There was an old retired school teacher who used to work part time for me.
Wyn was a breath of fresh air and had more enthusiasm than most guys half his age.
He loved people (and they loved him).
Wyn even taught me something about sales, a little nugget I’ve used many times since with great success.
When I first met Wyn, he told me he had been a teacher his whole working life, except for one year when he was burnt out and needed a change.
He took that one year off and worked as a sales rep for a printing company.
And in that single year, he became the top sales rep, against others who had been there for years with long term accounts.
This is a guy with no contacts in an industry he knew very little about, a total business newbie, with no previous sales training.
But he became the top sales rep in just one year before returning to teaching.
He told me he did it with just one idea…
Use the company’s biggest asset…
Their customers.
He made a list of all the old customers who had not bought from them in the last year.
He phoned every one of them and asked a simple question:
“Do you still consider yourself a customer and if not, what happened?".
Some had complaints, some were dealing with the opposition, some had just forgotten who they were.
Then he would simply ask if they would give them another go - and many said yes.
So what can we learn from Wyn?
a) The sales figures from Wyn’s simple strategy of following up old customers were so great he outclassed the other reps.
Can you afford not to do this?
It is an easy way to revive old leads and get more customers on board quickly. These are sales just sitting there waiting to happen.
b) Keep in touch with your customers regularly and don’t let them go cold, forget about you, or be stolen by the opposition in the first place.
If there’s one thing you must have in your business, it’s a complete list of your customers.
Every current customer, every previous customer, those who have shown interest in doing business with you (leads/prospects/quotes).
Also, include suppliers and those who deal with your type of customers that might refer you business (referral sources).
This is basic but so many small businesses just don’t have a list.
You should have systems in place to capture contact details and keep it up to date.
Your customer list is your greatest asset and also your insurance policy if you find yourself in quiet times, ever have to shift premises, or need to quickly contact your customers.
Use your list to full advantage and keep ‘em sweet. Show them some love by communicating with them regularly.
You could entice them to buy new products or services you offer, buy bundles instead of a single product, add one new suggested item to their regular buy, tell others about your services.
How confident are you that your customers even know about every product or service you offer? Obviously, they don't unless you tell them.
Imagine the boost in your sales figures if your customers just spent a little more with you each time they buy, or just came back more often.
This is part of the benefits of keeping in touch.
What's the bottom line here?
Well, Wyn knew instinctively what the research tells us:
If you send an offer to our customers, those who have brought before are 5-6 times more likely to respond.
So, it is more economic and easier to get repeat customers and revive old customers, than get new ones over the line.
Don’t make the same mistake Wyn’s company made.
If you don’t have a list or you aren’t keeping in touch with your customers and contacts regularly, you’re letting your opposition steal your biggest asset without a fight.
Wyn was a breath of fresh air and had more enthusiasm than most guys half his age.
He loved people (and they loved him).
Wyn even taught me something about sales, a little nugget I’ve used many times since with great success.
When I first met Wyn, he told me he had been a teacher his whole working life, except for one year when he was burnt out and needed a change.
He took that one year off and worked as a sales rep for a printing company.
And in that single year, he became the top sales rep, against others who had been there for years with long term accounts.
This is a guy with no contacts in an industry he knew very little about, a total business newbie, with no previous sales training.
But he became the top sales rep in just one year before returning to teaching.
He told me he did it with just one idea…
Use the company’s biggest asset…
Their customers.
He made a list of all the old customers who had not bought from them in the last year.
He phoned every one of them and asked a simple question:
“Do you still consider yourself a customer and if not, what happened?".
Some had complaints, some were dealing with the opposition, some had just forgotten who they were.
Then he would simply ask if they would give them another go - and many said yes.
So what can we learn from Wyn?
a) The sales figures from Wyn’s simple strategy of following up old customers were so great he outclassed the other reps.
Can you afford not to do this?
It is an easy way to revive old leads and get more customers on board quickly. These are sales just sitting there waiting to happen.
b) Keep in touch with your customers regularly and don’t let them go cold, forget about you, or be stolen by the opposition in the first place.
If there’s one thing you must have in your business, it’s a complete list of your customers.
Every current customer, every previous customer, those who have shown interest in doing business with you (leads/prospects/quotes).
Also, include suppliers and those who deal with your type of customers that might refer you business (referral sources).
This is basic but so many small businesses just don’t have a list.
You should have systems in place to capture contact details and keep it up to date.
Your customer list is your greatest asset and also your insurance policy if you find yourself in quiet times, ever have to shift premises, or need to quickly contact your customers.
Use your list to full advantage and keep ‘em sweet. Show them some love by communicating with them regularly.
You could entice them to buy new products or services you offer, buy bundles instead of a single product, add one new suggested item to their regular buy, tell others about your services.
How confident are you that your customers even know about every product or service you offer? Obviously, they don't unless you tell them.
Imagine the boost in your sales figures if your customers just spent a little more with you each time they buy, or just came back more often.
This is part of the benefits of keeping in touch.
What's the bottom line here?
Well, Wyn knew instinctively what the research tells us:
If you send an offer to our customers, those who have brought before are 5-6 times more likely to respond.
So, it is more economic and easier to get repeat customers and revive old customers, than get new ones over the line.
Don’t make the same mistake Wyn’s company made.
If you don’t have a list or you aren’t keeping in touch with your customers and contacts regularly, you’re letting your opposition steal your biggest asset without a fight.
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