If you’re like many entrepreneurs these days, business is slower than you’d like. Because, in addition to an economy that’s forced people to think much harder about where they’re spending their money, the Internet has created a lot more competition. That means clients, customers or patients can be harder to come by.
So what do you do if business is slow, and you don’t have a lot to invest in marketing or advertising?
It’s simple… You pick up the phone and call your past clients, customers or patients just to check in and see how things are going. Are they happy with the product? Did they benefit from the service? Are they feeling well?
Now, keep in mind I’m not saying you want to be a pushy salesperson. Nor do I expect you to call during the dinner hour. But realistically you should WANT to know how they’re doing and how happy they are with your products or services. And as a business owner, you NEED to know this information if you want to grow.
So grab that customer or client list and set aside 30 minutes to an hour a day to make follow up calls. Chances are you’ll leave quite a few voice mails, but be sure to move those folks to the end of your list and call them again later.
When you do get someone on the phone, while you shouldn’t sell, be prepared for them to want to buy. Because many people, if they were happy with what they bought from you before, will happily buy again – particularly when provided with a convenient opportunity to do so. Heck, they might even have been thinking about doing so for weeks but just hadn’t gotten around to it.
On top of all that, even those that don’t buy are going to be reminded of you. And they’re going to experience, right then, how much you truly care about the quality of your products and services, as well as their experience and results. Meaning the chance of getting a referral from them goes way up!
What if you’ve just opened your doors and don’t have past clients, customers or patients to call?
If that’s the case, then you need to get in front of a lot of well-targeted prospects as quickly as possible. So do a bit of research and identify other people or organizations offering complementary products or services to the same target market. Then call to introduce yourself and get to know them better.
If they seem like someone you might want to support or work with, look for ways to partner up or help each other. Think: shared marketing, cross marketing, referrals, joint ventures, offering teleseminars to each other’s lists, trading blog posts, creating and delivering a program or product together, etc.
The bottom line is, when you’re a small business owner you need to hustle. The Internet, email and social media are great, but sometimes a more personal connection does the job better.
That’s why you need to pick up the phone, reach out and make contact. And do it regularly. When you do this, you’re going to grow your business; and you’re going to learn a ton about your business, your customers and yourself along the way.
Do you regularly call your clients, customers or patients just to check in? If so, what are your results? If not, why not? What other thoughts do you have about this? Please do leave a comment…
If you run a small business, your life is ridiculously busy.And if you have a significant other, spouse, kids or anyone else that deserves a chunk of your time, well then your life is probably almost impossibly busy.
Stay in touch – When was the last time you called a past client or referral partner just to check in? If it’s been more than 6 months, there’s no time like the present to pick up the phone and say “Hi. How’s it goin’?”
