Why existing buyers are your best prospects
Are you obsessed with finding new leads – at the expense of your most valuable resource? So many businesses work really hard to get the first sale, then drop the ball after that. They do a good job when asked. But it’s all reactive. They’re waiting for customers to say what they want, and then responding. 
There are 3 keys to encouraging people to buy more, and more often
- Make them feel really welcome
- Give a great customer experience
- Educate about what else you can do for them
Why welcome? What happens in your business after you’ve taken the first order? Does your buyer feel it’s just a transaction – or are they welcomed into your business community? The next step is critical, and after that, the touchpoints in the first 90 days can make all the difference. It’s simple and very effective deliver useful stuff by email (including a judicious sprinkling of product information, as long as you don’t overdo the selling). Email works, so use it as your cornerstone. But it faces pretty stiff competition for attention. If you want to stand out, you need to do more than just plug them into an automated email sequence:
- Pick up the phone and say thanks. Find out more about them.
- Send a Thank You card welcoming them to your community. It’s amazing how powerful snail mail can be, just because it’s now used less often
- Mail a Welcome Pack full of useful goodies. Be generous.
- Pay them a visit. Face to face meetings can ramp up relationships very quickly.
- Ask for feedback. Send a survey to find out what worked for them, and what didn’t
Improve customer experience Forrester Research found that only 37% of brands received a rating of good or excellent for customer service. Which means that 63% were rated OK, poor or very poor by their customers. When someone buys from you, make sure it’s an experience they’d like to repeat. Everyone on your team who has customer contact needs to understand each step in your process, and be able to deliver it consistently and reliably. If you’re doing this by the seat of your pants at the moment, start by mapping every contact point and brainstorm with your team the best way to deliver them. Teach what you do Charles Tyrwhitt is a champion at this. They’re an English shirt and clothing manufacturer. They are brilliant at regular, consistent and enticing communication with buyers, both online and offline. Charles Tyrwhitt sends a welcome letter to every new customer, and follows with a printed catalogue every month. This always contains an offer. It might be free shipping, or a time limited discount. Or it could be a spectacularly good value sale on particular products. Their catalogues are full of interesting product detail and simple, easy purchase information. All of this is backed up by email alerts, and great customer service. Products are shipped quickly, there’s a no questions asked guarantee with free return shipping if the product doesn’t fit or is faulty, so no buying risk at all. Their customer help line is excellent. Obviously I’m a big fan – and frequent buyer. The catalogue has enticed us to buy shirts and shoes when it was the last thing on our agenda. (No, I don’t have shares in the company. But we have told lots of friends about them!). What more can you do to make your customers feel loved – and more likely to buy again?
