This morning at our Chamber 101 event I had the opportunity to catch up with Greg McCrory of McCrory Publishing, and our discussion prompted me to share some of the things we talked about with you.
Greg's business motto is "Stay in touch with your clients... before someone else does!" Greg brings up a very good point. You spend a lot of time and money attracting new clients. How much money do you lose when you then let them go after only one sale or service is complete? It's all about customer relationship management, as my old college textbooks would say. This can be particularly difficult for start-up and small businesses, but extends all the way up to huge corporations. The question becomes - how do you keep up with and track your customers and potential customers? You know their names, but do you have their contact information handy? ...And by handy, we don't mean one of a million sticky notes hanging around your office.
If you are struggling with this, you might want to consider consolidating your customer information into a database. Compile it, organize it, and then keep in touch! Send them a personalized note, drop in on them one day, or start a blog or newsletter to send them... Maintain that top-of-mind awareness, and eventually, hopefully, a lasting and profitable (for both parties) business relationship.
And if to that you say "Yes! But how do I get started?" I recommend you give Greg a call. He specializes in taking sticky notes and transforming them into an organized and up-to-date customer database, among other things. Give him a call at (260) 485-1812, shoot him an email, or visit him on the Web. And meanwhile, stay in touch with your clients - before someone else does!
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