There are many ways of marketing that will bring success to
your business. There are also mistakes that you can make that will prevent your
business from being as successful as it should be. Some are so obvious that you
should never make them, and you should know better. Sometimes you should just
get out of your own way. If you don’t, you may make those mistakes that will
prevent your success in business.
Have you ever prejudged anyone only to find later that you
were totally wrong in that judgment? When you meet someone, you should learn
about them and their business, how they deal with customers and prospects, and
how they treat their employees. Then, and only then, classify them as a
networking partner or not.
Do you return all the phone calls that are made to you? If
you don’t, you risk losing customers before they become prospects, much less losing
the customers that you already have. When anyone calls you, speak to them, or
call them back. Determine what they need; don’t try to sell them what you want
them to buy from you. Then see if you can help them in some other way. If you
cannot, refer them to someone who can solve their need. If you help others,
they will help you.
When you make a business mistake, do you ignore the
responsibility for that mistake? You must take ownership of it, take steps to
correct it, and make sure that the person involved knows that you will prevent
the error from occurring again. That person will then believe that any referral
that they provide to you will not suffer the same problem. Since everyone will
make mistakes, or have problems that will occur in their business operation
from time to time, how we deal with those problems is important to our success.
Do you follow up with all referrals or all first meetings
with other business owners? Every person you meet, and every referral that you
receive, may develop into a networking partner, a client, or both. Follow up is
a must. How do you know who anyone is, whether you like them, or if you can
trust them if you don’t get to know them further than a first impression? You
must follow up on all referrals that you receive if you want to receive any in
the future.
Do you make it difficult for your customers to do business
with you? You must examine your buying process and your customer service
philosophy and determine if they are “client friendly”. If you have not done
so, look at what you do from the customer viewpoint. If you find flaws in
customer relations, you must take steps to make the process of doing business
with you easier and more enjoyable for the customer. Happy clients will give
you more referrals.
When you pass referrals to others, are they complete
referrals where you provide both parties all the contact information, and do
you inform both parties that you are providing the referral? Do you even ask if
the parties want you to make the referral? If not, you are wasting everyone’s valuable
time, and you appear as unprofessional.
Do you see yourself making these possible mistakes in your
business operation? What do your customers and prospects say about you and your
business process, the customer experience? Perhaps a close examination of your
business operation will result in your being more supportive of others and
their business. Leave me your comments, or email me at
Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691 with your ideas. Your marketing should reflect your belief
in serving others, and it should provide you some great karma.
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