We are all familiar with the ‘Bodge-it and Leg-it’ story of a firm of builders who arrive at someone’s home accompanied by the sound of prolonged intakes of breath and leave quoting a ghastly sum of money to fix the problem. This leads to a few days of making a lot of noise and an awful mess before disappearing into someone else’s nightmare having done a far from satisfactory job.
Well did you know that an even more heinous crime than that of worthless building firms is being committed by quality businesses up and down the country every day? And you might be one of them!
Turn happy customers into news-spreading adverts
You see most companies do not put anywhere near enough effort into communicating with their customers after they have done a fantastic job for them. They might say ‘thank you’ at the time of making the sale and ‘goodbye’ when it is completed, but what happens next? If you are good at what you do then why not make that little bit of extra effort to turn a happy customer into an excited and enthusiastic fan who absolutely loves your company to bits?
It really is very simple to do and will increase your business – both through repeat orders and by amplifying the word of mouth activity that surrounds your presence in the marketplace. All you need is a system (automated If possible) that creates a flutter of reputation-spreading activity every time you finish a job. This can include a variety of things, from a phone call, a thank-you card, an email or a follow up letter to make sure everything is still OK.
Happy Birthday or “By the way…”
Your follow-up campaign does not have to stop there either. If your product is a long-term purchase with a long buying cycle (like a kitchen or a new computer) why not send your customer a card on the anniversary of the sale. Or if there are some developments about the item or service they purchased, how great would they think you are when you share that valuable information with them? It doesn’t have to be salesy (in fact it’s better if it isn’t) but just something happy or useful which will remind them how much you care.
Most companies think of follow up as a tool for ensuring that sales prospects don’t get away and, with the right strategy, this can be very effective. But what is often overlooked is the nurture side of the business – and that is a serious crime for any business owner who cares about their clients (and their own growth ambitions).
I’m sure that, like me, you hope all the ‘Bodge-it and Leg-it’ companies of this world will one day get their comeuppance….
But in the meantime don’t go robbing yourself of your reward.
If you would like to know more about automating a first class follow-up nurturing system… just get in touch.
