Marketing Starts With Your Current Customers

by Paul Simister on May 12, 2013

This is the first marketing tip in a series based on

>>> Being Good At Marketing Isn’t A Nice-If But A Must Have

Marketing Tip 1 – Marketing Starts With Your Current Customers

Make sure that you provide the best service you can for your current customers because they provide an essential source of future sales revenue, both directly and indirectly.

Set high standards in your work.

Have an absolute commitment to providing what the customer thinks they are buying and a commitment to giving your customers great value for money.

Remember the saying “Under-promise and over-deliver.”

Too many businesses do the opposite, they “Over-promise and under-deliver” and I bet you can think of people who have done exactly that and you’ll know that it doesn’t encourage more more business.

Marketing Tip 1a – Can Your Current Customers Buy More?

This is not spinning out existing work for longer so that they pay you more. That would be naughty and cause you to lose a good client.

Instead I am talking about finding out if there are other tasks that you can do for them. Ask if there are other areas related to your work that give them problems.

This may be something that they are doing for themselves, something that they should be doing but don’t at the moment or something that other people are doing but you can do it better or cheaper.

Marketing Tip 1b – Ask Your Best Customers To Give You A Glowing Testimonial.

The best testimonials start with the problem your customer had before you started, go on to explain how easy it was to select you and to work with you and then explain the benefits that the customer has received from your product or service.

The testimonials should also be clearly named.

“Mr J, London” doesn’t create the same impact as the full name, the company name, website, telephone number or even a photograph.

The most convincing testimonials are video testimonials followed by audio. The conviction of the customer comes through in their voice and body language.

The aim is to give new prospective customers and clients a reference that connects with how they are feeling at the moment (the problem and all the bad issues connected to it), how easy it is to change and all the good things that will happened when they too become a customer.

You will find that people are much more receptive to people saying something like:

“I didn’t know where to turn before I contacted Paul because my business was really struggling and I over many wasted months, I’d discovered that I couldn’t find the answers on my own. It was easy to start the coaching, reassuring that I had a business best friend and it was also fun. Now that I have been coached for six months I find he keeps me focused on what I have to do and stops me following up on too many silly ideas. My profits have already jumped by £27,000 after years of making just enough to survive. I recommend you give him a call for a free, no obligation chat and see where it leads.”

than

“Paul is great and can help your business.”

It’s even worse if there are no testimonials and your marketing only consists of you are saying “I am great…”

I recommend that you also ask your customers if they are prepared to back up their testimonial with a telephone reference for any serious potential customer who is hard to convince. Don’t worry, because if you’ve done a great job and you provide real value for money, the vast majority of your customers will want to support you.

Marketing Tip 1c – Ask Your Customers For Referrals

People often know people like themselves.

A graphic designer will know other graphic designers, an accountant knows other accountants and small business owners know other business owners.

If your customer says that you have done a great job for them, it makes it an easy introduction to people they know who may have similar problems.

While you want customers to make referrals when the opportunities arise, be brave and tell them that you’d like more clients like them. Ask them if they know anyone else who has a similar problem or issue and could need help.

Can you find a way to reward a customer who gives you a referral that turns into business?

How well financial rewards go down depends on the value, frequency and the values and beliefs of the person. A thank you is always appreciated and it’s excellent practice to tell the person who gave you the referral whether you turned the referral into a customer.

If you won the business, the thank you makes the referrer feel good.

If it was the wrong type of lead, it gives you the chance to still thank them but also to teach them more about the right kind of potential customer for you in the future.