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<\/a><\/p>\nFirst, they\u2019re worried about alienating their client base. And there\u2019s good reason to be concerned. After all, the fastest way to destroy good will is to treat your customers as nothing more than a commodity.<\/p>\n
When you treat your customers as commodities and not people, they start to resent you.\u00a0 Your communications stop being \u201cwelcome guests\u201d and become \u201cannoying pests\u201d.\u00a0 And when that happens, you\u2019re dead in the water.<\/p>\n
Luckily, there\u2019s an easy way to get around that problem.\u00a0 All you have to do is provide something of value every time you contact your customers. That \u201csomething\u201d can be information. It can be a token of appreciation.\u00a0 It can be just about anything that your customers will assign some value to.<\/p>\n
The nice part about focusing on creating value rather than just asking for referrals or repeat business is that it\u2019s easy. As a business owner, you\u2019re already an expert in the eyes of your customers.\u00a0 All you have to do is share some of your knowledge.<\/p>\n
Best of all, when you focus on providing value, referrals just sort of happen. \u00a0When you provide real value to your past customers, they don\u2019t need much encouragement to refer new business to you.\u00a0 A gentle nudge and an easy way to send in the referral is all you need.\u00a0 In fact, anything more could be overkill.<\/p>\n
And when you provide value to your customers with every newsletter, postcard, or email you send, you can communicate with them more often, too.\u00a0 Because if you share useful information that\u2019s relevant to your customer\u2019s interests, they\u2019ll read everything you send them. \u00a0So you can \u201ctouch\u201d your customers 2\u20263\u2026or even 10 times each month and ask for gently ask referrals each time. Just imagine what that would do for your bottom line.<\/p>\n
Second, many business owners have neglected marketing to their past customers that they don\u2019t know where to start.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have any sort of past customer marketing program. They\u2019ve been out of touch for months\u2014sometimes years.\u00a0 \u00a0And as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to find a reason to get in touch with those customers.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s an easy way to get around that problem too.<\/p>\n
All you have to do is apologize.<\/p>\n
Yes, apologize.\u00a0 It\u2019s an amazingly simple and very powerful strategy.\u00a0 And almost no one uses it.<\/p>\n
Simply mail a deeply apologetic letter to your list of past clients.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have addresses, hire a college kid off Craigslist to go through all of your old files and pull together a mailing list.\u00a0 It will probably cost less than $150\u2014and the return on investment is almost limitless.<\/p>\n
The letter can read something like this:<\/p>\n
\u201cA Sincere Apology from __________.\u00a0 And a Free Cup of Coffee, Too.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, __________.\u00a0 I just wanted to say I\u2019m sorry that it\u2019s taken so long for me to get back to you.\u00a0 It\u2019s no excuse, but things have been so crazy that I just totally lost track of things\u2026and frankly, I\u2019ve been feeling a little guilty about it.<\/p>\n
All I can say is that it won\u2019t happen again.\u00a0 \u00a0I really appreciate your support of my business. And as a little \u201cthank you\u201d, I\u2019ve enclosed a free gift: a $5 gift card to your local Starbucks.\u00a0 No strings attached.<\/p>\n
Have a great day, and thanks again for your support!
\nSincerely,<\/p>\n
Joe Blow<\/p>\n
Joe Blow Enterprises, Inc.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, some of you may balk at the idea of giving away $5 to every one of your past customers.\u00a0 And depending on your industry and the size of your list, maybe that is too much.<\/p>\n
But if your average customer is worth, say, $300 or more, you should absolutely use this strategy.\u00a0 If your average customer is worth less, only offer the free gift to your best customers.<\/p>\n
By the way, don\u2019t make the gift dependent on the prospect taking any action. It\u2019s tempting to hold off on giving away the free gift until they respond.\u00a0 Don\u2019t.\u00a0 Offer it upfront and without any strings.\u00a0 The reciprocity that simple gesture builds is extremely powerful\u2014and it\u2019s why this strategy works.<\/p>\n
Reciprocity is an extremely powerful motivator.\u00a0 Used correctly, it can dramatically increase your bottom line profits.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t believe me, just look at Frank Kern. His success is built almost solely on his deep understanding of the power of reciprocity.<\/p>\n
Now, what the gift is doesn\u2019t really matter, as long as it has some value to your customers.\u00a0\u00a0 However, tangible, concrete gifts tend to have a higher perceived value.<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s another important caveat: don\u2019t make the gift in this first mailing business related\u2014no offers of free consultations or $50 off their next carpet cleaning. That comes next.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what I\u2019ll be talking about in my next article: how to create a complete push-button system that stays in touch with your clients for you.<\/p>\n
– Paul<\/em><\/p>\n