by Terry Kneeshaw
Number 1 – ‘Do Something and Do It Now’
Find any excuse to send a communication about anything to your customers – the only condition is – you do it right now. It can be a mailing, email, phone calls – anything. But action it IMMEDIATELY. This strategy is designed for those of us who are just too good at planning. Sure, you’ll send something to your customers when you’ve created the ideal offer, with the ideal brochure for the ideal product – and of course this will all have to wait until you’re far less busy doing XYZ. The ‘do anything but do it now approach’ addresses the simple but ridiculously profitable fact that even if you send your customers an email telling them what a great/bad day you’re having (you choose) it will remind a percentage of them that they meant to get in touch with you and within minutes they’ll be wanting to spend money with you again.
Number 2 – ‘The Compelling Offer’
If you’re looking for an easy, cheap, quick way to keep in your customers’ minds, send them a postcard with a compelling January Offer. This is for an easy, cheap, quick way to bring in some serious additional revenue, spend an hour or so writing a postcard – send it – then think of another eleven one for each month of the next year.
Number 3 – ‘Phone Ten Customers’
Clear one hour off your schedule and call ten customers. Don’t try to sell them anything. Tell them you’re just calling to thank them for their custom and see how they are. Now is a good time. Expect them to be pleasantly surprised and maybe even stunned. Expect at least two of the ten to try to spend more money with you (that figure may be as high as eight or nine.) When you put down the phone on caller number ten, do a rough estimate on what that will do for your income. Then work out what it would do for your business if someone was doing that every week, of every year, forever.
Number 4 – ‘The Unexpected Gift Approach’
Send your best customers an unexpected gift, Just because you can… please be sure of their policy on gifts.
Number 5 – ‘Ask yourself this Question’
What’s the one piece of knowledge or expertise you have about your business that your customers would be most interested to know about. It could be some knowledge that saves them money, makes their life easier or maybe just makes them smile. Once you’ve decided, write a personal email and send it to your best customers. Ideally automate the process using an autoresponder. Sometimes, the best customer communications don’t sell anything.
Number 6 – ‘Create a Strong Referrals incentive’
Remember that the wealth that exists in the relationship you have with your customers is not just about them re-purchasing from you. If each customer recommended you and brought in two new customers, you would probably never have to do any traditional Marketing again. So create a strong incentive for your customers to give you referrals. That could be a financial incentive, or a gift – whatever you choose. Then communicate it to them in your favorite media (email, letter, telephone etc).
Number 7 – ‘Birthdays’
It can be a slight hassle setting up a way for your customers to tell you their birthdays. It’s probably a slight hassle to set up a little system to send them birthday cards. But it’s one of the nicest things you can do for your customers and it’s certainly one of the best ways to create extraordinary relationships with them.
Number 8 – ‘Plan Ahead’
If you really ‘get’ the significance of what we’re looking at here and take action on these points, you’ll be way ahead of the competition. But if you really want to excel, create a one year plan that covers and implements how you’re going to communicate to your customers over the next year. Whether it takes you a couple of hours or a week to do this, it will be one of the most profitable business activities you engage in this year. Ideally, create a one year plan that can roll on and duplicate itself every year.
Number 9 – ‘Simple Maths’
It’s simple maths. If you look at how much it costs to mail a compelling offer to either your entire customer list, or at least your best customers – and compare that with the income it generates, it should nearly always be profitable. Often the best approach is a simple, one page letter. Make an offer that’s only for your customers and rewards them for their loyalty. For added zest, add a sprinkle of an email to the same list two or three days later to maximise conversions.
Number 10 – ‘I’ve saved the Best until Last’
Now stop. Close the door. Put the phone on voicemail and above all, please don’t be deceived at how simple this is. A few people reading this will make a fortune when they do it. I hope you’re one of them. All you have to do is contact your best customers and ask them one, simple question. It doesn’t matter how you contact them. It can be email, letter – probably the best option is a phone call. It doesn’t matter what you say either side of the question. You can chat about the weather, your new Take That CD, anything. All that matters is that at some point, you ask all of your best customers this question: “What are we currently not selling / offering you, that you would like us to be offering you?” Ask the question. Then shut up. If they need time to think, let them think. If they’re not sure, ask them again. The answers you receive may surprise you. But those answers represent the easiest way to grow both your business and your existing customer relationships.
Good luck and happy marketing. Your business will perform so much better the more care and attention you
give it.
