Sometimes, we’re so busy doing day-to-day stuff that we forget our most valuable assets.
What do you consider as your most valuable business asset?
If you answered your past customers and clients… You’re right!
Clients and customers who have already worked with you (and are happy with their results) are much more likely to recommend you to other people who need your services. These people are commonly referred to as ‘low-hanging fruit’ or ‘money-on-the-table’ opportunities.
Is it time to review your list of past clients and reach out?
Another hidden ‘keep-in-touch’ opportunity is those people who have expressed interest in you, your offers and programs, and even perhaps those who’ve already said no once (or more) to the opportunity to work with you for whatever reason.
There was a time in the not too distant past that I felt as though NO was a hard stop. As in – No – meant never. It’s easy to feel rejected when potential clients and customers say no, but I suggest you consider shifting your opinion about those past ‘no’s’. It first takes a little shift in perspective.
People say no for MANY reasons. But, as I’ve learned in my business journey – No does not equal Never. If you struggle with the ‘rejection syndrome’ like I did – I want to invite you to consider a different perspective. One way to shift your mindset about ‘no’ is to simply consider those people as ‘not ready at the time’ you made your offer to begin with. Whatever their reason then – situations and conditions constantly change. Maybe they have changed for those folks too? Maybe NOW is a great time to touch base with them, review your notes from the last time you connected, and then reach out to them to simply touch base and see how things are going.
Do you keep records of past and/or perspective clients with whom you’ve connected but maybe weren’t ready to work with you just yet? Depending on your business model and service offerings, those people who’ve said no in the past, may be ready to reconsider. Situations change, time moves forward, kids grow up, and schedules change yearly (sometimes even more often!) It’s important to go through your past client and prospective client list once in awhile and “just check in”. Your inquiry can be as simple as touching base and asking them for a moment of their time – so you can see where they are in their process of wanting to work with you.
There are several keep in touch strategies to explore:
The best keep in touch strategies are high touch! Reach out with a quick email – be sure the subject line is catchy and personal. I like to use the subject: ‘Just checking in with you’, or ‘Do you have a few minutes?‘ Those subject lines work well for openers. Here are some ideas.
- Pick up the phone and connect with these clients with a voice to voice conversation!
- Send a card (Yes snail mail still works! And statistics are now showing that snail mail gets better responses than email! I use SendOutCards as a high-touch, keep in touch tool that helps me send and actual paper card from anywhere. Click that link to learn more about using it in your business and feel free to try it on me.)
- Create or find an appropriate inexpensive gift and drop by your clients’ places of business
- Send prospects a text with a question
- Add a blurb into your newsletter with an offer and some sweet kicker offer
- Connect via Social Media and send a personal message.
Whatever your method of reaching out, I suggest you build in time for this strategy at least monthly. If you’re not able to dedicate time for it each month, put it on your 120 Day Marketing Plan – and build in some strategy quarterly. Every marketing professional will tell you that staying top of mind is the key. The more current and relevant you are in client’s memories, the more likely you’ll come to mind when they experience a need in themselves or others.
Keep In touch Strategies Work!
I’ve been amazed at the responses I’ve received as a result of creating time for keep in touch strategies. People are genuinely touched when I’ve reached out, and I’ve received lovely messages back and delightful responses. They comment about how nice it was that I’ve kept them in mind and am reaching out to them. In a recent program I launched, I increased my sales by 35% alone by reaching out to those who’d already said no. If those results aren’t impressive enough – the high-touch strategies have received an 80% response rate! So, I’m a big advocate of any keep-in-touch process!
[Tweet “The best keep in touch strategies are high touch! #clientrelationships”]
Once you have their attention…
Getting on their calendar is the first step, but once you’re live in front of them – be sure to tell them that you respect their time, and then get right to the point. Offer them access to you via phone call. (If you’re too busy for scheduling, there are some great scheduling apps out there that can streamline this process for you. I use TimeTrade and many of my colleagues have also suggested vCita. The objective for this check-in is two-fold. You want to be sure that they know they are still on your radar… (the follow up is really important!) – AND, you want to try to have a one-on-one personal conversation with them.
If you simply reach out to check in alone, you’ll have a much higher degree of likelihood to connect and actually convert more prospects into clients!
Your Sanity Assignment
Take three minutes right now and jot down the names of at least five people with whom you’ve had preliminary conversations with in the past 18 months. Find their information and draft an initial email to send them to check in. Book a block of time on your calendar that you can devote to live conversations, and offer them an opportunity to talk on a scheduled date. Let me know how it goes!
Please comment!
What are your favorite and most effective keep in touch strategies? What has worked for you in the past? Please share your wisdom in the comments section below. If you know of others who will benefit from this information, please freely share this post in the social universe!
