As small
business owners, we worry about contact ing people too
much - but no one tells us how much is too much! Many of us
think that a follow-up strategy is to email or call someone a
week or two after the initial contact and then maybe touch base
occasionally over the next few months.
If this is your follow-up strategy - whether with a new
prospect or a long-time customer - then you've got to formalize
it more and put it on auto-pilot. I've seen the statistic that
around 80% of sales are lost because no one followed up. Is
this you?
Marketing is all about fostering a relationship with people and
one of the key ways to do this is by having consistent and
relevant follow-up as part of your marketing strategy.
Remember, you're not following up to pester someone to purchase
- you are keeping the lines of communication open and providing
important information that can help the prospect or customer.
Below are 13 ways for you to make sure that ongoing follow-up
is a part of your marketing strategy:
1) When someone requests information give it to them
immediately.
2) When someone asks a question respond within 24 -48 hours.
3) When someone makes the first contact (i.e. downloads your
free give-away), follow up with emails every few days providing
helpful information, highlighting specific ideas, or providing
some tips.
4) When you have a time-limited special on a service or
product, make sure to remind your prospects frequently. People
always buy on the last day, so send a friendly reminder email
that today's the last day to get the discount.
5) Call or send an email to a customer who
has just purchased something from your website. Say "thank you"
and ask them if they need any questions answered or anything
clarified.
6) If you're offering a tele-seminar, give enough advance
notice and send reminder emails providing the pertinent
details.
7) If someone has made an appointment, do a reminder phone call
or email a day before the scheduled time.
8) If someone sends in a contact via your website form, make
sure you get back to them within 48 hours.
9) If you've made a good contact at a seminar or networking
event, send them an email or better yet, a handwritten note,
expressing your desire to keep in touch. Then mark a date in
your calendar in one month to follow up with a phone call or
email.
10) Send "thank you's" promptly to people - i.e. they've given
you a referral, a great piece of information, someone's name as
a possible Joint Venture partner, etc.
11) Have a system in place that captures people's names and
contact information so that you can keep in touch.
12) Keep track of clients' birthdays, business anniversary
dates, when you started working together, and send cards (via
mail or email) to mark these milestones.
13) Send out a weekly or bi-weekly ezine
or newsletter to all your prospects and customers.
If you incorporate a consistent follow-up strategy into your
marketing activities, it will allow people to know, like and
trust you; give them information that they can use; exhibit the
value and results you can provide, and of course, see your
sales climb!
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, delivers
simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to help
business owners find and keep their most profitable clients. To
learn more about how she can help you take your business to the
next level, and to sign up for her FREE special report, ezine
and articles, visit her site at http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com
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