On the sixth day of Christmas, Mesmerizzzed! gives to you - six customer
solutions, FIVE MARKETING KEYS, four sales methods, three pricing strategies,
two engineered products and a focused target market.
Customer Solution # 1 - WIIFM
What radio station do your customers listen to? Our research shows that every
one of your customers is tuned into station WIIFM - what's in it for me!
It's human nature to think about ourselves first. As a business owner, you
have to break that pattern and think about your customers first. It's one of the
most selfish things you can do!
If your marketing mindset is focused on your customers, you will not only
earn their business today but also their repeat business and endless referrals.
It doesn't take much effort to stand out from the crowd of self-serving
businesses by being just a little bit selfless and focusing on your customer
first.
It may be the most selfish thing you can do!
Customer Solution # 2 - It's FREE!
Other than our own name, the favorite word in the English language is "FREE!"
That word causes us to stop and take notice, to "ooh" and "aah".
What are you offering your prospects and customers for free? FREE samples,
FREE consultations, FREE reports - they're everywhere! So, you have to go above
and beyond and make your FREE stuff really special to stand out from the crowd.
A FREE offer will dramatically increase the traffic to your business. But it
takes delivering value in the context of your FREE stuff to turn those visitors
into customers.
Did you notice the 12 Days of Mesmerizzzed! Christmas are FREE? Why don't you
share this FREE gift with your e-mail list now? It's FREE!
Customer Solution # 3 - I GUARANTEE IT!
Mr. George Zimmer of the Men's Warehouse clothing stores has built an empire
with one phrase - "I guarantee it!"
The concept of the guarantee is used by many businesses, but they often bury
their guarantee in the fine print at the bottom of their contracts. We often
encourage our clients to lead with their guarantee - even placing it in the
headline of direct mail offers.
Why is this so important - and so often overlooked? Let's face it, doing
business with anyone today involves some risk. You can never really be sure they
are going to deliver on their promises. So ... if you are confident you can
deliver, why not demonstrate up front that your customer has no risk?
Reverse the risk (you take it on by guaranteeing results) and watch how many
new customers you win, just by doing what you would have done anyhow!
Customer Solution # 4 - Special Offers
Most businesses spend a majority of their marketing dollars on attracting new
customers. They spend far too little on keeping the customers they already have.
Guerrilla Marketing legend Jay Conrad Levinson suggests that small businesses
commit 60 cents of every marketing dollar to their current customers.
Why? Because it is much more profitable to bring a current customer back to
buy more and buy more often than it is to chase a brand new customer. You have
already invested in acquiring that new customer - now you can leverage that
relationship to increase your profits.
How do you bring your current customers back?
First of all, you communicate with them - constantly. Second, you provide
them with "customer-only" special offers. Don't offer your best deals to someone
you don't even know - reward your current customers with added benefits for
being a customer.
Customer Solution # 5 - Thanks!
Joe Girard was the nation's leading car salesman for decades. In fact, he
often sold five times more cars than all the other sales people combined in his
dealership.
How did he do it? Quite simply, Joe did it by saying "Thanks!"
Every month, Joe send a personalized card to every one of his 13,000 plus
friends that said "I like you!" and "Thanks" for being my friend. He would
include a personal message as appropriate, such as Happy Birthday or Happy
Anniversary, but no matter what Joe reminded you that he appreciated knowing
you.
When was the last time you said "thanks" to the people you know?
Customer Solution # 6 - Referrals
What does it take to get a referral?
Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals, tells us that people need to know,
like and trust us before we can ask for referrals. There is no doubt these are
the minimum requirements for earning referrals.
With your customers, however, there needs to be even more. You need a system
for getting referrals. You need to make it easy for them to share your business
with people they know. A number of our clients provide financial incentives for
referrals - simply pass on their referral cards, and they pay the referrer when
the person becomes a customer.
It's not about the money - it's about making it simple and easy for your
customers to refer you. The money just gives your customer a reason to invest a
few minutes of their time telling their friends about you.
How's your "referral system" working?
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