We’re in the People Business
It is no big surprise that people nowadays are very selective with who they choose to do business with and where they spend there money. Many of the conversations that I’ve had with business owners recently have been around the topic of increasing and growing their businesses. Many times they talk about new marketing ideas they are considering or where to advertise in order to try and get more business…
This is not uncommon for businesses, especially those young businesses like ourselves to stress over and pick our brains apart in order to hope and stumble upon the silver bullet, the answer that will take us from where we currently are to where we’ve always dreamed of. Well, fortunately for you I have that answer!
Here it is…Take care of those people that already do business with, have done business with you in the past and those who know what you do but haven’t done business with you yet!
That’s it! Now I’m sure you are sitting there thinking how does that translate to business? What do you mean take care of?
Let me leave you with some ideas I have come up with and have implemented in our own business:
1: Set aside some time and write down in three different columns the following – your existing clients, those that have done business with you in the past and those who know about your business and haven’t done business with you yet along with referrers in that same category.
2: Come up with some creative ways, i suggest at least 5, ideally somewhere around 10 ways to keep in touch with those people. Some examples could be sending an email, phone call, stopping by their office, sending them a card, sending a card with gift, gift cards, lunch…and so on. You get the idea.
3: Next, once you have all your people listed start taking the time to reach out and build, maintain and grow your relationships with these people. Genuinely care about getting to know them, what makes them tick and what they are passionate about. Hint: the more you get to know them beyond their business the more rewarding those relationships and more points of connection you’ll be able to find and use to stay in touch.
4: Repeat steps 1-3. I know this sounds so simplistic in its approach and you may still be wondering why or how this is going to bring you more business, but I will share this with you. The majority (80%+) of our clients are referred to us because we have and are actively investing in those relationships.
The thing most people get discouraged by is that earning peoples respect and trust doesn’t happen overnight and that it takes time. Yes, there is extra effort to making time to keep in touch and reach out, but just think what would happen if you made it a point to do so even with one person a day?
Trust me on this. When you start to invest in people and build that equity, you will see the rewards of your efforts and the fruits of your labor. Your relationship building will not be in vain nor will it return void.
Share your thoughts in the comment section below. I look forward to reading your thoughts and learning from your experiences.