The Easiest Sale
Increase your sales immediately by tapping into your existing customer base.
By Kelley Robertson
Everyone wants a quick, easy solution that will help them increase their sales. The key is to sell to the right people. That doesn’t necessarily mean connecting to the decision-maker in an organization or creating a list of ideal companies to contact. It means tapping into your existing customer base.
Most people in business have heard about the importance of marketing and selling to their existing customers. However, I’m not sure everyone fully appreciates the significance of this strategy. Even though I have heard (and sometimes preached) this concept, it wasn’t until recently that I figured out the impact it can actually have on a business.
Not too long ago I ran a campaign promoting my new book, “The Secrets of Power Selling”, to my newsletter subscribers. I ended up selling a few hundred books and I recognized many of the names on those invoices. Most of them had purchased my first book or another one of my products in the past. A few weeks later, many of these customers also signed up for a tele-seminar I promoted. This taught me a HUGE lesson – focus on your existing customers!
Start by creating a database
Depending on your business, this can be relatively simple to set up or your company may already have a database in place. The purpose of this database is to record what and when your customers order. Tracking this information enables you to see who your best customers are and learn what are your most popular products or services. This can be invaluable information when you replenish inventory or determine which services you should enhance or discontinue.
You can also use this database to suggest additional products that may complement your customers’ current purchases. For example, Amazon.com does a remarkable job of tracking what their customers buy. Every time a customer logs onto their website, the system makes further recommendations. And, when you buy one book they automatically suggest several other titles.
Use the information from your database every time you market new products or services. Your goal is to market directly to people that have purchased from you in the past because assuming your goods or services have met their expectations, they will likely buy from you again and again.
A good example of this is dentists. When a dental patient is due for an appointment, their system triggers a reminder and the office calls to set up a day and time for the next appointment. Imagine the impact on the customer if a store or business called their customer and said, “We notice that it’s been a while since you’ve ordered XYZ product. That means your supply may be running low. We have some in stock. Would you like to place an order?”
It’s important to create a relationship with your existing customers. This means providing them something of value from time-to-time or finding unique ways of demonstrating your appreciation of their business. If you’re not maintaining your client relationships, it becomes easier for a competitor to steal them away.
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and business trainer. He is the author of “The Secrets of Power Selling”. Contact him at 905.633.7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.
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