There’s a marketing axiom that goes something like: “word of mouth referrals are the best form of advertising”. We all know this. We ask our neighbors for the name of a good mechanic, medical specialist, hairdresser, or restaurant. Conversely, if our friend tells us of a terrible experience, as in bad movies, poor restaurant service, or high fees at a bank– we don’t even go there. That would be stupid or at least masochistic. Those businesses are losing multiple customers for each single bad customer experience– the unhappy customer and whomever they talked to about it.
We need our customers to have a good experience, so that they don’t spread bad news about us. In fact, it would be great if they gave all their friends glowing reviews of us. But what do you do to encourage that? Do you tell your customers to spread the good news about you? You probably don’t, but you should.
If our customers are pleased, we have numerous opportunities to turn that satisfaction into more sales. You can easily turn your customers into sales agents on your behalf, by empowering them with the tools they need to sell your services to their contacts.
Provide Tools for your Salesforce
The most powerful tool in your sales agent arsenal is a convincing and easy-to-remember pitch. If your customer understands your business, and what you can do, then he or she can sell it. Coupled with a great customer experience, your Agent will be both informed and motivated to sell you to friends and associates. All good salespeople like to have a few more concrete tools, so empower your Agents with a website that says what you do, and an easy to remember URL that your agents can give out. Give them a few business cards to pass on, or brochures. Recently, I was the Agent for a hair salon. They gave me coupon that had an expiration date. As I passed on the deals to my friends, I also found myself giving a pitch about the business, and why my friend should use the coupon. I am not sure what rate of return that interaction will bring that salon, but I do know that they got free advertising from me, and my friends trust me, and are more likely to go there in the future because of my endorsement.
Sell to Customers You Already Have
A Marketing Guru that I worked for at the beginning of my career said “It is far easier to sell to a customer you already have, than one you do not yet have.” And when you think about it, it seems so simple, so obviously true. Yet, the fact is that I have rarely met small business owners who have harnessed the potential in their current client base. Once our project is signed-off and payment is collected, we just move on to the next job and hope for they come back to us. Maybe our old customers will call. But maybe they won’t.
Why not give your client base a reason to come back?
Show them your additional services, things they haven’t yet purchased from you. Show them how to combine what they have already received from you with other services for greater benefit. An effective and inexpensive way to do that is through the web. Take some time to create a page that addresses current customers as well as future prospects. Spend some time thinking of ways you can sell additional services to your base. Think in terms of how you can benefit them. Then, push your customers to that page with a newsletter, an email, a brochure, a call, an offer… Just make sure they get there. And while some customers might take the bait, others will be sleeper Agents. They might not need the services now, but they’ll know about them and will be able to get out there and sell your services to others.
Our babysitter sends me a text message every other week or so, “just saying Hi! let me know if you need anything.” Her note often prompts me to schedule something for the weekend, and give her a call. If she hadn’t contacted me, I might have arranged something else. So the moral is, stay in front of your customers. If you do, they are more likely to call you, or refer you to others.
Provide Free Expertise or Services
One smart business owner I worked with recently, sends out an email newsletter to his client base, informing them of new releases and items that will affect their business. By providing data that is valuable to his customers, he is giving them a reason to read his newsletter. His clients are aware of what’s happening in his business on a monthly basis, and what’s more– they care! This is because they have learned to trust him as the go-to guy for all their needs. By educating and training his customers, he has created a powerful sales force that requires little maintenance beyond a monthly newsletter and the customer service that he would normally provide.
All of these ideas will cost you very little in time or money. Most require only a change in your mindset, and behaviors. But all three ideas will get you a sales force when you can’t afford one. So give it a shot! And when you need to create collateral for your new-found sales agents, call me up! I’d be glad to make you a website or brochure, or work with you on that sales pitch for clients.