Now on to our topic…

Can you imagine what your Social Networking followers would think if you sent them a card in the mail?

In our predominantly digital world, how much could you stand out by taking a few moments to select a special greeting card and sending it to your, here I go, “peeps” via snail mail? There is a company that I highly recommend to do this. It’s called Send Out Cards.

It is a wonderful automated system.

After paying a membership fee, you can create and send out a greeting card via snail mail for under $2 (which includes postage). You can also send out gifts if you want.

With Send Out Cards, you can do annual campaigns, upload birthdays and anniversaries and send to groups of people or all of your contacts. Here’s what you can do…

Take a photo with someone well known, and then send that person a greeting card with the picture on the front. Or take a picture holding your favorite book or information product and send a card with that picture on the front to the author or writer of the information product. Make sure you put in a note thanking them. You can even upload your own handwriting.

The possibilities are tremendous.

Those of you who have assistants (virtual and otherwise) can use them to help streamline the process.

Setting up the system to work the way you want will be easier if someone takes you through the process the first time. So if after checking it out you decide you want to use it, I recommend that you contact Janet Ostrov at www.sendoutcards.com/36043 (This is Janet’s link. I am not an affiliate and do not get anything for this recommendation.) She’s an independent distributor for Send Out Cards and she’ll help you set up the system to do exactly what you want and make the process easy for you.

If you test this let me know your results.

Technorati Tags: customer relationship building, postcard mailing

This can always happen when you have an angry customer who has been let down by some part of your product or service. 

Don’t panic!

This could be an opportunity to show them how good your customer service really is.

I love the word “Recovery.”  This is the Secret…If you handle the situation well and recover well from a difficult situation, then customers are very likely to forgive your mistake and even praise the quality of your service.  When things go wrong, your customer wants you to solve their problems quickly.  They don’t want to hear excuses, who’s to blame or why it happened.  They just want the problem solved.

I recently had a situation where I had a meal that wasn’t cooked.  The waitress apologized, assured me that it will be done properly, and another plate was brought out within 15 minutes. 
The great part was that I wasn’t charged for the main meal and I was given a free glass of wine and desert.

Whenever I talk to someone about this restaurant…which I will recommend…I’ll mention that there was a small problem initially, but when I pointed it out, they really went overboard to correct the situation.

So don’t be afraid when something does go wrong.  You can recover from this situation and make a great positive impression on them and they will be bonded to you for life.

Customers just want to feel good about their relationship and purchases from you.  They want to feel better than they did before.  If you can create that feeling, then you are well on your way to creating a successful business.

Technorati Tags: Customer Retention, customer service

Likeability is driven in part by familiarity.  This means that the more people that see you, the more they will tend to like you.  This is a very important reason why it is important to build visibility in your target market.

There is a lot being said about “Social Media”…Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.  To be likeable in Social Media, it is definitely important to be open about the thoughts and beliefs which best support your brand or whatever you are selling.  This doesn’t mean that you should share everything.  It means that you share knowledge, insights, information and other tools which might help people know who you are.

When they feel that they know you, they will decide more easily to like you.  Be modest.  It is easier to like a person who is modest about their success, a person who has character, and who follows through on their promises.

Ask yourself the question.  How likeable are you now? What could you do to become even more well-liked in your target market?  What can you do to become more familiar to the individuals you want as your customers?

Give this some thought and let me know what you come up with by commenting below.

Technorati Tags: being likeable, Facebook, Linkedin, Social Media, Twitter

Our existing customers are valuable because they have already bought from us. So when they have a great experience, they will buy from us again. Realizing that it is much more expensive getting a new customer than selling to an existing customer, we really are saving ourselves a lot of money.

They are also valuable because they can give us invaluable feedback on how they view us thru their eyes. And they continue to save us money because they are our source of referrals and new business.

This gives us access to new prospects who already know about us and have a positive opinion of what we do.

When I consult with clients, I always find that they are not leveraging their existing customer database, if they have a database at all. By not doing this, they are losing out on a cost effective source of potential new business.

Here are 7 ways to get more from your customers and maximize the value from them.

1.  Personalize everything.  Since the computer industry came about, Customer Relationship Management software  was developed, and because of this, personalized marketing is being practiced by businesses large and small across America.  You want to lavish personal attention on customers who are going to reciprocate by being consistently good purchases of your products or services. The more your customers feel as though you are treating them individually, the more likely they are to continue their relationship with you.

2. Ask for Feedback.  If you don’t know what your customer thinks about you, your business, your product or services, then you might want to think about selling your business.  Customers are the best source of objective advice on how you can improve.  Have a process in place where you regularly ask them for feedback, and then communicate with them on how you are going to use their input. Many customers will now feel involved with your company and are more likely to send other people to your business.

3. Give everyone a Guarantee.  A powerful guarantee is a wonderful tool for keeping your customers when they might think about going elsewhere.  A good guarantee is easy to understand, meaningful and easy to collect on.

4. Loyalty programs.  Create a loyalty program for your customers.  When properly designed and executed, they provide a vital link between your business and your customers. They improve customer satisfaction and increase sales.  Here are some ideas that you can use.  Preferable rates for loyal customers, Programs that promote multiple purchases like buy 3 and get the 4th free, Give a bonus product or service if they have bought before, and lastly, have a points program where each purchase is worth points that they can redeem to get some greater reward over time.

5. “Wow” your customers.  Anyone can satisfy a customer, but only when you continually “Wow” them, will they keep coming back over and over.  Your goal should be to exceed your customer’s expectations on every experience you have with them.  Do this and you have a customer for life.

6. Create a Referral Process.  In creating a referral process you must be very clear about whom you want as a referral and why.  You must get this message across when you are asking for referrals.  The quality of referrals you receive will depend on how well your customers understand what you are looking for. The best time to ask for a referral is when you have concluded the sale.  Ask them if they know of any other people who would be interested in your services.

Now you must implement the most important part of a Referral System.  You must thank your customers for their referrals and let them know that you value them and their efforts in helping you grow your business.  It makes them feel recognized and will make them refer more and more new customers your way.  A thank you can be as simple as a hand written card.  You can offer something as a thank you like 2 movie tickets or a voucher for future purchases. 

7. Keeping in touch with your customers.  It’s all about maintaining relationships.  Customers are most likely to keep buying from you if you have a strong relationship where they trust you and what your product or service can do for them. 

Some of the ways I try to keep in touch with my customers are thru my Marketing Tips of the Week, this blog, email, telephone. I’m sure you can add more to this list. Keep in touch often but not less than once a month.  Tell them what you are doing, some tips and hints and other useful advice or resources.

I know that if you implement even a few of the above items, you company will survive these trying times.

Let me know your thoughts or if you have any ideas to add.

Technorati Tags: customer feedback, customer value, keeping in touch, loyalty programs, referral process, wow the customer

As I did it, I wondered how many of you do this consistently and deliberately.  This is a great way to build your relationship with clients.

When you read an article, think about if it might be helpful to any of your clients, and send a copy off with a short note letting them know that you are thinking of them.

Profiting from the news is a wonderful addition to your marketing arsenal.

In my early years of running my corporations, I don’t think I ever read a magazine or a newspaper in any city I visited, where I didn’t tear out something to rush to different private clients. 

 Use this strategy to help increase the bond with your clients.

When you send out emails, you could send a link to a story.  If you send out faxes, you could include the story.  (I would recommend faxing short rather than long stories though.)  If you send out mailings, it’s easy to include a copy of the story. 

Introducing these stories to your clients is a way to boost their knowledge.  However, the stories must be timely…that’s the key.  If you wait, the opportunity will be gone.

Technorati Tags: customer relationship building, Customer Retention

Here are a few steps on what you can do to create a bonding experience with them when you meet them, or when they experience your business for the first time.  It’s good to remind ourselves about these basics from time to time.

The first step should be obvious…Smile. 

I’m sure you’ve visited businesses where the salesperson approached you without a smile.  Make sure your employees don’t’ make this mistake.  They are often the first people your prospect or customer meets.  Train your employees to greet customers and prospects with a sincere smile.

The second step is to greet your customers or prospects the way you would greet your spouse…on a great day, that is.  Be ecstatic to see them, and again, be sincere.

The third step is to use the right kind of handshake.  The secret of a great handshake is not just in the firmness of the shake…a must…but also in the amount of palm-to-palm contact.  Studies have shown that opening your palm to someone is akin to opening yourself to them.

In my manual, “How to Capture The Mind of Your Customer and Get them to Say YES”, I go over a Neuro-Linguistic Programming method where you match your body language with that of your prospect or customer.  Matching body language is a non-verbal way of telling your clients that you like them. 

The idea is that people prefer doing business with people like themselves. 

The concept is called Miming or some call it Mimicking. 

Once you start mimicking your client’s body language, you will notice that they start to subconsciously mimic yours. 
This is when you have the opportunity to open up.  If your hands are crossed, uncross them, lean forward, and speak directly to them, and they will now open themselves up to you. 

When this happens, it is a signal that you have built trust and rapport, and you can guide the direction of the relationship.

Some of you have created unique ways to make this bonding happen between you and your customers.  Share some of your methods with us here, so we can all learn.  Also, after you have used the steps I just gave you, let me know what results you get. 

Technorati Tags: bonding with clients, bonding with customers, bonding with prospects, Lifelong Customers

Here are some ideas.

1.  The first and most important thing I can tell you is this…Figure out ways to Prevent Lost Customers from becoming Lost Customers in the first place.  Find out Why they are leaving you. Can you be more in touch with why they are leaving you, so that you can catch them before they fall through that hole?  There are certain times of the year that people drop thru the holes in your buisiness, and when you recognize that period, you can set up a system to gift them something just prior to that period of time. Let’s just call this “Being Preemptive.”

2. Create a sales letter, that you can send to them, and remember the most important item in the letter is an apology from you that you  didn’t meet their expectations and that you will rectify this and make doing business with you an experience that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. And then, don’t disappoint them.

3. Devise a system to periodically reach out to all of the customers you’ve lost over a period of time.  You can offer them a great discount, but you want to make it an “irresistible offer” that they can’t possibly refuse.  Many of you are in the restaurant or cleaning business.  Those of you who aren’t can still use this next idea.  Make a totally FREE offer.  A free dinner on you on their birthday.  All they have to do is to present their Drivers License.  Do you think they are going to come alone?  Of course not.   Or offer a suit or shirt cleaned FREE.  If you are in the medical profession, offer a complete free exam or treatment.  What I’m saying here is, “Bribe" them to come back and be your customer again.

4. When you do re-capture that lost customer, be sure that you WOW them with their first experience back…and all of your follow-up to this experience.

5. Lastly, make sure that you go back as far as you can to reactivate lost customers.  You might get a lot of return mail because of people moving, but the results are more profit for you and your business. You must spend as much on reactivating your lost customers as you spend on getting new ones.

I have seen companies jump sales by 50% from their old lost customer files. 

Do not let this be a whenever-you-think-about-it event.  Set it up as a consistent yearly thing you do to reactivate lost customers.   Let me know your thoughts and what systems you’ve created to reactivate lost customers.

Technorati Tags: customer reactivation, reacquiring lost customers

The answer to the second part depends on the topic of the book and the information that is within its pages. You must determine who the audience is that you are trying to reach with your book.  I’m assuming that your book is not a novel, but that you are using the book to promote yourself and your products. 

Let me say this…I feel that writing a book, about your business, your products, or any profession you are in, is the best way to create that ”You are the Expert in your field.”

You market yourself, with the book, by offering it to your prospects, and setting up a system to create a relationship with them. 

The book itself doesn’t have to be 100 or more pages.  It could be in e-book format, where it can be printed out from your website. You would then collect the data visitors leave in order to print the book.  Or you can have it printed up and mailed, or personally handed out. 

I used this concept at a few of my local chamber of commerce networking meetings some time ago. I printed up 1,000 copies of my then “10 Most Common Marketing Mistakes” book, and handed them out as a gift from me to them.  I stood out amongst the crowd, because everyone else was selling themselves and/or their services, and I was the only one who had written a book, and was giving a gift at this meeting.  Try this with your book. 

Or if you don’t have your own book yet, you can use my “10 Marketing Mistakes That Steal Your Cash” e-book for FREE, while you work on your own book.  I’ll even customize the title page for you, for FREE, so it can say what you want it to say to your customers and prospects. For instance, you can add wording to say that the book is a gift from you.  You can even add your company logo—all at NO CHARGE.  This is my gift to you. 

If you are interested, go to www.kenvarga.com/report.php where you can learn more about how you can use it to promote your business. 

Each of you, at some time in your business life, have been a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, or attended a networking event.  Here is what you can do now.  Find out where a similar event is going to occur over the next two months in your area.  Then go to www.kenvarga.com/report.php and order copies of the book, have me customize the title page for you, and gift the books to the participants at your upcoming events. 

Imagine what a difference that would make for you.  It will help you stand out in the crowd.

After you’ve done that, please let me know the results you get. In the future, I’ll produce other free tools like this that you can use to help you build your business.  If you have any suggestions about what might work for you, let me know and I’ll add it to my list.

Technorati Tags: business promotion using a book, chamber of commerce, network meeting, networking event, using a book to promote a business