Slipping Thru the
Cracks
I haven't
had my Heating & Air Conditioning system looked at
in probably 2 years. I know, you're wondering what
this has to do with growing your business. Stay
with me a moment, I'll get there.
As I was
saying, our HVAC system is over due for some TLC and my
husband and I have discussed upgrading it
Our discussions has caused me to think if we do get a
whole new system, I don't think I want to call the
company that I've called on in the past. They are
very nice and I enjoy chatting with the guy who
typically services my area, but if I don't call them;
they don't attempt to
contact me at all. I know this seems
trivial, if I need their service I should call
them.
I know I'm
not alone here, so I'll confess - I like to be
appreciated. What's
really bugging me is that I haven't seen one attempt
from this company to let
me know they appreciate my business.
Maybe the
company is owned by a multi-millionaire who doesn't care
if I never call again or whether their business "pilot
light" goes out,
(did you get
that? I know it's a bad analogy but it's all I could
think of) I don't know. What I do know is I
have received from them:
ZERO reminders to schedule
periodic service
ZERO helpful maintenance tips
ZERO sale
offers
ZERO notices of
special
events
ZERO
incentives to
call on them
ZERO motivation to refer them to friends
& family
ZERO enticement to frequent their service
more often
ZERO reasons to see them as the best
option
Wouldn't it
be nice to get special
offers you can use, coupons from your
favorite restaurant or clothing store, reminders that your
car/truck needs an oil change, incentives to get your
car washed or hair cut more often?
How much
business are we loosing because of perceived apathy toward our
clients/ customers? How much money are we
wasting on advertising to prospective clients &
customers when the clients & customers we have could be slipping
away?
Statistically, it is far less
expensive for small businesses to keep the business they
have than to attract new business.
Staying in
touch with current patrons can be fun! We
know them, they
like our products or service, we say Hi
on the street, so why don't we get to know them
better? Encourage them to get to know
us, our business, our products or services
better? So why are we all so busy looking
for new business instead of nurturing the clients &
customers we already have (at least right
now).
Email
newsletters are a highly effective way to stay in
frequent immediate contact with your current clients
& customers and grow your business without breaking
the bank. You can read their list of benefits here.
Not
convinced that e-newsletters can work for you?
Check out the success stories of others in your industry
here.
