The one topic I’ve been asked the most questions about recently, is about how often you should contact your customers and clients.

So how often do YOU contact YOUR clients?

I’d be willing to bet that it’s nowhere near enough!

It’s my experience that there is far too much time focused on regular contact with PROSPECTIVE customers and clients, and not nearly enough time and money spent on cultivating relationships with EXISTING customers and clients.

You may think a little differently once you take the following two facts into consideration:

FACT 1 – The majority of you profits will come from the ongoing relationship you have with your EXISTING clients.

FACT 2 – 68% of people change supplier because they PERCEIVE their existing supplier doesn’t care about them.

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A big concern at the moment seems to be the perceived increase in competition for every marketplace…

A recession is actually a good foundation for growth… provided you are focusing your business in a structured and targeted way.

But it does mean that it is ESSENTIAL to be able to clearly differentiate yourself from your competitors in the eyes of the prospective client, and critical that you remain (or get) client-focused.

But concentrating on customer care and client satisfaction is only part of the battle, once you have got the clients to buy from you in the first place…

You may have noticed there are HEAPS of marketing messages out there which you have to compete for attention against, and that’s not only from your direct competition.

Everyone is being more careful how and where they spend their money. It doesn’t mean they have stopped; just they are being more choosy about what they spend it on and what is going to bring in the biggest benefit.

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Getting in front of a prospect is only a part of the selling process.

This is closely followed by having to convince them that you are THE solution to their problem (assuming you have correctly identified their problem of course!)

One of the strategies you should be using to convince your prospect is PROOF that you can deliver the solution they need. But this in itself is not enough, it also helps if you can show proof of having done it before – of having helped others who have had exactly the same problem as they are having.

One of the elements you should use – and which should be in every marketing arsenal – are testimonials.
Testimonials from satisfied customers are one of the best and most powerful assets you can build, but how do you go about collecting them?

Now let’s be clear – You’re not looking for the “John is a nice guy and easy to work with…” type comment.

You are looking for a powerful rave review which you can use to attract more customers and clients.
Here are my top tips for collecting effective testimonials which you can use to add power throughout your marketing.

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Well it’s that time of year again – mulled wine by a log fire and mince pies until your trousers are tight around the waist.

This year I have a gift for you which will help you be more persuasive with your clients when you communicate with them in 2009, but before you go charging off to go and get your gift, one small piece of advice…

As with any piece of marketing advice, it is only ever beneficial to you it you ACT ON IT.

Lack of action is one of the biggest reasons businesses stagnate and die, and while we are in the economic climate we are in, now is NOT a good time to remain actionless!

Each week, if you look at one piece of advice, or one technique, or one strategy and take action to apply it to your business, in 12 months time you would have 52 new strategies working for you, growing your business – you’d have a powerhouse.

Anyway, subscribers to my newsletter will shortly receive an email which has a link and information which you will need to take action on, to receive your gift – if you are not already subscribed then you can do so here:

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Many business owners I have spoken to recently are worried about how they will survive the next 12 months. Understandably so, for anyone watching the news coverage of our current economic climate would think the whole world was about to end.

Yes, there are undoubtedly problems – and the banks do have a lot to answer for – but I’ve only hear one “specialist” say anything which makes any true sense of the situation…

“This situation WILL NOT LAST…”

Now it might take a year or two to correct itself, but it WILL correct itself. According to Reuters the FTSE was up 8% at close of trading yesterday.

So why won’t anyone say how it really is?

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For as long as I can remember we have been taught that choice is a good thing.

It has never been more easy to get what you want, in the colour you want, in the size you want, in the quantity you want, when you want and at the price you want.

And that’s a good thing… Right?

Yes in many ways it is – certainly for the consumer. But as a business there is the danger you can offer too much choice.

You see, while offering choices can increase the probability of a sale, it can also work against you and cause the reverse to happen – you can actually LOSE sales.

For the majority of people, too much choice actually makes it difficult for them to make any choice at all.

Let’s look at Starbucks.

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Now that’s a question…

You’ve heard me talk about the importance of getting your marketing message right, and about how important it is to have the right offer going out to the right prospects, to maximise your probability of making a sale.

But even getting this part right is only the start. You now come to the part where you have to communicate that message in a compelling way, which encourages the reader to read all of your message. So they WANT to read on about how your product or service will enhance their lives or make their business run more smoothly.

So how easy is it to get this message across?

One of my new clients recently asked me about writing the copy for a sales letter he wanted to send out.

“I have no idea how to write copy,” he said. “Do I need to get a copywriter to write it for me?”

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As a child I clearly remember my mother telling me (on more than one occasion) “Use your common sense!”

But what IS ‘Common Sense’?

Just because something is obvious to you, doesn’t necessarily mean the same to someone else. If it did, we would all have had the same grades in our “O-Levels” (I’m showing my age now ), all drive SMART cars and all work as Cosmetic Dentists – now, apart from everyone having perfect looking teeth and always be able to find a parking space, how boring would that be?

But assuming that everyone will react in the same way also causes a problem…

… it’s all too easy to take things for granted, especially when it comes to marketing your business. It is way too easy to assume that your prospects will know and understand the benefits of your product or service like you do.

Remember Blendtec who I mentioned a few weeks ago? Let’s use them as an example…

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For some time now I have been asked if there is an easy way to attract a better class of client, as well as improve cashflow.

In my experience there is no such thing as an “easy way” – or at least, not in the way most people think of as easy – but there are 14 simple ideas you can use to get things running more smoothly and help you get consistent results and predictable business growth.

Here they are:

1. Clarify Who Your Ideal Client Is – Be clear who your clients are. Do you know exactly who needs the product or service you sell? Time to get specific.
2. Build A Clear USP – You absolutely need to be clear WHY you are different from your competitors. Create a great USP which clearly educates your clients and prospects about the benefits of buying from you. Focus on those things which not only tells your clients why you are the BEST choice, but why you are the ONLY choice when they are making their buying decision.
3. Gain Loyalty Through Education – Explain you and your business to clients and prospects in an informative and educational way. Explain to them the benefits of how your product or service will help and benefit their life or business. Remember WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? Make sure you tell them WHY they should even care!
4. Simplify Everything – You won’t offend anyone by explaining things using easy-to-understand language, as long as you don’t come across in a patronising manner. If your message is not clear and easy to understand, then go back and simplify it again.
5. Ignite Their Curiosity Don’t Bore Their Bones – What’s new in your business? Clients and prospects will want to know, providing there is a benefit to them. You need to give them compelling reasons to buy from you and keep buying from you again and again. Tell them what is new in your business and what you offer to your clients. Tell your client’s success stories, or new promotions of offers you are running.
6. Develop Client Trust – Like it or not, people who don’t know you will generally distrust you – it’s a fact of life. You need to overcome this distrust with proof that you can deliver the benefits you say you can. Use testimonials, case studies, industry facts and figures – anything and everything you can that shows you are the best at what you do.
7. Ask For Action – Always ask the prospect/client to take action – NOW. If you ask, more people are more likely to actually do what you want them to do.
8. Develop A Follow-Up Process – Firstly, make sure you do everything you can to capture a prospect’s contact information – present a compelling reason or offer as to why they should give you their details – and then follow up!
9. Create Upsells – Look at every opportunity to increase average client transaction value by increasing client spend at the time of purchase. What’s your “Would you like fries with that?”
10. Increase Response Through Phone Follow-Up – After any direct mail campaign, make sure you call as many of your list of prospects as you can – it will dramatically increase the response you get. If you don’t have time (or you are not comfortable doing it) yourself, then hire professionals to do it for you.
11. Take The Time To TELL Clients You Appreciate Them – Don’t let them guess, make SURE they know how much you value them – after all they pay the bills! Statistics show 68% of people change suppliers because they don’t feel that supplier cares about them!
    
12. Create Alliances And Joint Ventures – Find complementary businesses to joint venture with and cross-promote to their lists as well as your own.
13. Adopt A “Loyalty Programme” Mentality – People who have bought from you before are 6 times more likely to buy from you again, so you should be continually be developing your offering for products or services – either your own or through partners. Your entire strategy after they have bought once should be to offer them other things they can buy from you – again and again.
14. Establish An ACTIVE Referral System – Make sure you ASK your clients to refer to you – don’t rely on them to mention you in passing – most people forget or feel awkward. If someone has a really good experience dealing with your company, you can make it so they would feel guilty for NOT telling their friends, family and business associates about you. Sometimes offering rewards, incentive or some kind of benefit can increase the referrals you get.

This should give you an idea or two to work with, but I know that not everyone will have the time of confidence to get these implemented…

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