(Real estate investors) How To Get Quality Introductions From Existing Clients
No commentsBy Steve Fretzin
One of the easiest ways to increase business quickly is through referrals. Unfortunately for most business owners and salespeople, this is something they struggle with everyday. What if it was made easy? How much would your business increase if you were provided one referral from every existing client? Even better, what if they made a quality introduction for you to a new potential client?
The difference between a referral and a quality introduction is simple. A referral is a lead passed on from a client that he thinks you should meet, typically including the individual’s name and number. However, this ends up being a glorified “cold call” most of the time. A quality introduction, on the other hand, is a completely different situation. This is an introduction by your client where he provides information about how you met, why he uses your products or services, and most importantly how you helped him solve a problem or get results.
Now that the difference between a referral and a quality introduction has been established, we need to eliminate the “head trash” we all live with everyday. I define “head trash” as the reservations, fears and past experiences that keep us from thinking and acting clearly to achieve the results we desire. For example, if you aren’t currently comfortable being asked for a referral from an associate, chances are you won’t feel comfortable asking for one yourself. Another important factor in removing “head trash” is your belief. You must truly believe that you are the best and most qualified individual in your industry and that everyone is better off working with you more than anyone else.
Now all you need to do is put the two parts together. Get rid of your head trash by believing that you are helping others by asking for the referral and then upgrading the introduction by preparing the client on how to introduce you.
For example, after asking a client for an introduction, he might say “I have a great lead for you. Here’s his name and number.” I now have to move the referral to a quality introduction by asking some background questions about the lead and replying, “Thank you, would you do me a personal favor? Would you call your friend and give him a little background on how we met, why we started working together, and the results you’ve achieved working with me? Also, at the end of your conversation, would you make sure that he will accept my call?” In some cases I will actually role-play the conversation with my client to insure he knows how to handle the introduction properly.
Try to eliminate the “head trash” and try out this approach with your happiest clients. You’ll see the difference in the introductions you receive, how receptive the leads are to meet with you and most importantly, their interest in doing business with you.
3 Simple Steps for Gathering Effective Testimonials
By Karen Scharf
I’ve recently suffered a computer crash, and one of the folders that wasn’t backed up was one that contained all my testimonials. So I’m now on a mad-scramble to try to acquire new testimonials to use in my future marketing.
Testimonials are an awesome way to boost your sales and grow your bottom line. There’s nothing like social proof for easing your prospects’ minds and encouraging them to buy. Testimonials should be used everywhere - in your sales letters, on your websites, on your direct mail postcards, in your email marketing.
But it’s true that some testimonials are more effective than others, and some just don’t do the job at all. So what can you do to ensure that your own customers provide you with award-winning, or shall I say sales-generating, testimonials? Just follow these 3 simple steps:
Ask the right customers. It’s a fact of life, you’re just going to resonate better with certain customers. You like them, they like you. You consider them your “perfect customer”. These are the customers you want to ask for testimonials. Not only are they more likely to say “Yes” but others just like them will relate to their testimonials. Then you’ll be on your way to generating even more of your perfect customer!
Ask specific questions. Maybe an artist likes a blank canvass, but the rest of us usually don’t. Ask a client “Can I have a testimonial?” and you’re likely to end up with “Your store is great.” Not very effective, is it? Help your customers provide specific (and effective) testimonials by asking specific questions. Try asking things like:
How has our product changed your day-to-day business activities?
How much time have you saved by using our XYZ service?
How has your bottom line been effected by becoming a client of our company?
Ask for permission. Always ask your customer for permission to use his testimonial and permission to include his name. Now, I minored in Psychology in college, so I’m going to let you in on the secret behind this tip. By asking your customer for permission to use his name, you are reminding him (subliminally, at least) that he is taking a social stand in favor of your product or business. Once he takes a social stand, he is very unlikely to back down from this position. Not only will his testimonial help generate new customers, but it will also cement your current customer’s loyalty to your business.
Once you’ve gathered your effective testimonials, start peppering them all over each of your marketing pieces - your website, your sales letters, your emails, etc. You’ll see your sales improving in no time at all!
Action Item
Spend at least 30 minutes brainstorming a list of your “favorite customers” who you would like to ask for testimonials. Once you have that list ready, spend another 30 minutes brainstorming a list of specific questions you can use to help your customers provide effective testimonials.
Karen Scharf is an Indianapolis marketing consultant who works with small business owners and entrepreneurs. She offers several whitepapers, free reports and checklists, including her FREE Can-Spam checklist and FREE email pre-flight checklist to ensure your emails get delivered, get opened and get read. Download your copies at http://www.ModernImage.com.
Your Source To Becoming The Maven Of Sales
7 Valuable Customer Service Tips That Increase Sales
By Robin Matuk
Providing great customer service puts you ahead of other competing businesses. It’s what your business needs to develop a loyal customer base.
When your competitors lose business because of poor customer service and their lost customers become your first time customers, it’s your customer service that will keep your new customers coming back. It will cause your business to rise above its competition.
The following tips will help you to satisfy your customers better, get more repeat business and realize higher profits. Use them to increase your sales and create a business that you can be proud of.
1. Have a strong customer service policy in place.
First of all, create a strategy for interacting with your customers that focuses on providing great customer service. Make it part of what your business is all about.
If you make customer service your top priority, your employees will know that excellent customer service is expected of them. They’ll provide better customer service and you’ll have more satisfied customers and repeat business.
Without a clear cut strategy, your employees may come up with their own ideas about what customers want and how they should be treated. Letting this happen is very dangerous to your profits. It can cause your competition to take customers away from you.
2. Hire the right people.
Employees should treat customers with respect and courtesy. They should make it easy for people to want to do business with you and not eliminate your chances of your customers buying from you again.
Pre-employment tests can help you to determine whether the person you’re considering will be an asset. Will she cause you to lose money? Is she the right person for the job? These tests put the odds in your favor. Your hiring decisions can become a lot easier.
3. Listen and act on complaints.
Not taking complaints seriously will cause the same negative situations to happen again. You’ll lose business when your other customers have the same problem.
Instead of shrugging off complaints, use them to make your business more profitable and to offer better service. Complaints, when taken seriously, can make your service, policies and systems for dealing with your customers better. They can add to your bottom line.
4. Survey your customers.
Surveys provide an anonymous way for your customers to give you feedback. They make it easy for you to find out if your business is satisfying your customers or not satisfying them.
People can be brutally honest, so it’s wise to have very thick skin, when using this strategy. Also as in the previous tip, use any negative feedback that you receive to better your business.
Surveys also give you the opportunity to find out what you’re doing right. Compliments about your service, how you treat your customers or how you resolve issues show that you’re hitting your target. You have proof that you’re doing a great job.
5. Get questions answered quickly.
You can cut down on the time you spend answering questions by email and phone by having a detailed FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on your site and by using FAQ management software.
Live customer support software can also help you to provide excellent customer service. You can answer your customer questions and pre sale questions, right on your site, and increase your sales by getting questions answered faster than your competition.
If you choose to use software to help you fill your customer service needs, know that you still need to provide superior customer support by email. Questions need to be answered within 24 hours. Problems need to be addressed and overcome.
The same holds true when providing phone support. Questions and problems need to be handled in an efficient manner. Don’t keep customers waiting for long periods of time or make it difficult to talk to a “real person.”
6. Provide ongoing training.
Training can bring your customer service from where it is to where you would like it to be.
Whether your employees work in a call center or face to face with your customers, they still need to provide better service than your competitors. Your goal is repeat business not one time business. Training your employees can help you to achieve this goal.
You can train your employees in house, through seminars, or by using an outside firm. Whatever you choose, involve your employees by gaining they’re feedback. You’ll get better results by letting them know that their opinions and ideas matter.
7. Treat your customer service team with respect.
It is difficult for employees to treat customers well when they are treated poorly. Your working environment needs to be one of mutual respect. When this is the case, it is much easier to provide excellent customer service.
Basically, you want your employees to be treated the way you would want to be treated if you were the employee. You also want your customers to be treated the way you would want to be treated if you were a customer.
Accomplishing both of these things and using the other tips that you’ve been provided will help you to provide great customer service and increase your sales. You’ll be able to surpass your expectations for your business. You’ll be able to put yourself above your competition.
Digital Coach, Robin Matuk addresses the needs of entrepreneurs and business owners looking to maximize the use of the Internet to build, manage, and grow their businesses. Check out her website My Digital Coach and her blog Creating with Impact.
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm and is filed under sales. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
