Pittsburgh Marketing

Poor follow up with existing and potential customers — Most of us are guilty of it to some degree and some of us are worse than others.

Just about everyone who has ever been in sales has seen or heard about the costs of gaining a new customer versus the costs of keeping an existing one.

So why do so many of us neglect this simple money making task?

No matter what excuses you might give or how successful your current business is, poor follow up is bad business that costs you money and customers.

Proper follow up is a tried and true method for generating repeat business from existing clients and creating new business from potential prospects and referrals.

Just in case you forgot, we’ll highlight some of the benefits of proper follow up.

Following up with existing customers

In today’s fast paced world, many businesses treat their existing customers like they are products rolling off an assembly line. Once the customer has handed over their cash and trotted out the door or closed their browser, they become just another transaction never to be thought of again.

Why you or your staff should take a little extra time to follow up:

• It shows you appreciate the fact that they chose to do business with you instead of your competitors.
• You can get quality feedback from your customers on their experience with your business.
• It can make you aware of a dissatisfied customer that may not have complained and allow you to win them back instead of having them complain to others, never returning to do business with you again and driving potential customers(their friends and family) away from your business.
• It’s a great time to ask for referrals.
• Great follow up builds more trust and strengthens your relationship with your clients making it much more likely that they will come back to you in the future.
• It makes you stand out above your competitors.

Following up with potential customers

If you truly want to maximize your profits, you should have something in place that will allow you to reach out to potential customers that may have visited your store or website.

In order to acquire their contact info, you can do giveaways, operate a newsletter (online or off), or anything else that will require contact info to be provided.

Why follow up with those who didn’t buy the first time around?:

• It keeps your company and the products or services you offer fresh in your potential customer’s mind.
• Timing is important. By keeping in touch with potential customers, when they really need or want what you are offering, you are more likely to get the business.
• Even if the customer isn’t buying, they may still refer friends or family members who are actively searching for what you offer.

Quality follow up continues to help build better rapport and trust with your potential customers.

With today’s technology, follow up is inexpensive and takes very little time.

Not following up properly can cost you a fortune.

If you have questions or would like some help in creating an automated follow up sytem with customers and prospects, feel free to contact us today.