Everyone wants powerful word-of-mouth advertising for their business. When your satisfied clients refer new business to you because you've done your job and done it well, you increase your revenue and need to spend less time and money on marketing and advertising. Does it get any better than that? Well, yes, it could.
In addition to sending you referral business for new clients, your current clients should be cultivated for their repeat business. When you market to your current clients, you can avoid dreaded cold calling, minimize marketing and advertising costs, and get a higher rate of return on the time and money that you spend marketing to those who already know and love your work.
Consider these five easy marketing steps that can help you in your quest to create passionate clients.
#1: Get client feedback
To understand what you do well and what needs improvement, survey your clients at the end of your interaction or once a year. This allows valuable real-time feedback on your work and helps you continue your relationship with the client beyond your initial meetings. That, in turn, improves your chances of getting more work from them. Ideally, take clients to lunch and talk one-on-one; you can find out more that way than you can with a phone conversation.
When you begin each sale, let the client know that you will want some feedback at the sale's end, especially if you are some distance from your clients and can't take them to lunch. Email the questions ahead of time even if you will be able to meet in person so they have some time to prepare and won't feel like they've been caught off-guard.
For the most useful feedback, ask questions that get them to think and communicate their feelings about you and the work that you did. Try adapting these questions to your business:
o "In my past dealings with you, what do you think worked well? What did you love about my work?"
o "What did you gain from working with me? What have you been able to implement as a result of our interaction?"
o "What could I have improved on? Is there anything you feel I could have done more or less of? Did you hope for anything that you didn't get?"
The idea here is to ask questions that will uncover future client needs, not necessarily to uncover anything you didn't do well, though knowing that can also help you improve your practice. Don't forget: This exercise is meant to generate your clients' comments, so let them talk.
#2: Give away information freely and frequently
Who doesn't like to get free stuff? By giving away selected pieces of information at no charge and on a regular basis through e-newsletters, live and virtual seminars, booklets, and articles, you can give clients something they've never seen before and open their minds to using your services. Experiment with new ways of giving your clients information that will remind them of how much you know. Get them thinking about what they could be doing differently and about how you might help them with that.
Don't worry that they won't work with you because you've already given them everything they need for free. You're only giving them a tantalizing taste of what you know and what you can do, not the whole meal. Design the information so they know that behind what you're giving them lies a host of other important information with practical applications. In other words, the information you offer for free only hints at your expertise and how they can apply that knowledge so it works for them.
#3: Create a positive stir
While it may not be entirely true that bad publicity is better than no publicity, there is nothing wrong with doing something a little edgy, even a little outrageous, to generate positive buzz and potential new clients. Do whatever it takes to get your name in the public eye in a positive way. One way you can do this is by publishing cutting-edge articles that help you make a name for yourself. Or try throwing an event that gets people's attention and puts your good reputation out there.
How does this positive stir help cultivate relationships with current clients? When your current clients see or hear of others using your products or services, they remember how great you are to work with. You're now back on their radar screen, and if they need what you offer, they'll come back to you, even if they've been approached by other agents who offer the same thing that you do.
#4: Build a client community
Look for opportunities to invite clients and decision-makers to come together in a fun, relaxing social setting so all of your clients can have a chance to get to know one another. This creates a synergy; what you do for one client may be something you could do for another. For example, host a free educational seminar or teleseminar that brings your client community together so that they learn from one another the possibilities of working with you. By introducing clients, you're helping them network, and when they start talking, they'll likely talk about you, hopefully in glowing terms. Very often you'll find that soon after your clients talk to each other, your phone will ring more and more.
If your clients are all over the world and it's not possible to get together, you can still get them talking to each other. You can start an email discussion group, an online bulletin board, or a Web site. Another aspect of creating community is giving your customers a feel for the real people behind your company, so put real people on your Web site, put faces on your business cards, and write customer case studies that show that you have a proven track record.
#5: Offer samples of your other capabilities
Your newer clients may know you and appreciate your expertise, but they're only familiar with one aspect of the work you're capable of. Offering live examples of what you can do, through a seminar, for example, can show current clients what you have to offer in addition to your primary work. If your financial planning business has corporate clients whose personal business you'd like, for example, invite them to an estate-planning seminar. Or give two top executives in one of your corporate clients' offices early retirement planning kits or access to a free downloadable product to pique their interest in your services. Again, don't worry that you're giving away the farm when you offer a sampling of your knowledge to entice a client to do further business with you. A seminar is just a live version of your e-newsletters and articles; it should introduce your clients who've concentrated their work with you in one aspect of your business to other things that you do. And teleseminars and booklets for your out-of-town clients should leave them wanting more of your great work.
Communication builds confidence and clientele
Like any good relationship, this sort of marketing works best when you and your clients have excellent communication. What are you doing to demonstrate to your clients that you produce the results you promise? If you try any or all of these five steps, you'll know, because they'll tell you. These five steps will lead to more open communication with your current clients, and with greater communication come more opportunities for work from clients with whom you already have an excellent relationship. You'll know everything you need to know about your client's wants and needs, and you'll become their indispensable solution.
Marsha Lindquist is a business strategist, author and speaker. As CEO of The Management Link Inc., Ms. Lindquist has over 20 years' experience as a business consultant who works with her clients to transform their organization. For more information, visit www.marshalindquist.com or email marsha@marshalindquist.com.
