You’ve heard the saying… Always Be Closing, right?
Well, I say, “Always Be Collecting.”
What do I mean?
Always Be Collecting your prospects customer’s contact information!!!!!!!! (I can’t stress this enough).
So, on Monday, I got a coupon to a new “health food” restaurant that I’ve never heard about before. I decided to go give it a try. When I got there I ask them if they got a lot of coupons and they said they have been getting a ton.
I also asked how long they’ve been there and they said 3 years. Huh, that’s funny… I used to walk around that area for the past few years and never EVER noticed them before… EVER.
Lucky for them, I got the coupon and now know they exist. But, guess what… they never once asked for my contact info. No email, address, name, nothing. How in the world are they supposed to get me back into their restaurant if they don’t know who I am? Did I like their food, did I hate it, did I think it was just ok… they’ll never know because they failed to collect my contact info.
Have you ever heard the saying… “The money is in the list?” There’s a lot of truth to this.
It’s cheaper to market to an existing customer than to get a new customer.
Think about it; You already have a customer who’s tried your services/product, they feel comfortable doing business with you, and they’re not afraid to whip out their credit card to buy what you’re offering.
But, if you don’t market to them, THEY WILL GO AWAY.
How many times have you gone to a great restaurant, saying you’ll be back, and never end up going again? I have.
The problem, that restaurant never collected your contact info so you forget all about them for the next shiny object.
You’re probably thinking, “But, David, your talking about a restaurant. How does this work in my business?”
This works in any business.
When I was in real estate, I was fishing for leads. Note: I was not looking to sell prospects right off the bat with my marketing, no! I was fishing to get leads, Re: Contact Info.
What did I do to collect contact info? I offered something of value, a free home seller’s guide.
Once I got the lead, it was time to play the follow up game (that’s one key to a successful marketing campaign: follow up with your leads). It would take months and sometimes years of follow up just to get the listing. But, it was totally worth it.
You see, if I never got their contact info, I would never know who was thinking about selling. If I didn’t know who was thinking about selling I was just spinning my wheels.
It doesn’t matter what business you’re in, you always want to be collecting contact info.
Landscaper? Collect contact info of your landscaping/lawn care jobs and then market to them for your other services (hey, if you’re in Cleveland, you ain’t landscaping in the winter so you could be snow plowing, or putting up Christmas lights in December).
Retail shop? Think of your local clothing shop (like Kohl’s), they ask for emails/zip codes, because they’re collecting info so they can reach out to you and make offers to bring you back in.
It’s really easy to collect contact info too. No fancy software required (though, it does help).
And, how do you collect the contact info? Just… ASK. That’s right. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. So, you want their name? Ask them for their name. Want their address? Ask them for their address. What’s the worst thing they’ll say… no.
Just image what you could do with all your current customers if you could market to them directly and make them special offers.
Don’t forget to ask them for their birthday (Look at Pet’s Supplies Plus, they ask for your dog’s birthday and offer a free gift during your dog’s birthday month <—- SMART).
There’s so much you can ask for. Just be sure, if you ask for the information USE IT. Don’t ask for their birthday if you’re not going to send them a special offer on their birthday.
Ok? Got it? GOOD!
Well, I’m getting tired, but before I go I want you to get on Pens.com‘s contact list. They know all about marketing and following up. I have bought pens from them before and they market to me like crazy! They send me free pens, they follow my every move online, and then shoot me emails. When you go to their site, scroll down a little and you’ll see a banner that talks about getting a free personalized pen. Be sure to get it!
Be sure to comment below and let me know if you’re already collecting contact info, or just started and let me know what your follow up plan is.
Now go take action!