Keeping Your Friends, Customers and Members

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management.  It is a strategy used to develop stronger relationships with customers in order to generate loyalty and sales. Today, we not only want to keep customers, but our friends, online and offline, and our members in our business networking groups.

Unfortunately, the most common CRM method that we see in small businesses is hit or miss, like throwing darts at a board with a blind fold on.

Guessing at what your customer’s wants and needs are will rarely produce results.

Keeping your customer relationships alive and thriving is the key to their loyalty.

Basic Tips for keeping your customers:

The customer is a priority.  Customers are smart enough today to know when your focus is more on sales then on them and their needs. When you lose focus on the customer, you lose loyalty and sales.

 

Understand your customer.  Gather information about who your customer is, where they go and what their needs are.  Do surveys, get point-of-sale feedback, run contests or set up a social media group. Just listen.

Find a system that fits your company.  Experts will agree that over 70% of CRM systems fail. Why? Lack of commitment to the customer and lack of understanding about what methods best supports their business. What works for you? Infusionsoft, Salesforce, SendOutCards, Constant Contact or a combination?

Start small and manageable.  Develop a plan.  You might begin with an email campaign, social media or a newsletter first. Then when those first steps demonstrate results, your company can look at the next element of your strategy.

Get everyone on board.  From salesman to manager, get everyone connected to your CRM strategy. Don’t let disregard for the company’s vision fracture your strategy.  Empower your staff and sales team with knowledge, inspiration and tools.

Now you see me, now you don't...

Lack of visibility will cost you business.   

We often speak about the importance of the Know, Like and Trust factors in referral marketing. But the formula is not complete without Visibility.

"Where did he go?"

There is a common misconception that just by belonging to a business networking group you should get referrals.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

The members of your networking group still need to get to know you, like you and trust you. They can’t do that if you don’t show up on a regular basis.

One doesn't generate trust without consistency. In fact, your referrals will begin to decline the minute you start missing meetings, even if you have a substitute fill in for you.

There will be times of sickness and other emergencies that cause you to miss a meeting. That’s understandable.

However, when attendance is poor, the trust factor begins to deteriorate. The missing member will seem unreliable and will lose credibility. Fellow members may wonder...

· “Where is she?”

· “Is this how he runs his business?” 

· “Will she show up for my client or send someone else?”

· “I manage to get to the meetings on time, why can’t he?”

· “We must not be very important to her.”

· “Is there something wrong? What’s going on?”

As for profitability, empty chairs can’t give or receive referrals and there is always one of your competitors in the wings ready to take your business.

3 Steps to Giving More Referrals

Giving and receiving are just two sides of the same coin. 

You can’t have one without the other.  

- Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals

You may have joined a business networking group to get referrals, but in order to garner the respect of the members in your group, you will need to also give referrals.  It’s a hard truth, but without giving, your relationships within your group will eventually deteriorate and your well of referral sources will dry up.

When one understands that GIVING referrals is just as important as GETTING referrals, the next question is, “How do I give more referrals?” 

3 Basic Principles to Giving More Referrals:

1. Have a Referral Mindset.

Ask, “Who can I help or refer through-out the week?”  Think about it. Have your club members business cards close-by. Listen for opportunities to refer someone. Think about what needs you might have at home or in your business. Do you use pest control, need an attorney or want a new fence? Give your referral group member an opportunity to help you before you call someone else.

2. Know what to say.  Good phrases are:

"I know someone who can get that done.”

“Would you like me to recommend someone?”

“I have guy who does that.”

“Would it be okay if they called you?”

“I can get you in touch with the company I use, they do a good job for me.”

3. Understand that most people WANT a referral.

Research has proven that people would rather use someone referred to them than use a complete stranger or a company that they don’t know.

They will not only welcome the referral but oftentimes, they will come back to you again when they need another one.

Visit: www.GoldStarDirectors.com to find out how to start your own business networking referral group. 

Great Questions to Ask While Networking

Have you ever noticed that no one ever hangs up the phone when they are doing the talking? Think about it.

When getting to know someone new, the worst thing you can do is most of the talking.

But what do you say after you exchange names and shake hands? How do you get them talking? If you’re at a networking event, after you shake hands, the first question may be, “What do you do?” 

And then after that, how do you keep the conversation going? Here are some great questions to ask a business person that you've just met or to ask new acquaintances at a networking event. These questions will help you keep a conversation going and perhaps, even open up the possibility of a future referral relationship.

GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK:

1. “What kind of trends are you seeing in your industry this year?
2.  “May I ask, how did you get into the _______ business?”
3. “Are you doing much on Facebook? What do you find is working?”
4. “Are you networking for a specific reason today?”
5. “What’s your favorite client to work with?”
6. “Have you seen a lot of changes take place in your industry over the past couple of years?”
7. “So, tell me some stories. What’s been happening in your business lately?”
8. “What do you like best about being a ___________.?”
9. “If I were to look for someone in your business, what are the key things I should look for?”
10. “How are you different from your competition?”

AND FINALLY,

The most important questions to ask are:

 “How can I know if someone is a good prospect for you?”

“And what would you like me to say to them when I find them?”