A while back the headlight switch on our minivan quit working, so early one Saturday morning we took it to the neighborhood repair shop that has been mailing postcards to us the past three years. They said it would take 90 minutes to check things out.
Three hours later we call: still haven't gotten to it, but it's up next. Two hours after that we call again: he's looking at it right now. Three more hours, another call: yep, it's broken, but we can't get the part until Monday. We decide to pick it up for the remainder of the weekend, arriving there as instructed 10 hours after this ordeal began: Sorry, we haven't had a chance to put it back together. Another trip two hours later completes a very frustrating day.
Following up is one of the biggest challenges many businesses face. You see it when dealing with some vendors, working with some clients/customers or just trying to get an update on a car repair. When it comes to your marketing efforts, it's essential to have a follow-up system in place, so you convert prospects into buyers.
Success Handler Action: With your team, develop a checklist of the steps you will take once you grab a prospect's attention. For example, assume that as a result of reading your monthly E-newsletter a prospect sends you an e-mail asking for more information. The follow-up system you create for your small business might look like this:
Name: John Reed
Company: Reed Mortgage
Marketing responded to: E-Newsletter
Initial contact date: February 5, 2004
X Respond by e-mail immediately with thank you for contacting us
X Visit website to learn more about their company
_ Send PDF of "Services" brochure
_ Mail personal letter explaining how we work with others in their industry
_ Make follow-up phone call three days later to ask if they have any questions
_ Schedule meeting appointment and mark on calendar
_ Send hand-written thank you note letting them know we look forward to working together
Have you ever considered what prospects do when they receive a marketing message from you that makes them realize you might be able to help them? Whether it's a direct mail piece, conversation at a networking event, or receiving a recommendation from a mutual friend, what do prospects do once you grab their attention?
Success Handler Action: With your team, create some "in-motion" scenarios that depict how prospects respond to you. Think about when they call, respond by e-mail, send in a reply card, or walk into your small business. Visualization, role-playing and writing down different scenarios will help you see things from their perspective. Walking through the steps prospects are likely to take will prepare everyone for handling contacts.
Here are some things to consider when analyzing how prospects respond:
? Which message did they receive? Why did it catch their attention?
? What are they thinking about your company?
? What do they need from you? Why do they need it? What other options do they have?
? What is the first step they will take? What are subsequent steps?
Tracking and follow-up activities may appear to be time-consuming, but the more they become habit the easier they are to fulfill. It's essential to have a follow-up program in place, lest your marketing efforts and dollars go to waste. The worst thing that can happen is to drive a prospect to make contact with you, then fail to follow up with her. That breaks the trust expectations of your relationship, making it extremely difficult to convince them to believe any further marketing messages they receive from you, or to make the leap to doing business with you.
By the way, it took two more trips back to the auto repair shop and eight more hours of our time to get the correct switch installed. Needless to say, they can take us off their mailing list.
Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders, franchisees and franchisors find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there ? as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.
[This article is based on excerpts from the special report... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More
Most of us have found ourselves working on a team... Read More
So, you survived the downsizing. Your company did something that... Read More
A successful leader told me, "The biggest challenge I've had... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job... Read More
Six Reasons to K.I.S.S. "Very often, people confuse simple with... Read More
Does this sound familiar? You were hired for the new... Read More
People management and leadership has become a major topic of... Read More
Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More
Few things are more destructive to a career than a... Read More
When asked his secret to success, the author Graham Green... Read More
OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee... Read More
In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid... Read More
I was watching a TV program some months ago about... Read More
An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More
Want to hear a fascinating story? Let's sit in at... Read More
GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION: If you don't understand an... Read More
As an HR professional, you have responsibilities in several broad... Read More
As an experienced manager, I can announce without a doubt... Read More
How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More
Are you a business, non-profit or association manager who pretty... Read More
Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into... Read More
If you want to ensure a steady stream of customers... Read More
Much of the literature and advice on implementing business change... Read More
If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More
Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are... Read More
STEPS IN USING THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE:1) The incident. Read,... Read More
Best Practices StudiesThese studies can be defined as inquiries into... Read More
Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More
Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives... Read More
IntroductionWhen Alex Osborn invented the creativity technique called brainstorming, I... Read More
Does your hiring process consist of proven practices or just... Read More
The Comfort Zone I... Read More
What is factoring?Accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring, is... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
IntroductionManagers have two powerful ways of improving the performance and... Read More
Tis' the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you... Read More
Definition From http://www.merriamwebster.com -- "Virtual: - being such in essence... Read More
One of the strongest weapons available allows business, non-profit and... Read More
The good news is that a new hire orientation program... Read More
Did you know that an airplane in flight is off... Read More
If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More
For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous.... Read More
An allegation of harassment in the workplace is a growing... Read More
Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place... Read More
My friend Delia is the owner of a small private... Read More
In these days of takeovers and mergers, of downsizings and... Read More
It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care... Read More
Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More
Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why... Read More
The objective is to beat the competition and make money.... Read More
In today's tough retail environment the retailer needs all the... Read More
Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee... Read More
Safeguard Your Company Against Harrassment ClaimsTwenty-five percent of employees suffer... Read More
Re-organizing, re-engineering, re-training, down-sizing, outsourcing, changing-changing-changing. Organizations today think they... Read More
It's clear to me that a workplace is a better... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Do you ever meet with resistance from other people -... Read More
People buy from you, offer help, and grant rewards based... Read More
It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More
Does your business need the services of a computer consulting... Read More
Business Management |