Four Simple Small Business Marketing Ideas

In yesterday’s blog post I covered the use of a frequent contact program to communicate with customers in order to gain a larger share of their business.

When doing so, here are some simple ideas to carefully consider:

1. Most businesses invest too much in chasing new customers and too little in doing additional repeat business with their existent customers.
2. The satisfied customer is predisposed to purchase again. Purchase more and purchase something different.
3. It costs less to motivate a known customer to purchase again than to acquire a new customer.
4. Customers are only fickle because a new competitor is paying more attention to them than you are.

In business-to-business marketing many companies make the huge mistake of having all their contact with their customers go through the sales representative. This leaves the customers vulnerable to theft if the representative jumps to another employer. It also leaves too much opportunity for negligence on the representative’s part.

Regardless of the layers of distribution between you and your customer you should establish some direct link. The owner of a restaurant can do that by coming around and chatting personally with the customers. The chief executive officer of a large company can do it with a newsletter and maybe a hotline telephone number as well as online access.

Here are some of the ways that direct mail can be used to communicate with established customers.

1. To introduce new products or services.
2. To give advance notice of and explain price or fee increases.
3. To offer special discounts or premiums.
4. To provide useful information.
5. To give recognition to top customers.
6. To announce seasonal sales.

I’ve rarely seen a business that could not increase and improve through increased direct marketing to present customers.

Now here’s a real marketing secret.

It is a true secret. Most companies make a critical, crucial error in this area. I’ve personally made this error many times.

Here’s the secret.

When marketing to established existent customers you should still tell your entire sales story every time.

Do not make the mistake of assuming knowledge on the part of the customer.

Do not take shortcuts with existing customers and do not feel that you are boring them by telling the same story repetitively.

If you have quality, service, guarantee price or other advantages point them out each and every time you deliver a sales presentation.

American business desperately needs to place a new higher value on the customer.

Author Info:  Dan Kennedy is internationally recognized as the 'Millionaire Maker,' helping people in just about every category of business turn their ideas into fortunes. Dan's "No B.S." approach is refreshing amidst a world of small business marketing hype and enriches those who act on his advice.