Become intimate with your customers

Yes, INTIMATE.

Collect the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of your current and prospective customers and communicate with them regularly.  Your mailing list, or customer database, is your biggest source of lifetime profits.  I don’t know why, but 90% of businesses never bother to keep track of their loyal customers, let alone any prospects!

Here’s why you should keep track of every customer and every prospect:

• It costs 5 times as much to generate a new customer than to re-sell an existing customer.
• Your existing customers already trust you.
• They’ve already had a positive experience with you and your business.
• They know you’ll deliver on your promises, won’t you?

All you need to do is develop a systematic way of asking them to buy from you more often, and keeping track of them.  By establishing a long-term relationship with your customers and prospects you can maximize your business success.  Especially if your products or services help solve your customer’s problems.

You should try to stay in touch with your customers and prospects.  Here are some ideas for staying in touch:

• Sponsor some kind of information-based event.  A workshop, seminar, lunch with a guest speaker, etc.  Anything that would be of interest to your customers and prospects.
• Send an email/sms announcing a “private sale” with special discounts or added services exclusively for your customers.
• If you work with businesses, send them information that will help them become more successful along with a personal note…”I thought you might benefit from this.”
• Send an email with problem-solving tips on it for quick, easy reference.

By collecting the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your customers and prospects, you will be in a position to increase profits from 35 to 200%!