Attracting Customers...

Last time I finished with the importance of Referrals, today we start with…

Relationships: If you are not in the relationship business you should be! People work with and buy from people they trust, so start building those relationships now!

Respond: You need to respond to enquiries, complaints and questions as quickly as you can! Today communication is instant and so is moving to another supplier if people don’t get back!

Social networking: There are many sites available to use for promoting your Business; amongst the most useful are LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Try them.

Strapline: A single memorable sentence which sums up your uniqueness; display it next to your logo for most impact.

Testimonials: Always ask for feedback and use it to encourage potential customers to your Business.

Up-Selling: Give your customers the opportunity to buy a bigger or different version of the product or an enhanced product. Every time you buy someone will try to sell you more so why not do it too?!

Website: Keep it up to date and attractive to customers as it can be your most powerful selling tool!

You Tube: Create an account and your own Channel to sell your expertise!

Yourself: Remember you are the best sales tool for your Business, so work on yourself and develop and hone your skills to that end!

Good Luck!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

Attracting and keeping Customers...

Some more ideas to attract and keep Customers:

Press release: If you’re proud of what you do, tell people about it! It needs to be newsworthy so look at what type of news is published and adapt your news accordingly.

Product grid: Have a grid showing your products and services and a list of your top customers to make sure people know what you do and for whom.

Product range: As above but this time a complete list of your products and services so your customers can see the range and choice available.

Product samples: Do you / can you provide free samples of your work?

Professional groups: What groups are you / should you be a member of? Groups are a good way of meeting like-minded professionals and keeping an eye on the opposition!

Promotional gifts: Create freebies that get attention and keep your customers, and potential customers, aware of your business.

Radio: Get to know the local station(s), the presenters and programmes that deal with local interests; local radio is a great supporter of small business in the area, so use it!

Rapport: An essential part of customer relations is putting people at their ease, and it is often neglected. A skill you should work on!

Referrals: The most precious of all introductions! Do you have a system, do you ask? If not begin today!

As always, try these suggestions for your business, after all what’s the worst that can happen?!

More next time!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

Getting and keeping Customers.....

Continuing our series on attracting Customers...

Networking: The single most effective method of getting in front of potential clients and impressing them! So join a group(s) and turn up regularly as it takes time to build trust and, as we know, all business is based on trust! See earlier Blogs on Networking.

Newsletters: keep in people’s minds by sending out a regular Newsletter; it works!

Offers: Have regular time limited offers to attract attention.

PDF Brochures: A good way to get over your message and, ensuring it is not altered; they should be available to download from your site.

Photographs: A picture is a very effective way to show your staff, products or happy customers etc.

Manners: being polite costs nothing and can do a great deal of good for your Company image!

Make sure all staff are “singing off the same hymn sheet”  and there is a Company style.

Postcards: These are a good and colourful way to keep in touch, say “Thank you” or provide information.

Posters: A great way to advertise! Give them to Customers to display. Some good ideas here: http://www.businessballs.com/freeonlineresources.htm

Do try at least one of these ideas and it should help you gain and retain customers!

More next time!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

Attracting and keeping customers...

Further ways to attract and keep customers…

Guarantee: Always offer a no questions guarantee.

Headlines: They sell so make them good, ask questions.

Integrity: Goes without saying, and you’ll lose customers without it!

Keywords: These attract so keep a list of the important ones and use them in all your social media communications too.

Leaflets: These are a cheap way to keep in touch.

Letters: Especially “Thank you” ones for new customers!

LinkedIn: If you’re not on it you should be!

Listen: If you’re not a good listener, become one!

Lists: Keep all your customer lists up to date.

Logo: Does yours attract and encapsulate your Business?

Do try at least one of these ideas and it should help you gain and retain customers!

More next time!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

More ways to attract Customers...

Here are some more ideas for attracting Customers:

1. Demonstrations: if you can show your product(s) it is a good way to get your customer’s attention.

2. Directories: Make sure you Business is listed to be noticed!

3. Dormant Customers: If you have customers who haven’t bought from you recently, why not get in touch via mail or Bulletin or even offer them a special discount to come back!

4. Mail: Send out regular mails to keep your customers in the loop.

5. Referrals: Include a call for referrals in your header or salutation; after all referrals are the best type of introductions!

6. Passion: Make sure you communicate with passion, because if you don’t who will believe you?

7. Social media: Consider Facebook for Business and Twitter as advocates of your Business – but always remember your Brand in all your postings!

8. Follow-up: Always, always, always follow-up!

9. Incentives: Offer incentives for loyalty, returning customers, new customers…

10.  Write: Offer to write as an “expert” for publications and fellow Businesses.

Again, try at least one of these ideas and it will help you gain and retain customers!

More next time!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

Attracting Customers...

Try some of these ideas, adapted from Nigel Temple of the Marketing Compass, to attract more customers to your Business:

1. Advocates: people who will recommend you.

2. Articles / Blogs: write a useful article or Blog regularly.

3. Benefits: tell people what you & your Business can do for them.

4. Booklets: you are an expert on your business so write about it!

5. Brand: your Brand is your values, what you stand for.

6. Business card: you have one of course?!

7. Case Studies: show examples of your successes.

8. Copy: marketing words, write to sell, so make them compelling.

9. Cross selling: tell customers about what else you offer.

10. Customer service: under promise and over deliver.

If you just try one of these ideas it will help you gain and retain customers!
More next time!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/

Getting people's attention...

Having written out your 1.USP and 2. Your problem/solution statement...

3. Now write another sentence that explains the key points of how you deliver your solution. Your statement should be a very brief summary of the key features and benefits of what you are selling.  For example:

 “By writing the blog posts for them, I free up their time to focus on other parts of their business”. 

This isn’t a sales pitch, which would just turn off someone that you met in an elevator. It’s a summary of why your solution actually works. It shouldn’t give a person all the details of your business. Instead, it should create an opening for more questions from the other person. In other words, it’s a great way to get a conversation going.

4. Put it all together

Now that you’ve written the basics of your elevator speech, it’s time to put it all together.

• Practice saying it out loud
• Add other details to make your speech sound natural.
•  Try it out on someone else and get their feedback and reaction.
• Remember to time yourself to make sure your “little” speech doesn’t take more than about a minute.
• Take the time revise and revisit your elevator speech frequently, especially as your business changes.

Creating your own individual elevator speech is far more important than most people ever realise. You never know when you will meet someone that can be a help to you in your business, or who is a potential customer. This is the one liner you can use with friends who have no idea what you do or with business colleagues you meet at a conference “in the elevator”. It is your pathway  to opening the door to a new business relationships.

Some tasks now…

You’ve read how to craft your USP and turn it into an elevator pitch. Craft one for your blog. The wonderful thing about the elevator pitch is it helps you market not just yourself but also your blog, your ebooks and other aspects of your business.

Good luck!

Malcolm 

http://www.stevenagelocalbusiness.com/