You know your prospects need what you sell. You know they want what you sell. Heck, you know that they even sent away for information on your service and requested a quote.
But the fact is you are missing one major piece of the puzzle.
Want to know what it is?
No matter what else you know, often, the missing piece is knowing when your hot little prospect will actually make a purchase.
People search for information and solutions in many different ways and on many different time tables.
Some will buy immediately; some may take a year or more depending on the complexity of the purchase.
The key to solving this dilemma is consistent and repeated contact.
If you build a marketing system that guarantees your prospects (particularly your "A" prospects) are contacted at least 8-10 times a year you can significantly increase the odds that your name will jump to the top of the list when they do actually decide to purchase.
Another benefit of constant contact is that by sending your prospects useful information, that doesn't always ask for a sale, you can establish a bond of trust, and trust wins business. It is almost as though some of your prospects will feel that they owe it to you because you took so much time and effort to educate them for such a long period of time without asking for anything in return
So what will you send to your prospects on a monthly basis?
Here is an example a calendar of contact points
Notice that this schedule includes a couple of phone contacts. This to can be a very powerful research tool as well as a business building tool. Sometimes you will learn what your prospect really wants and how valuable the materials you are sending them really are to them.
You man want to consider breaking your prospect list into groups based on potential opportunity. Your 20 or so "A" prospects might get a copy of your favorite book or some homemade cookies in a tin with your company logo one month or some proprietary content or information along with some tickets to the ballgame a couple of months later.
And if you really want to make a hit with your "A" prospects, take the time to find out some background on them and personalize your marketing materials. If Ed Jones over there at Acme Industries went to Notre Dame (not such a hard thing to find out) you will score major points by simply sending a clipping from some magazine about his favorite subject ? The Fighting Irish. You can even set-up a service that will find you everything that is being said about a school, industry, company, sports team, you name it. So an industry guru makes a prediction for the future of your prospect's industry and you drop the article in the mail to them. Now who do you think they are they going to remember come order time?
Create a database of your ideal prospects, set-up a schedule of different types of contact points like the one above, and then stick to it. And don't forget to include your current clients in that list. Reselling them can lead to more and more business and referrals.
Copyright 2004 John Jantsch
About The Author
John Jantsch is a marketing consultant based in Kansas City, Mo. He writes frequently on real world small business marketing tactics and is the creator of http://www.ducttapemarketing.com a turn-key small business marketing system. Check out his blog at http://www.ducttapemarketing.com
shuttle from O'Hare Bingham .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWe're birds of a feather, public relations and small business.... Read More
Summer is a time for the outdoors, for that well-deserved... Read More
Someone new to business ownership recently told me, "Before I... Read More
How do you make sure you have the business solutions... Read More
Which questions do you need to ask to even get... Read More
Sometimes when you run a business you feel as lonely... Read More
If your home business is not performing the way you... Read More
When working from home, it is usual to find that... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission decided to sit down and revamp... Read More
There's been a recent rise in the number of elderly... Read More
Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse... Read More
Macon, GA goes after garage-gas station conversion detail/hand car washes... Read More
What will your business look like a year from today?If... Read More
You have spent considerable time pulling your business plan together,... Read More
How do we keep track of our business deals?If you... Read More
Many people ask how many graphs or charts they should... Read More
To get approval for your small business loan application, you... Read More
Most businesses accept checks as form of payment for goods... Read More
Thankfully, most of us will never find out. That is... Read More
My 16 year-old daughter said, "Gee Dad! You look just... Read More
Writing a business plan is a fundamental step to ensuring... Read More
Want your small business to flip instead of flop?! Statistically... Read More
Most smart entrepreneurs and all large corporations have Employee Relations... Read More
Most small business owners are faced with so many responsibilities... Read More
We visited Lexus USA, home of the Lexus North America... Read More
Mishawaka limo O'Hare ..Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across... Read More
Until the day I learned to play chess I loved... Read More
Are you tired yet of all the books out there... Read More
Many of us have noticed how some nearby communities seem... Read More
Small business owners can relieve a lot of their own... Read More
Business Process Automation or BPA for short. This was a... Read More
In my previous article, Step 1, your challenge for the... Read More
There is a continual trend we are seeing which I... Read More
We all know how glorious those first warm days of... Read More
Paul Leonard's BirthdayCards2Go.com paid greeting card service offers convenience when... Read More
To wash an airplane there are many items you will... Read More
Forget everything you've ever heard about the U.S. Small Business... Read More
Your business is only as good as the number of... Read More
It is imperative to have your business legally prepared. How... Read More
Every business starts with an idea or a dream. To... Read More
Q: A friend told me that as a woman of... Read More
Deciding to start your own franchise is just one of... Read More
When should you leverage the relationship?Leveraging sometimes brings a negative... Read More
We're birds of a feather, public relations and small business.... Read More
When you go into business for yourself, there are many... Read More
Here are just a few ways to increase and diversify... Read More
Running a business, whether large, small or in your home,... Read More
Writing a business plan is a fundamental step to ensuring... Read More
Do you like animals? Would you like to work for... Read More
If you plan to do business online, then your website... Read More
Small Business |