Repeat and referral business is often referred to as the 'easier' business to bag. So, why is it that many companies struggle to gain such business?
What are the mistakes these companies are making with regard to their existing clients?
1 - They don't contact them at all.......
Lots of business people spend their time, money & effort really concentrating on bringing in new business. They succeed in their quest and that's where it stops........
No further contact is made once that first sale is made and then these people wonder why their levels of repeat business isn't up to much!
Remember the saying 'out of sight, out of mind'? Same sentiments here - no contact means no reminder of your company. The client is seemingly less likely to think of your company first when they require the product or service you provide, regardless of whether they've done business with you in the past.
2 - They only contact their existing clients when they want to sell.......
So, again, time, money and effort has been spent concentrating on bringing in these new clients, converting them to existing clients. These existing clients are like a pot of gold waiting to be mined. Their trust has been gained, they have bought from the company, yet the contact made with these clients is once in a blue moon! Then, to add insult to injury, the company is only making contact because there is something in it for them! ie. They want to sell their product or service........
What happened to regular contact, providing useful information, really adding value to your clients daily existence? If you follow this path, when you come to the juncture of making contact with the view to selling, the client is likely to be far more receptive.
Existing clients should be made to feel valued without the 'what's in it for me' syndrome on the part of a company.
3 - They don't keep in touch regularly enough to create 'Top of the Mind Thinking'.......
I already mentioned that saying 'out of sight, out of mind'. Never a truer word was spoken with regard to existing clients and the negative impact on levels of repeat and referral business.
Many companies do have the greatest of intentions to keep in touch with their clients. But, the contact is not nearly enough to have any sort of positive effect in terms of creating top of the mind thinking. They don't have a specific plan in place to ensure regular, consistent, targeted and effective communication.
What are the chances of ensuring their business is always at the forefront of their client's mind without regular contact? What chance do they have of ensuring their company is the one that is thought of first when there is a need for the product or service they provide?
Solution....... Keep in touch regularly and concentrate on adding value.
Treat your existing clients like they really matter - the truth is they do matter!
Research has shown that a huge 68% of clients leave their product or service supplier because of indifference shown by the supplier..........
Think about how you can stay in touch by using multiple forms of valuable marketing. Focus on incorporating added value through useful information. For example informative press items, web links, referrals, information on competitors in their industry and such like. Send this useful information to your clients. Or, you could think about rewarding frequent clients with an extra, unexpected service to let them know that you appreciate their business.
Focus on how you can differentiate your company from your competitors. Most won't be taking the time to keep in touch let alone making an effort to enhance the daily existence of their clients through informative articles or additional extras.
(Source: marketingweekly.co.uk) An article that looked at 'Top Trends in 2012' talked about how we are seeing a huge surge in digitalisation. As a result of this the desire for something tangible, maybe reverting to an analogue past will grow. People in general will want something that can be touched, held or displayed. Use this to your advantage with your marketing and focus on creating a good balance between digital and analogue. A corporate greeting card is a super marketing option to fulfil the touched, held or displayed need.
Personally Corporate offers all greeting card types, tailored to your requirements, along with the option of an automated mail out service. Aside from your company details and logo you can also choose to include a handwritten message to really make the card personal. You might choose to add a monetary voucher too - that would certainly resinate with any client!
So, how will you make regular contact and add value?
Visit http://www.personallycorporate.com/ and pick up your free 37 Top Marketing Tips to Grow Your Business
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