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Report #6: How To Increase The 3 R’s Of Good Salesmanship Retention, Referrals & Repeat Sales
| Getting a new customer is a very small part of selling. One-shot sales, however, don’t help you to build a predictable, secure and growing business. It takes more than glib talk, a big smile, shined shoes and a few glowing promises to build customer loyalty and repeat business. The key to a consistent income in selling is the development of clientele. The salesperson who carefully develops positive relationships with his customers builds a strong foundation for his future. When enough customers are firmly established, you can expect repeat business and an assured income that provides a firm foundation for your livelihood. That’s what professionals call a “customer base”. The salesperson can go back to these customers with new products or services with the knowledge that they will get a favorable reception. It’s also likely that the positive attitudes that have been established will make it easier to get referrals. The building of relationships with customers is the key to keeping them, getting repeat business from them, and acquiring referrals. It can be the difference between worrying about your next meal and having a reliable income base. Why don’t salespeople make it a priority to build strong relationships with their clients? One reason is simple laziness. It takes time and effort. Consequently, many salespeople ignore this part of their job. Another reason is competition. This competition takes many forms. It’s not only other salespeople selling similar products. It’s an enormous amount of competition from innumerable sources for your customer’s interest, attention and dollars. Reliable research indicates that today the average adult is bombarded with more invitations to spend money in one eight-hour period than he was in 30 twenty-four hour periods only five years ago. An example of this is the switch from 60-second TV commercials to 30-second commercials. This makes it possible to have twice as many commercials in the same time slot. More catalogs were mailed last fall than in any previous fall in U.S. History. There is a tremendous competition for your customer’s attention, interest, and spend-able dollars. You cannot match all this competition blow for blow, dollar for dollar. The secret is to do things to stay on top of your customers consciousness. Being remembered and well-thought of is half the battle! You’ve probably heard this adage: out of sight, out of mind. If you’re out of the customer’s mind at the moment he needs something you sell or at the moment a competing salesperson contacts him, you’ll lose out on repeat business from that customer. Another old adage also applies. It is: what you take for granted, you lose. If your customer feels ignored or neglected and thinks your only interest is the dollars your earn from his orders, you’re likely to lose him to someone else. Your objective, then, is to mount a planned campaign to let the customer know that you care about him, value the relationship and are eager to be of service. Here are a few ideas for your campaign: 1. Organize your customers on a mailing list. Send mailings to those on the list at least six times a year. This contact program might include a Christmas card, mailings about new products and services, news about special offers and thank you notes for orders you have gotten. You can use letters, flyers, and postcards. The important thing is that the customer is periodically reminded that you are ready to be of service, and that you are eager to keep him posted on special opportunities. 2. In most businesses, you’ll sell more and increase your value to the customer by teaching proper, most effective usage of what you sell. Some salespeople collect new product use ideas and tips from their customers, put them together in tip-sheets and occasionally mail these out to all their customers. This kind of information can even form the basis for a newsletter that can be sent to customers several times a year. 3. Advertising specialties such as pens, calendars, scratch pads and items useful to your customers, imprinted with your name and identification information, frequently remind your customers to do business with you. Choose items appropriate for your customers and your business. Visual reminders are a good investment. 4. Develop special opportunities to contact clients. One salesman, for example, keeps a ticker file of his clients and their wedding anniversary dates. He calls each one a week a ahead of time to remind them of their anniversary. Special strategies like this can create tremendous goodwill and loyalty. The salesperson who survives on the basis of one sale at a time is constantly in search of the next new customer. He cheats himself with his shortsightedness. Because of his lack of planning, he is constantly under pressure and stress. Choose, instead, to build a reliable customer base that will provide you with repeat business and referrals. Like other professionals, your success depends on the relationships you establish and the reputation you build for yourself. If you do your job properly, you can build a business that will be rewarding...one that will provide a secure financial future for you and your family. Source: 15 Secret, Money Making Reports! | |
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