Collect Customer Information
Get as Much Information as Possible Without Being Intrusive. The more info you can collect from your customers, the more ways you can communicate with them in the future to help initiate more sales. When a new customer comes in, try to get their name, address, email address, phone number, birthday and anything else that may be relevant to your business! All this customer information will come in handy at all different times of the year and you can use it to promote new products, special sales, holiday specials and so much more. If you’re not already collecting customer data, now is the time to put a plan in motion. How will you keep in touch with your valued customers without it?
Follow Up!
After the sale, it’s important to stay in contact with your customers if you want them to buy something from you again in the future. If your business is more personal like a salon or accounting firm you can stay in contact with your customers in a more personalized manner. Send a thank you card to thank them for their business. Send a Birthday card the week of their birthday with a special offer or coupon. Send an anniversary card every year the week you started doing business to thank them for another year. Send holiday cards to your customer database during the holiday season. Send “We Miss You” cards to customers you have not seen in a while and offer them a special discount or service to entice them to come back. Little personalized touches like this can make a world of difference when building a relationship with your customers and most of them will appreciate it because other businesses do not take the time to do it. It’s all the little things that will make you stand out from the competition.
They say it is 7 times easier to get a current customer to buy from you again than it is to get a new customer to do business with you for the first time. Take advantage of this statistic and cultivate strong relationships with your customers to make sure they are happy and to keep your sales coming in well into the future.
Ask for Referrals
Your business will grow fast if you work to build your referral business. Simply asking your current happy customers for referrals is all you need to do. Most customers are more than happy to recommend your business to people they know if they are happy with the services you provide. Some people are already doing it for you anyway, but if you get in the habit of asking all your customers you will be generating new customers more frequently.
You can also start an incentive program for your customers and reward them for every new referral that they bring in to you. Rewards can be just about anything from a free gift to a special discount or service.
If every customer you have brought you just one more, and each of those customers brought you one more customer, imagine how much bigger your business would be in a year? In two years?
Offer them Something Special
Everyone likes feeling like they are special, and your customers are no different. A special VIP card for your customers could offer them special discounts or incentives and the information you collect when they get the card can be used for all sorts of marketing campaigns. Pet stores and super markets do it, why can’t you?
Throw a one a year “members only” sale for your valued customers that is invitation only. Any opportunity for you to make additional sales to people that have already purchased from you is something to take advantage of. You can also use the sale to help move slow inventory and introduce new products.
Have a holiday party and invite all your customers. Ask them to bring guests as well which will help expose your business to new people and potential new customers in the process. The event can help you cultivate your relationships with your valued customers while opening the possibilities of new business.
Birthdays and anniversaries also present a great opportunity to show your customers they are appreciated. Sending something as simple as a greeting card or a personalized note can be a great gesture and will most likely be very much appreciated by your customers. Offer them a little something and let them know how much you value their business.
Ask for Reviews
A lot of search engine marketing revolves around online reviews now. The more positive reviews you can gather the more powerful your business will become online when new customers are searching for the products and services you provide. A lot of consumers put a lot of time into reading online reviews for products and businesses they are interested in before making a purchase. It is important that they not only are able to find you while doing their research, but they also are able to find solid reviews of your services while they are there.
Getting customers to post reviews of your business can be both easy and hard. It does take a little time and effort to post a review and a lot of people do not want to be bothered. A good place to start would be with customers that have been with you for a while or that you have good solid relationships with. Ask them if they can help you out and post a review for you. Most will be happy to oblige.
Get in the habit of asking for reviews from your customers and it will become a normal every day function of your business. If you send out thank you cards to new customers, mention reviews there as well and let them know you appreciate their feedback.
Having a solid reputation online with a well-rounded collection of reviews can boost your new business considerably and will also allow you to see what customers love, like and hate about your business all at the same time. Use the information to help your business grow to new heights.
Putting a little more effort into cultivating strong relationships with your customers will help your business grow strong while giving you the tools to generate new business, repeat sales, upsells and so much more.
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