| "Follow up" to Business Success by Adriana Copaceanu
Business relationships are one of the most important aspects
of business life today. It is so much easier to maintain our relationships to current clients, than to find new ones!
But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to get new customers.
And that's no easy task, but with consistent follow up, you can be successful.
You CAN make the dreaded phone call, dress professionally, and deliver a great presentation! But if you stop there, it's all just a waste of YOUR time.
Follow up is the single most important aspect of effective marketing. Some studies indicate that about 90% of sales are lost because of failure to follow up.
Here are some suggestions of follow ups that work:
1. Send a handwritten note to thank your contact for the time spent with you (send this no later than 48 hours after your presentation).
2. Send a piece of candy, or chocolate, or cookies wrapped in cellophane for added height, and tie a pretty bow with your logo on the ribbon.
3. Send a Rolodex card with a note that says, "We're always at your fingertips when you need us"! A professional printer should print the Rolodex card and the tab should list your main benefit, rather than your company name. This makes it much easier to find when they're in a hurry.
4. Send a Postcard saying: "Just To Remind You That We're In The Business of .......!"
5. Send a Mug with your logo on it and every time they drink
their coffee (tea) they'll see your name. Include a few inexpensive treats, like cocoa, coffee and maybe a cookie in it.
6. Send a pen and pad with your logo/name on them. You can make these yourself. In the computer, divide your page into quarters. Put your logo at the top left side of each quarter. You could title it "To Do List" and have lines and numbers 1 - 10 on the page. Make the first "To Do:" Call (your name) today! Take these to a printer and have them print them in padded stacks of 25 sheets of paper.
These are just a few ideas. Let your imagination run and come up with more appropriate ones for your specific industry, but always make sure you have a follow up plan in place, and USE it.
In this day and age, the more we can build on forming a "real relationship" with the client, the better off we'll be and if we want our "seeds" to grow, we have to continually water and fertilize them! We water and fertilize our customer relationships by following up.
--- Corporate gift strategist Adriana Copaceanu specializes in helping businesses increase their referrals through the strategic use of gifts. Sign up for her biweekly newsletter, go to http://www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com/gift_news.htm. Visit her at http://www.abcGiftsAndBaskets.com for more ideas. • More internet marketing articles by Adriana Copaceanu
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