Last week we looked at ways to reduce costs
in our business. As promised, here is Part 2 about how to Anchor More Sales.
Entrepreneurs are a special breed of business people who strive for the conventional goals and attain them via unconventional means. That oftentimes means not having a lot of hard cash to invest in the traditional marketing methods for attaining customers. There are ways though, to make your business a customer magnet that will bring you “sales”.
One of the first things you must know when starting off are the characteristics of your prospects and customers. Just as a wagon needs four wheels to move forward, your business needs four wheels too. They are a marketing plan (whether you have the budget for it or not), a marketing calendar (so you can work the plan as you acquire capital), a competitive advantage (very, very important), and customer research.
The age of the “lone-wolf business owner” is over, gone with the wind and the innocence. Today there is a world of businesses that would love to help you in return for you helping them. Enlisting their aid is paramount, paying them cold hard cash is unnecessary. This is where you can put some of the bartering skills we spoke of last week into practice. You’ll find just how you can help another business owner and he/she can help you after you get going. I only bring it up here so that you don’t forget to use this resource.
One of the most important things for you to do to achieve your business goals is to stay in touch with the people on your customer list. If you don’t have one yet – then start building one, even if you don’t know them personally yet. Do this by mailing announcement postcards to the surrounding neighborhood of your business. Announce the Grand Opening if yours is a brick and mortar shop, offering a small gift for the 25th or 50th customer on opening day. If yours is a business without a walk-in shop send the same announcement about the opening of your business and offer tear-off coupon for them to fill out (with their name & address) for the opportunity to win something in a drawing scheduled for 6 days after your mail date. There is the beginning of your “customer data base” for all future advertising.
You must find your “niche” or “position” as they call it on Madison Avenue. Your niche is what you stand for, what makes you different, and the first thing you want your prospective customers to think of when they hear your company’s name. Put it down on paper and make everything that you do from this point on accomplish what you’ve written.
Next to do is a “benefits list”. What benefits does your customer derive from doing business with you rather than your competitor? What makes your business or services special?
After those, then you must determine what “quality” you offer. Quality in this sense is not what you put into your business, rather it is what customers get out of it. You may use the highest grade tin in the tin whistles that you’re selling, but the customer doesn’t care about that. What the customer cares about, is if that tin whistle is going to stay in one piece when his 6-year old plays with it for 6 months. Look at “quality” as setting you apart from the competition – BUT from the customers POV (point of view).
Once these lists are down on paper, look them over and honestly evaluate if your competitors offer the same benefits as you. If they do, then differentiate yourself and stress a competitive advantage. Then develop your “elevator” pitch. If you only had 10 seconds to tell somebody what you did for a living that would make them want to know more – that’s your “elevator” pitch.
Once you’re doing business, keep track of your “A” customers. All customers are not created equal. Some buy more, refer more, are easier to deal with, and keep coming back. Treat your “B” list customers like Royalty, but your “A” list like Family.
Keep track of your success stories, because everything that you’ve done right becomes another weapon in your marketing arsenal. When you do have the capital to invest in some marketing, it’s always reassuring to new clients to read about the success of others doing business with you. This will also elevate your credibility with new clients.
Of course it goes without saying that “service” is the secret to every businesses success. The only definition of “service” that makes sense these days is that it’s anything the customer wants it to be. It’s not what you’ve always done in the past; it’s what keeps the customer happy and returning.
Guarantees are very important in any type of business, and people expect it. The longer the guarantee, the more enticing it will be and yet fewer people will ever ask for refunds.
Follow-up is so important, that I can hardly find a way to make it stand out. Nearly 70% of business that is LOST is due not to poor service or shoddy quality, but because of apathy after the sale. Once you serve a customer don’t just forget about them, have a way of adding them to your customer data base. Get their pertinent information – name, address, phone number, what you did for them, etc. Find a way, be it postcard mail, fliers, whatever – but send them something every 4 weeks. If they’re not seeing your name regularly, when they need what you offer they won’t remember you. You might sell tires and we know there’s only a certain number of tires you can expect a customer to buy in a year, but when they have unexpected tire damage or the time to replace tires rolls around why will they come back to you? Is it because they got your postcard last week and it reminded them they needed replacements. They may have gotten a second car, and since they got your mail it reminded them to get tires from you. Remember, whatever you’re selling, they can go to your competitor unless you give them a reason to come to you!
Networking is a great tool for you to use. I mean networking not with your peers, but rather with your prospective clients. Join the group and ask questions, listen to answers, take notes, and contact who you met. Gauge your success by the cards you GOT, not gave. Offer those you contact a free consultation, and don’t give a sales-pitch during that time. Anyone can resist a sales presentation, but it’s hard to resist a free consultation that will help them solve whatever problem they have. Many times your service is the answer for their problem but save the sales pitch until the next call. By the same token, if during the consultation you find you can’t help them but one of your fellow entrepreneurs can – be honest and refer them to him/her. (This not only shows your prospect that you really are interested in being of service, but it also gives you an unwritten IOU from one of your peers.)
You’d be surprised how many clients will refer a friend or family member to you, just because they felt you were honest enough to tell them you couldn’t help them.
Your customer list is worth its weight in platinum, especially if it’s bulging with information and it’s free to compile and insane not to. With these tactics, it’s a foregone conclusion that more sales will not only naturally follow, but will be anchored down safe from competition.
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