It was undoubtedly difficult for you as a business owner to get new clients everyday, so it makes no sense to allow them to be pirated by your competition. The surest way you can convince your existing customers to troop to another store is by ignoring them, or making them feel that you have no intention of repeating business.
This is why following up is important in any business. It is important that an initial sale be followed by another…and another… Don't allow your competitor the chance to steal them from your grasp.
Here are 5 other major advantages of following up in business.
Follow-up to retain customers. There is one golden rule in business - getting a new client takes 5x more time, energy and money than maintaining your existing clients. The truth of the matter is, no old customer wants to feel unwanted or neglected. These people already have a history of doing good business with you, so why risk losing them in favour for a few new ones who are potential one-time-only customers?
Maintain a healthy relationship with old clients by giving them all the attention they need. Oftentimes, it's the one-minute phone call that we take for granted. This is enough to make them feel that you value your old business relationship with them.
Following-up reduces customer dissatisfaction. If you have noticed that one particular client of yours has not been coming back for repeat business, do you not feel worried? Oftentimes, when an old customer does not come for follow up business, it was because your product or service left much to be desired. Now wouldn't you like to know where you need to improve, and how you can turn around the initial impression?
Knowing where you have failed or at least been amiss can greatly help in the improvement of your products. Call or text them - for all you know, that phone call is all that will prevent them from warning their contacts to stay clear of your business. That's disaster, aborted.
Following-up develops the business relationship further. It's actually a good business ethic to try and take a more personal interest on a client. Sometimes, it's the simple gesture of asking about a client's family - the hobbies and achievements of their kids, or if a daughter has already given birth, or if the hubby finally arrived from his overseas trip. All of these seemingly small things make a client feel subtly indebted to your business. Remember that a client will want to do business 10x more with a business with excellent customer service skills but with average products, than to do business with a business offering excellent products but with rude or dishonest employees with heaven-may-care attitudes.
A client will think 10x about transferring loyalties if you already have an existing and fulfilling business relationship with them.
Follow-ups help increase revenues. Any lost business with an old client is equivalent to loss in revenues. So if this simple at of following up makes all the difference, there shouldn't be anything preventing you from retaining them. More clients = more revenue. More revenue = less immediate need to actively search for new customers.
Following-up informs the client of what new products they can buy. Unless you invest in full blown advertising, there is not real and better way for your clients to know about your new products, new stocks or new offerings other than through follow-up. Call them to increase your chances of doing repeat business. And call them before they hear about the same products from you competitor! It never pays to be too relaxed while in business - you need to be 100% alert all the time in order to take advantage of every opportunity.
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Michael Griffiths is the CEO and Founder of My Small Business Marketing Guru. Helping small business owners generate more leads, clients and increase profits with relationship based marketing strategies. We invite you to get your free black mask marketing resources to help you business grow today, when you visit http://mysmallbusinessmarketingguru.com.au/SEOPrograms/tabid/349/Default.aspx
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