Posted by Robert Bylett at 5:23 PM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Client Satisfaction, Communication, Economy, Small Business
I just had a couple of very frustrating experiences trying to refer
significant business to two different companies. It made me wonder if
they realised how difficult it was for someone to do business with them
and how many clients they are likely losing.
Have you ever reviewed
the experience a new person has when trying to connect with your
company?First, it is important for you to know that I had no existing relationship with these companies; however, they are well-established and well-known. I looked up the company websites to get contact information and didn’t see any phone numbers or email addresses listed (they were impressive, professionally designed sites). I was simply directed to one of those “contact us” forms that make you wonder if anything will happen if you fill it out.
After a lot of digging around, I finally succeeded in finding phone numbers to share this great opportunity. The experience I had with the first company was like the Spanish Inquisition! I was asked 20 questions by a receptionist to prove that I’m worthy of their time.
Eventually, I spoke to a coordinator who was able to help, but I came away with a lukewarm feeling and little desire to want to work with them. When I called the second company, I was met with a receptionist who couldn’t grasp what I was requesting and got nowhere!
I see this all too often. Companies are so afraid of being inundated with sales calls, that they hide their contact information.
Here’s the problem, if the sales people can’t figure out how to contact you, then clients definitely won’t be able to figure out how to contact you! Even worse, the sales people will still find a way to get the contact information because they are motivated to do so.
The clients will get frustrated and move on to one of your competitors.When people do succeed in making contact with your company, how are they being received? Is the person answering the phone using a warm and inviting tone? Are they knowledgeable? Do they make the caller feel welcome and valued?
If you want your company to be successful, you need to make it as easy as possible for people to do business with you. Particularly in this economy! Additionally, you want to make the experience people have when interacting with your company (virtually on your website and in real life) as enjoyable as possible.
Not sure what type of experience people are having? Ask some business colleagues to ‘secret shop’ your company as a potential client and share their experience with you.
Posted by Robert Bylett at 12:24 PM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Clients, Communication
We’ve all done it – burned a bridge in a business relationship. The bridge could have been with a client, prospect, supplier, referral source, mentor, center of influence, etc. Additionally, sometimes we actively burn the bridge by pouring on gasoline and tossing a match; and sometimes we walk away leaving a smoldering coal and it burns itself. On rare occasions, it’s in our best interest to burn a bridge; however, most of the time, it’s not.
Every time you burn a bridge, you leave a very negative image with one or more people. Negative information travels at least four times faster than positive information because everyone wants to share a bad experience. So, every bridge burned could equal ten or more people who have a negative impression of you and your business. It can spread like wildfire.
Continue reading "Burning Bridges Could Burn Your Business" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 2:49 PM
in Clients, Communication, Marketing
Prospecting…not most peoples’ favorite part of the sales cycle. Although, every once in a blue moon I run into one of those rare – and somewhat twisted – people who actually likes to cold call. Most of us don’t like to cold call. Heck, most of us don’t even enjoy making warm calls after meeting someone new at a networking meeting. So, we avoid it until too much time has passed and then decide not to bother. The result…many missed opportunities.
If you’re one of those people who is uncomfortable making those sales calls where you’re not certain if the person will remember meeting you or would be open to hearing from you, then I have the solution to your problem. Send them a personal card first! It will make the call much friendlier because you’ll be less anxious and the prospect has received a nice note and knows that you’ll be calling.
In today’s world of digital communications and junk mail, personal, handwritten notes in stamped envelopes get noticed and read. They are remembered and stand out every time! So, sending such a card shortly after meeting a new prospect is the perfect way to ensure that your call will be welcome.
Continue reading "What to Do When You Hate Contacting New Prospects" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 6:14 PM
in Business Owner, Clients, Communication, Happy Business, Marketing, Small Business
No, I’m not talking about Christmas – though it is almost here too. I’m talking about New Year’s Day. The time for change! The time for optimism! The time when you can wipe away what you’ve been doing wrong and start anew! Have you made your New Year’s resolutions for your business yet?
It is said, that the concept of the New Year’s resolution has been around for approximately 4,000 years – since the times of the Babylonians. Of course, New Year’s resolutions are also known for failure because significant change is very difficult for human beings. Failure of New Year’s resolutions also frequently occurs because we tend to try and change things that we feel we
should change, but aren’t 100% committed to. Further, we also tend to jump in feet first with no major plan and unnaturally high expectations of what we will be able to accomplish in a short period of time.
Continue reading "It’s Almost Here...Are You Ready to Make a Change? What Are Your Business New Year’s Resolutions?" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 8:48 AM
in Client Relationships, Clients, Communication, Marketing, Small Business
Unless you’ve been in a coma, you’ve likely noticed that marketing and advertising have drastically changed over the past 2 to 3 years. A major paradigm shift has occurred that has leveled the playing field between big and small business.
(Almost) gone are the days of expensive, slick, mass market advertising campaigns. Those techniques are like shotguns blasting outward in a general direction only capable of hitting broad targets. They are impersonal, one way communications. Their effectiveness has been trending downward.The name of the game today is attraction and appreciation marketing. In contrast, these methods are personal, laser-like, two way communications that are usually much less expensive and much friendlier to small business than big business.
Continue reading "Attraction and Appreciation Marketing – Magnets and Glue to Hold Your Business Together" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 3:50 AM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Communication, Courtesy System, Happiness, Happy Business, Small Business, Work Life Balance
Over the past several months, I’ve been talking about several themes of small business management; namely building a happy business, the Courtesy System, attracting perfect clients, etc. After serious reflection, I’ve come to realise that these topics fit into a simple formula that you can use to create a business and a lifestyle that is not only enjoyable, but profitable. I call this formula the Happiness Equation.
Over the coming months all of the blog posts will comprise at least one part of the equation. The “Happy People” variable of the equation includes anyone (and everyone) who interacts with the business – customers, suppliers, employees, partners, service providers, and even your family! The “Efficient Business Systems” variable addresses all of the processes and procedures necessary to make your business run. The end result – when implemented and applied correctly – is Profit.
Continue reading "Happiness Equation: Happy People + Efficient Business Systems = Profit" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 8:50 AM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Client Satisfaction, Clients, Communication, Small Business
Here are
some widely quoted statistics from the U.S. News & World Report about why
clients leave:
- 1% Death
- 3% Move Away
- 5% Buy from
a friend
- 9% Sold by
a Competitor
- 14% Product
Price
- 68%
Perceived Indifference
To boil it
down...what it says is that if you are a business owner, more than two thirds
of the clients who stop doing business with you, do so because they believe
that you do not care that they’re your client.
So the question is, have you told your clients recently how much you
appreciate their business? Better yet,
have you shown them?
Telling
your clients once in a blue moon that you are happy to have them as a client
won’t cut it. Neither will a rare, grand
“client appreciation” event (for the most part). Just like any other relationship, your
clients will believe that you care about them and their business based on the “small
stuff.”
Personal
Information
Get to know
your customers on a personal level – information about their family, background
and interests. If you have difficulty
recalling such information, then that is where the beauty of CRM software comes
in – take good notes, enter the data in the CRM database and then review if
before you meet with the client. Even if
it is something you couldn’t have recalled on your own, the client never knew
and is likely impressed that you “remembered.”
The
personal information street also goes both ways, so don’t be afraid to share
information about yourself with your clients.
The closer your personal relationship, the harder it is for the client
to leave you. Think about it...on
average 5% of clients leave to do business with a friend. If you’re a friend you almost eliminate the
possibility of a client leaving you for that reason.
Communications
Regular
communications with your clients is crucial and the communications should be a
mixture of business and personal. Communications
between companies and their clients often tend to be one-sided and nothing but
business – us, us, us, sale, buy more, us, etc.
Nothing in those types of communications makes the customer feel special
or appreciated. Therefore, make sure
your communications are crafted so that the relationship is a two-way
street. Request feedback, give special
offers/opportunities that are truly unique to select clientele, and recognition
of personal milestones (weddings, birth of children, special accomplishments,
etc.) are but a few ways to develop more interactive and personalized client
communications.
Indifference
is your enemy. Make sure your clients
know you care and they’ll likely stay clients for a long time to come.
Posted by Robert Bylett at 9:20 AM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Client Satisfaction, Clients, Communication, Marketing, Small Business
One of the hardest parts of acquiring new clients and building strong client relationships is managing the follow-up process and keeping track of what had been previously said, done and promised. In the days of yore – before there was a personal computer on every desk – this was often accomplished with elaborate card filing systems. To say that those systems were a bit cumbersome is putting it lightly – and that’s not even mentioning that if you lost one of your precious cards, the entire client/prospect history was gone!Thankfully, we now have fire, the wheel and CRM software! CRM stands for Client/Customer Relationship Management and it is software that helps you track, manage and plan your client communications and activity. And, it is 10 times more important in today’s market.
Continue reading "CRM – Client Relationships and Computers" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 7:24 PM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Client Satisfaction, Clients, Communication
One of the most overlooked parts of the beginning of a new client relationship is establishing client expectations – both what your clients can expect from you and what you expect from your clients (as well as performance from any products or third party services). Unfortunately, you often don’t realise how important that step was until your client is frantically calling and sending email messages every 5 minutes on a Sunday afternoon for an issue that can clearly wait until Monday morning.Best Case Scenario – Upfront and in Writing
The “best practice,” is to have a candid conversation at the start of a new client relationship to clearly explain the expectations. This conversation often doesn’t happen because many people find it as uncomfortable as the “money talk.” That’s because we often think of client expectations in the negative – what we can’t and won’t do for our clients. A better perspective is to frame your expectations in relation to how you are able to provide the best service so that what is possible is emphasized and what is not possible is de-emphasized – though the boundaries are still very clear.
Continue reading "It's 5:00 p.m. Sunday Evening...Did You Forget to Manage Your Clients' Expectations?" »
Posted by Robert Bylett at 4:32 PM
in Business Owner, Client Relationships, Client Satisfaction, Clients, Communication, Small Business
I bet you’ve found yourself in this situation before…You have been professionally “chasing” a great business prospect for quite a while – regularly sending email messages, connecting by phone, showing up at events that you know they will be attending, etc. Then, the prospect finally agrees to sit down and talk business with you. You are so excited!
You’ve been in hunting mode for so long and the “prize” is finally in your sites. You’re in the meeting making your presentation – your blood is pumping and things are going great. You get to the end, ask for the business, and…they say, “Yes.” All of a sudden you freeze. Your heart jumps into your throat and your mind goes blank with what should happen next. You’ve been so focused on the “hunt” that you hadn’t really thought through what would happen if you actually succeeded. Instead of thinking ahead to your next steps after acquiring the client, you’ve gotten used to thinking ahead to the next tactic to try and acquire the client – assuming the current tactic failed.
Continue reading "What to Do When a Prospect Says, “Yes.”" »
