Would you like more sales or more jobs on your books in your business?
Are you often wondering where your next lot of work is coming from?
Don’t waste time waiting for sales or quoting opportunities to come to you… instead get on the front foot and take advantage of this opportunity which is often overlooked by many businesses.
And that is to get in contact with your past customers.
Now, not all of you past customers may be ready to buy again, particularly if you have a long buying cycle but a number of them will be. And for those that aren’t there may be some other opportunities you can use to generate more work such as asking them for a referral, offering maintenance on works you have done already or for a follow up job. It’s all about thinking differently
And best of all, following up with your past customers usually costs you a lot less than spending money on marketing for new customers. Often all it involves is a phone call or email which makes it very cost-effective and time-effective. And as small business owners we all know how important that is.
So here are three things to consider when you’re reaching out to your past customers:
1) Make a list.
Sit down and write a list of people who are most likely to do business with you again. Now, this should be easy if you have only dozens or hundreds of customers. It is just a matter of working out who are some of your customers you could do further work with. If you have a larger list or database of thousands of customers then a good plan is to filter out customers based on what they have purchased, when they purchased or how they have been interacting with your business. The key is to have a list as that enables you to communicate with your past customers.
2) Have a reason to contact them.
You must have a reason to contact your past customers? The key is to make it timely and relevant to them. For example:
- An offer to use you again
- Update on some new products or services that you offer.
- Follow up 12 months since purchase eg check in on any additional / maintenance items
- Letting them know about any changes in your business.
The key is to have a reason that’s going to be relevant and appropriate for when you communicate with your past customers.
3) Work out the best way to communicate
Finally, work out what is going to be the best way to communicate with your customers. This could include:
- Phone call and talk to them
- Send them an email.
- Send a text
Work out what will work best for your customers and do that.
Start to think about the past customers that you could be approaching and follow these three steps:
- Create a list of them.
- Come up with a reason to get in contact with them
- Work out the best way to target and communicate with them.
Following up past customers is one of the simplest ways to generate more business. By doing this, you can have peace of mind and more confidence knowing that you’re in control of your business future rather than waiting for it to happen to you.
