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Generate All of The Business You Can
Handle
This week I'd like to share some marketing advice
that represents the collective experience of 50 seasoned MetroWest business
owners, and a group of 18 teenage entrepreneurs who are eager to launch their
own businesses. At a recent marketing seminar, "How To Generate of All The
Business You Can Handle, sponsored by the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, I
started the session by asking participants what has worked best, and what
marketing challenges they faced. I put the same questions to a the Hockamock
Area YMCA Business Club, where I am teaching a young entrepreneurs program.
Their answers are proof positive that marketing any business involves a great
deal of common sense, enthusiasm, motivation, listening, and delivering
exceptional service. (Actually, in this near full employment economy, customers
will be thrilled to get average, hassle-free, somewhat acceptable service. Once
the economy slows down - and it will - you'll be able to find better employees,
right?)
If you've been reading this column over the past
year, the following marketing methods will seem old hat, but if you have not
yet implemented these techniques, you may want to re-examine your marketing
strategy and your motivation for growing the business. These marketing methods,
when embraced as a "system" or set of programs for your company, will help you
generate all of the business you can handle:
- Showing up is 90 percent of success, following up is the other
90 percent: More than one seminar attendee agreed that this was paramount. May
seem obvious, but you have to apply some common sense and start fishing where
the fish are swimming
- Spread the good word about your exceptional service: Stimulate
word of mouth advertising. Do good work. 'nough said?
- Reach out to lost customers: If you have an accurate database,
you know who has stopped doing business with you. Write them, "extend a we want
you back offer" or pick up the phone and ask what you can do to regain their
confidence. You have to take inventory of your customers before you can do this
right
- Write to your customers and prospects often (with different
letters, of course): Stay in touch with those you want to serve. Use the pony
express to educate your customers about all that you can do for them, nurture
the relationship, and sell!
- Use the phone to your advantage: Treat in-coming calls like
gold, and have an effective systematic outbound program to current customers,
or as part of a direct mail program. (A call behind a letter will dramatically
boost response)
- Collaborate with others who serve your customers and prospects:
Team up for mutual success. For example, if you provide commercial plumbing
services, why not team up with a commercial electrician and cross-sell each
others services?
- Ask for referrals: prepare your customers and tell them that
when you have delivered as promised, you'd like to ask them for a referral.
Timing is everything
- Create a reason for your customers to do business again: focus
on the subsequent sale and the lifetime value of a customer. A bounce back
offer, cross-selling promotion, or premium with next purchase will jumpstart
the cashflow.
- Form account teams to increase the service to your best
customers: build value and strengthen the relationship. Even if the team's
purpose is to huddle in the office and review strategy, the account team
concept can create exponential results
- Launch a newsletter, "e-zine" or weekly email to your
customers: Educate and sell by communicating better that your competition. Go
to www.townonline.com for my past article on this subject, or drop me a note
and I'll email you a copy. No sense repeating my newsletter mantra.
- Integrate the web site into the marketing strategy: Nurture
leads, and educate your on-line customers. Your site can play a critical role
in the sales process, but most small business web sites suffer from lack of
purpose. Do not copy your competition.
The best marketing tip shared by the two groups,
with unanimous agreement, was to serve your clients well and do everything
possible to make the purchasing experience pleasant and memorable. That was
Walt Disney's philosophy when he first build Disneyland in Anaheim, and it
remains their single most powerful marketing strategy. I do think that Disney
would double retail store sales at the mall if they mailed a simple postcard
one week after you visited the theme park. Tell Mickey next time you see him.
Bob Martel is a marketing consultant, speaker, and
direct marketing copywriter. He can be reached at JMB Marketing by e-mail at
bobmartel@jmbmarketing.com, or
by calling (508) 481-8383.
Copyright © 2005 JMB Marketing Group, All Right
Reserved
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