Beefing Up Customer Reserves

Hanging on to existing customers is hard, but getting new customers is even harder. Here are a few things which may help in getting you more customers to make your Small Business big.

Please bear in mind that different things work for different businesses.

1. Re-sell to your existing customers: After all you’ve earned their trust, so top up the glass when its empty. This involves predicting when the punters glass is about to dry up, then hitting them with an offer that’s too good to resist.

How Can I re-sell to my customers: When they are buying from you, give them an incentive to leave an Email address or a phone number.

2. Sell to the people you buy from: If you buy something from another business/person, pitch your products to them to.

3. Try a New Marketing Technique: Try Email marketing, Direct Mail, Social Networks, Ad Networks, handing out flyers to your target audience in particular location (not anyone or any place).

Where can I try new marketing techniques: Simply stick the keywords mentioned above in Google and you’ll be spoilt for choice

4. Open up dialogue with your target audience: Allow users to comment about your products and services. Then create regular discussions and forums, find most active participants and invite them to be part of your product development process.

How can I open up dialogue: Facebook, Twitter, UTube Videos about your products…

5. Great PR Coverage: Getting into a local publication or an industry publication is great publicity. Getting into the publication is not as hard as you think. Spend some cash (about £250) sponsor a kids Sunday league team, write to your local paper and tell them about it. The kids need the kit and you need the publicity.

6. Talk about benefits not features: If you sell iPods, don’t speak about 2Gig hard drives, tell me how many songs I can keep on my device. If you can show me how I can save money that’s even better.

7. Good old sales calls: Don’t just call anyone. Prepare a prospect profile, prepare a pitch and don’t try to get the sale in one shot. The goal here is to open up dialogue so you can send a sample, fact sheet or flyer.

How can I start doing sales calls: Small goals like 5 a day, prepare a pitch, make it useful for person picking up at the other end and say something nice even if they are not interested.

Don’t start the conversation with “Hi, how are you” or “Hi, my name is …, is now a good time to talk”, be straight to the point then ask “ Is this something that may interest you”. There is a time and place for “Hi how are you…” but it’s not on a sales call.

If they are not interested, just move on to the next one. Remember they need the service you need the cash.