How to Build Client Relationships
A Measured Marketing System
Turn Your Business Into a Cash Cow
So you’ve been trying to find the right marketing mix for your business. You have learned there is no shortage of information but are overwhelmed with all the selections at the click of your mouse. The article below takes a broad look at marketing your business. Who are all those people trying to reach you and how can you extend your own reach? Recently I have been introduced to the best CRM in the world. After about a month of intense training I am totally WOWed!! Here are a few tips from my journey to chew on.
Email Contacts Help Build CRM
Mining Email Contacts To Build CRM
Is marketing of paper stationery an industry that is threatened by digital media? How many times everyday do you count on your email stationery template to deliver your company’s messages? What many entrepreneurs are not seeing is the world is overdosing on electronic messaging. How many emails do you get everyday? Then, tell me how many of those emails are wanted? OUCH IT HURTS SOMETIMES!
If your answer is similar to mine, email is not something we all look forward to downloading everyday! In fact, this process can be more painful than it’s worth for some. A lot is expected of the small business owner everyday including sorting through the funnel of messages. Who are all these people sending you documents and messages? Are they clients, government, associates, spammers or prospects? Do they even know me? What about all those Viagra emails?
It’s crazy but the stronger your web presence is, the more of a target it becomes for marketers of all types (wanted and unwanted). Let’s look a little closer at who is likely to send you unwanted or wanted messages.
Unwanted
- Spammers
- Product offers from unknown vendors
- Nigeria Bank Transfer Proposals
- Phishing scams
Wanted
- Customers
- Prospects
- Family and friends
- Employees
COOL! NOW I KNOW WHO IS TRYING TO CONTACT ME– SO WHAT!
Segmenting Email Contacts
Sort out your Client Base
If there is one conscious effort you should make is classifying the clients you are emailing as a primary means of business communication. At the root of your classification should be metrics like current value, potential value and relationship value. How well do you and your clients gel?
For goodness sakes, step out of your email box for a moment. That’s right export all your email data from outlook and take a close look. If you keep contacts sorted in folders using Outlook, you can start by exporting your action folders (clients). Classifying (segmenting) your email address book for business can be incredibly enlightening, powerful and profitable.
Once you have done this you can really get into some serious relationship marketing-building-management. Now you have all these contacts that you are familiar with, who is who? For example you may find in your “Clients” folder you have 2 classes of client….active and inactive. Take it a step further and break them down
Active Clients
- Good potential
- At potential
- Likely referrals
Inactive Clients
- Easily reactivated
- Not easily activated
- Out of business
This is just one example to get your mind in the groove of relationship building from existing contacts. There are countless ways to segment prospects and clients. But why is it so important to segment client data? This is your first step into the world of software assisted relationship management (Infusionsoft). It’s a world where business booms.
I know this sounds “WAY OUT THERE” but it truly is where modern day business is pounding the competition, its called customer love. We have all seen those motivational pictures in the boardroom or on the bosses wall “The Customer Comes First” or “The Custom is Always Right”. How many of them really mean it?
If you are not using CRM (client relationship management) to help manage your clients you are missing out on something very special. You might think CRM is not worth the time and money but for the majority of business owners I know, they all tell me the same thing—“We are here because we have clients”. Even for the skeptics it is understood that more clients means more profit AND profit is not a swear word. Profit is how businesses stay in business to serve the client. What clients are lacking today is simple appreciation for the loyalties they have. After all, loyal clients are the hardest to find!
How Much do You Love Your Clients and Prospects?
Client Relationship Management
A New Way of Doing Business
What I am about to share with you is a new way of thinking for your small business. – Are you ready to take your business to a new level? – Is it time to organize who is trying to contact you? – Do you want to leverage the technology around you to your advantage?
How to Propel Your Business
If you can see it in your mind you can believe it. If do not have a vision this article will help you form one. If you have a dream of the future, increase your peripheral vision with a few tips from this old dog.
4 Targeted Marketing Channel Options
Four Targeted Marketing Channel Options
Multi Level Marketing
Have you been approached or shown interest in MLM? Although it’s an enticing system it can eventually harm your precious business. Becasue so many scams are associated with MLM it is wise to take a look first before you engage. The MLM watchdog site is a good place to start. Maybe you are uncomfortable approaching family and friends for business or you just aren’t cut for the “fake it” until you make it mentality! On the other hand, some folks claim MLM is the lifeline of their business. How do you measure your marketing efforts in MLM? What if I told you there is an easy way to measure every ounce of response you are getting from your network meetings, seminars, or public speaking events? Wouldn’t it be insightful to know what meeting efforts have the most impact to your bottom line?
Traditional Marketing
It’s hard to know what is traditional these days. The folks over at Web Designing India have written a good comparison between traditional and internet marketing. In the eighties it was direct mail, in the 90’s it was direct mail, digital media and internet marketing. At the turn of the millennium businesses became very aware of Pay Per click, SEO, SEM, social networks and electronic communication as a marketing tool. However if you want to define traditional marketing we must be mindful of the goals. Traditional marketing objectives include broadening your own perspective, developing current clients, be seen as an expert, developing leads, getting referrals and increasing connectivity. Again, ALL this activity and effort can be measured with minimal effort. At the end of the day learning what means of traditional marketing is most meaningful to your objectives just makes you smarter about your business.
Creative Brand Design
A consistent graphic design will help you brand yourself and develop a visual identity. This means across the board! Your stationery, brochures, trade show pamphlets, business cards, website, advertising, and/or absolutely anywhere your business appears in the public eye. Once you have design continuity figured out it’s time to implement your distribution plan. How are you going to expose your new found identity and which branding methods work?
Classifiying Client Base
As we land new clients you would be wise to classify them. When they join your family of satisfied clients they are simply a new client. After a set period of time (I like 3 months) I classify them in A, B, C, or D class after review. The reason you want to do this is to understand how important they are to you along with easy access to each client. This does not help generate sales but it does help develop a higher level of intimacy with your clients. Guess what? That can be measured too. I mean the affect of classifying your clients—before and after.
Are you having a rough time trying to find the best way to manage your business, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Many times, a good idea is just a click away. If you know what you are looking for it’s easy to get the skinny. Finding help with marketing your business can be a whole lot easier online. More importantly getting help on ways to give help to your clients and prospects will change your entire life, I promise 
!
In this article I have touch on the basic ideas for marketing your business. I hope they help you in some way! I have also mentioned using “the best CRM in the world“. If you are interested in learning about my bold opinion I will leave you with two ways of taking a 30 free trial.
- Direct link to Infusionsoft
- Affiliate link to Infusionsoft
I guarantee this software will change your business forever!
Relationship Building For Client Intimacy | Google Analytics Help Blog Said:
on September 16, 2009 at 10:01 pm
[...] ability we have to reach people so cost efficiently is at an all time high. We can reach people through all these channels allowing us the opportunity to get intimate with our prospects and clients. Whether it’s a blog, [...]