As you are relaying your message, do note that marketing a service business is different from marketing a product. For service businesses, the old saying that “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” is true. In contrast to products which can be seen, touched, or smelled for a customer to make a purchase.

To assist in building trust with a target account, direct contact and follow-up are considered to be the most effective marketing strategies. Follow-up helps your small service business to be visible and to develop trust in relationships. And if target account likes and trusts (you) your small business then eventually a sale will occur.

Below are a few tactics that small business service firms can use to follow-up.

• Bump into meetings: One of my favorite tactics for connecting with those busy and hard to reach key contacts. Scour the Internet; check their organization’s web site or Linked in profile to review Contact’s professional affiliations, associations or even favorite sports team. If you find that person is a regular participant at a particular industry association meeting then go there and have a bump into meeting i.e. your “planned coincidence” in meeting you here.

• Personal handwritten letter: See previous blog articles which talked about the power and uniqueness in marketplace when using handwritten letters.

• Extend invitations: To industry association luncheons, sporting events, or to a simple cup of coffee does wonders in helping to develop relationships.

• Send an email link to an interesting article or mail copy of article: This shows you listen and that you care about their overall success in their role at xyz organization and as a person.

In the ebook “Your Money is in the Follow-up: The Why, When, Where, What, Who, and How to Follow up Guide for Small Businesses” you can learn many more follow-up marketing tactics to use to help grow your small service business. For more information – http://www.yourmoneyisinthefollowup.com/books/

That’s it for now. We welcome your comments or questions, which you can place in the box below.

Computer geeks and software developers often use the term “GIGO” which means garbage in (negative words, bad news of the day) equals garbage out (unfulfilled objectives, missed goals). This basically means when you input wrong code into the program then the system will not output what you desire. The same is true when you’re following up with a target account by phone. If you start your conversation with target account mentioning the financial fiscal cliff, you are wasting precious time with your contact and most likely losing credibility.

To prevent from being derailed during your follow-up call, stay focused and use positive words which can help achieve your overall goal.

Remember that it is all about your customer and what’s in it for them. Your contact at target account is not eager to hear about the world’s problems . Your small business’s role is to serve which involves eliminating your target account’s pain plus helping to solve their problems. And using words of defeat and sharing fiscal cliff news adds no value to you or to your target account.

Following up by phone is the next best thing to being present with your customers. When you decide to use positive words and phrases that support your overall objective then you will see your small business benefit.

Add Follow-up Strategies to Your Marketing Plan

Wow! It is 2013 and I am excited about the many possibilties this year has in store for the small business community. But before you speed too far down-the-road with new year enthusiasm, make sure your marketing plan is updated with strategies on following up with target accounts.

Sales data shows that it takes 5 to 7 touches with a new account before making a sale, but many small businesses quit after the second attempt. So to stand out in a crowded marketplace, below are three important reasons to encourage you to develop your marketing plan with key follow-up strategies in 2013.

• The right customer relationships fuel the success of your small business and follow-up marketing and actions cultivate long term relationships which can help your small business grow at target accounts.

• Being known and positioned as an dependable solution provider is valuable to small businesses. Follow up can assist your small business in gaining this type of branding which sets your small business apart when key purchases are made by target accounts.

• Staying in communication and visible can mitigate loss of business at key accounts plus it can help minimze adverse impacts in the marketplace such as the US Governments’ financial fiscal cliff.

Go ahead expectantly into the new year, but do so wisely with an updated marketing plan with key follow up strategies for 2013. When you do, your customers and your small business will see the difference.

We love to hear from you. You can place your comment or question in the box below.

Handwritten Thank you Note

The handwritten personal note is still the most powerful business tool to use for follow up. It conveys a positive emotion with your existing or prospective customer which helps to nurture your desired relationship with target account. And it is this kind of nurtured relationship that grows your small business.

 
While an email or a voicemail message may have a role during follow up, the old tradition of using a handwritten note, from time-to-time, provides a greater return for small businesses. To illustrate this value, shown below are seven benefits for small businesses when using handwritten notes as a means of follow up.
 

• Sets your small business apart in a crowded marketplace

• Shows your small business’ commitment to having a long term relationship with target account

• Indicates target account is important and worth the investment of time for your small business

• Resonates warm thoughts and feelings with contact person at target account which is a differentiator in today’s fast-paced digital world

• Helps to build customer relationships

• Takes about the same amount of time to draft a handwritten note as it does an email, but a personal handwritten note yields a higher return

• Low cost marketing tool for following up with existing and potential customers

Stay tune for the series on suggestions on what to say in a personal handwritten note when following up with target accounts.

 
Please share your comments or ask questions below.

 
While holiday parties and events may be more lighthearted and non-business in nature, they still provide small businesses an environment to make contact and be visible with key persons at target accounts. These events are especially an important touch with customers because lots of small business owners have pulled in their “sails” for the year and simply waiting for 2013 to begin.
 
To maximize connections with customers made at an holiday event, below are three tips on how to follow up.
 
1). Stay connected online through social media. This is a great way to strengthen your small business’ brand with existing and probable customers. For business to consumer (B2C) small businesses, using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are the top social media tools to connect and nurture relationships toward future sales. For small businesses serving other businesses (B2B) then Linkedin is the top social media tool of choice to stay connected and to generate leads. Other social media sites for B2B businesses are Twitter and Pinterest while Facebook can be used for amplification purposes.
 
2). Email a link to an interesting article (or mail a copy). Depending on the type of conversation held (business or personal) when chatting with key contact at target account, email a link of an article of interest. This article can be sports related, about kids soccer or about industry use of your small business’ product solution. The objective is to use this touch of sending an article as a means of follow up and to nurture customer relations.
 
3). Send a personal handwritten note. This is my personal favorite and best tool for using because it shows you care enough to take the time to write a note which is rarely done in our digital world. Stay tuned on tomorrow as I share additional nuggets on using a personal handwritten note to follow up.
 
That’s it for now. Please leave any comments or ask questions in the field below.

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