Often times sales reps tend to put all their focus on acquiring new prospects. New prospects are great, but don’t forget about your existing clients. Ignoring your existing clients is a big mistake that can cost you big time. Here are some simple strategies you can use to sell to your existing clients.
Touch Base Frequently
Every time you contact existing clients, your relationships grow. When you develop a strong relationship with existing clients they will be more likely to purchase from you again. There are three things you must do when it comes to staying in touch with existing clients. First, determine a frequency that works best for the client. Once you’ve determined the appropriate frequency, you need to determine the best way to communicate with them. Finally, craft your message. Your message should not be a hard sell for anything. It should be to educate them on the awareness of new products, services and promotions.
Personalize Your Communication
Gather as much information as possible about the clients in your database. The information you discover about your clients can be used to personalize your messages to them. For example, you can find out your clients’ birthdays and then every year on their birthday you can send them a birthday message. Gathering information about their hobbies, promotions and favorite sports teams are also ways you can personalize your communication and build rapport.
Acknowledge Loyalty
Another strategy that will help drive sales from existing clients is acknowledging them for their loyalty. Expressing your appreciation for their loyalty will build a stronger bond between the two of you. Keep in mind that there are formal and informal ways to acknowledge their loyalty. Formally, you can reward them with a gift card or credit toward a future purchase. Another formal approach would be to create a loyalty program where each sale is equal to a certain amount of points, and when your clients accumulate a certain number of points you reward them. You can also reward your clients informally by just picking up the phone or sending them a hand-written thank you note to let them know that you appreciate their business.
Ask for Referrals
One of your best avenues for acquiring new business is through your existing clients. Most of the time all you have to do is ask, which for whatever reason, is something that often slips our minds. If there is one group of people who wants to help you be more successful, it’s your existing clients. So why not give them the opportunity to help? The best time to ask for referrals is right after you’ve helped them – in most cases, this is after you sold them something.
Continue to put focus on acquiring new prospects, but don’t forget about your existing clients. Give your existing clients additional attention by applying these simple strategies to your day-to-day activities and watch your sales needle move!
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Jeff Ruby
Founder of RedRock Leadership