Archive for September, 2009
A few months ago I started working with a client to move their email list and automate creation and distribution of their monthly email newsletter. Now, moving a list is a HUGE pain in the butt. It requires a good bit of coordination and multiple steps to make sure all the folks who currently get your emails keep doing so.
Even if you do everything perfectly--and give folks a juicy reason to take action and re-subscribe on your new list--you're probably going to lose about 50% of them for a variety of reasons.
Imagine my surprise when less than 20% of my client's list made the move!
At first, I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. Then I made an interesting discovery...Because they hated their current Website and were waiting for a new one to launch, they had quit sending out emails for almost 6 months!
Without a doubt this was the kiss of death!!
Think about it...
They hadn't communicated with anyone on their list in 6 months unless those folks happened to come into their office. So, when we started sending emails about the list moving, chances are good many of their subscribers probably didn't recognize who they were from. And even if they did, they probably didn't remember why they wanted his emails in the first place.
Given how full everyone's Inbox is these days, they had no reason to even open the emails we were sending...Let alone take the time to sign up for more.
Had he kept sending emails on a regular basis this wouldn't have happened.
A few months later I saw the same problem, only this time it was with direct mail.
Because my client had recently started offering a terrific new service, we sent out a series of letters about it to all of his active patients. Even though our timing wasn't the best since our mailings went out right as the economic slowdown was hitting the news, we got a solid 2% response.
A couple months later we sent the same letters with the addition of a postcard to all of the patients he hadn't seen in one to two years.
I'm still waiting to hear the final results of the promotion, but last I checked the numbers were much lower. Even more telling, at least 10% of the people we mailed called and asked to be removed from his mailing list!
Same basic promotion, one big difference...The second group hadn't heard a single thing from my client in at least a year. And they weren't interested in hearing from him now.
Had he been doing regular mailings this would not have been the case. I can say this with confidence because the first group's reaction (people who had regular contact with my client) was so different.
This won't happen again because we've now started both monthly print and email newsletters to all his patients. But there's no doubt he lost a lot of potential business by not staying in touch.
What can you do to stay in touch with your clients and customers without breaking the bank?
1) Start an email newsletter with helpful tips and ideas, and commit to sending it regularly. Monthly is the minimum, bi-weekly is better, and weekly is best.
2) Send unexpected greeting cards. Sure the obligatory holiday card is a good thing. But those only go out once a year. Try sending cards on smaller holidays like 4th of July, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, etc. Or just send one for fun.
3) Pick up the phone. I try to make a point of touching base with my clients by phone at least a couple times a year. Just call them up and ask how they are. No sales pitch. They'll be blown away!
4) Give 'em a gift. I love sending books. But if that's too expensive, you can always create a free report, checklist, video or worksheet and offer it for download via your Website.
5) Send a print newsletter. Sure, the cost of snail mail keeps going up. But this means less junk is hitting our...Making it the perfect time to send print materials!
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you keep doing it! So don't bite off more than you can chew. And if you need to, outsource it so it gets done.
Remember, if you don't stay in touch with your clients and prospects on a regular basis they're going to forget who you are and what makes your products and services so wonderful. Then you're guaranteed to lose clients...And money!
Thoughts, ideas or suggestions on this topic? Please do share by leaving a comment below!
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Have you ever noticed how every airplane flight you get in is completely full, and some are even so overbooked they start asking for volunteers to change flights?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could do the same in your business? Well, you can.
For the last few years I’ve been booked out anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months in advance for my services.
It’s nice to not always be stressing about where my next project is coming from. And it tells me I’m doing something right—both with the results I get for my clients, and with my marketing.
If you provide a service like consulting, graphic design, Web design, Interior Design, copywriting, etc. you can book yourself out weeks or even months in advance too. All you have to do is follow the airlines’ lead…
The reason flights are always full is that airlines regularly oversell seats by about 30%. They realize that a certain number of people are either going to no-show, cancel or change their flights. So rather than have those seats go empty, they sell more seats than they have and count on this to balance things out.
To do the same in your business, you should always be talking to more prospects than you can serve. Because until you have a signed contract (and maybe a deposit) in hand, and a firm start date on your calendar, that project or client is not a sure thing.
Due to absolutely no fault of your own, a percentage of even the hottest prospects are always going to vanish into thin air. Some may come back weeks, months or even years later. But you can’t be holding up your business waiting on them.
If you have about 30% more prospects in your pipeline than you can actually work with, chances are good you’ll be booked solid.
Of course, in order to do that you’re going to have to do consistent marketing. So get out there and get yourself known for whatever it is you’re best at. If you need help with marketing your small business, check out my other articles on this site and click the link in my bio box to find even more helpful resources.
Once you get your marketing machine in gear, if it’s working right the next big question is…What do you do when you’re booked solid and still have people who want a piece of your time and expertise?
1) Create a waiting list. Remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling prospects you can’t fit them in for weeks, or even months. In fact, that’s a good thing as it creates a sense of scarcity and says to prospects that you are in demand because your services are top notch. Wouldn’t it be nice to have people paying you a deposit to be on your waiting list…?
2) Keep filling your pipeline. Never stop marketing. Even if you don’t have time to take on a single additional client, you should still have prospects lined up who are interested in hiring you. Because eventually a spot will open on your calendar and you don’t want to be scrambling to fill it.
3) Help more people at one time for less money. Speaking engagements, ebooks, books, membership sites, coaching groups, teleseminars, and workshops are easy ways to bring your services to many instead of only working one-to-one. They let you offer your expertise at a lower cost than hiring you. And they’re terrific marketing tools because they position you as an expert while getting your name out into the world.
4) Raise your rates! If you always have a waiting list of clients you won’t be able to work with for more than 4 weeks, you’re clearly not charging enough. Sure, you might lose a few clients due to the price increase, but you’ll actually be able to give each client more attention, and make more while working less. Then you can focus on #3 and use those avenues to help folks who can’t afford your current rates.
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[tags] Small business, marketing, new clients, waiting list, booking, selling services, prospects, pipeline [/tags]
