A good friend once told me a story about a young dairy farmer that asked advice from a wealthy and successful farmer. The successful farmer's advice was to put a soda can with some stones in it, in the dairy where the cows get milked. All the young farmer had to do was to shake the soda can once, when it is time to milk the cows. The young farmer also became a successful dairy farmer..... Why did I tell this story? Because 80% of sales success is staying in contact with your customers - be where the business is taking place.
There are 3 important elements to remember in contacting your customers: Frequent contact, balance Business and Personal contacts and you have to add value with every contact.
This sounds more difficult than what it really is! All you need is a bit of planning with a dash of creativity. It is better to have regular, informal contact with a customer than one or two formal meetings.
Here are some quick ideas for the month:
• Womans day is coming up - 9 Aug(Be creative - think about their children)
• Use Rugby/Tennis - it could be as simple as a weekly sms with interesting facts
• Send a fax - unique/funny or some interesting article about their industry or hobby
• Ask your sales support person to help you brainstorm and let them help you to make the contacts, e.g. sending the sms's or fax's
I believe that a broker can be very successful by making 4 unexpected contacts with a client. One - Birthday, Two - Woman/Bosses day, Three - interesting article about his/her industry and four - Christmas.
Invest your time by planning your week and contacts with your customers. You will be much more successful if you take 1 or 2 hours per week to plan your contacts. A bit of planning can double or even triple your contact ratio - it will have an inevitable effect on your sales results!
