earn business, repeat customers and referrals.
They already worked twice as hard as their competition to earn the business, now it's time to help them keep the business!
I told them we are going to create a VIP program not only to get those hard-earned referrals and repeat customers, but also to grab their customer's information so they can build loads of value for their customers. I told them they to be value-driven so their customers will come back time and time again.
I learned many of the techniques I'm mentioning here from Jeffrey Gitomer. Visit our Library for more of his techniques and other resources.
Their customer's information is like Gold simply because they will be able to keep in constant contact with them. They will be able to send them "value" letters, not necessarily "sales" letters. They will build a loyal customer base and have no choice but to expand their business.
They have a great niche. They just haven't capitalized on it yet.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT A VIP PROGRAM IN YOUR BUSINESS
Now that we decided to implement a VIP Program, we have to determine what information is the most valuable and necessary. Below is a list of all the information you want to get from all your customers so that we can learn about them, their interests, their family, and what's important to them. This will allow you to send "Value-Oriented" letters, postcards, flyers, emails, etc. as well as to give a personal touch and remind you about each customer before assisting them.
- 1) Name
- 2) Address
- 3) Phone Number
- 4) Email Address
- 5) Birth Date
- 6) Children's Names and Birth Dates (optional)
- 7) Anniversary (optional)
- 8) Pets' Names (optional)
- 9) Hobbies/Interests/Career/School (optional)
Obviously, the more information you obtain from your customers, the more ammunition you will have in your back pocket. People really like to be welcomed, recognized, and remembered when they go somewhere, especially somewhere they frequent. This makes them feel important and it's your job as a business owner to ensure this.
If have haven't already, purchase customer tracking software to do this for you. An example can be found at: http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-tracking-software. Please visit the website to learn about how this software can help make your life easier and assist you in building your business.
If your customers don't feel comfortable giving out their personal information, explain to them the importance and how it will benefit them. Say something along the lines of, "Mr. Customer, I understand this is a little out of the ordinary but you are very important to me as a customer, and I would like to get to know all my customers' needs, wants, and interests, including yours, so you will have the very best experience each and every time you come to our store. Plus, we have great promotions and discounts for all our VIP members including, but not limited to, a discount on all our products, FREE Birthday haircuts for you and your family, coupons delivered to your house, and more!"
Make them feel like a million bucks. They will get a very warm feeling inside and will never go anywhere else again! I assure you most people will gladly sign up because everyone wants to get free stuff.
In addition to obtaining your customer's information, you must spend a minute before assisting each of them to review the information from previous sessions. You must also spend a minute after to document the current experience and customer's preferences for future reference. This will give you something to talk about and you will already have an idea of their needs and wants.
There are too many people for you to remember everyone's needs, wants, preferences, every time. Don't even try. Just spend the extra minute. It will save you loads of time and will be worth the investment. I promise.
If you live in the Salt Lake City, UT area, please visit Roxy's Beauty Salon. It's a great atmosphere and they do an amazing job! They most certainly have the quality you would want as well as the ability to make you feel welcome and like part of the family.
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