Want More Customers? Reach Out.

25. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

This post is about your 80/20 and something much more valuable in your life. Most of you know the old saw about 80% of your business coming from 20% of your customers or clients. This is about your having a larger, more loyal 20% and getting benefits worth far more than the coins they give you.

A Lexington millionaire I knew (who, despite being twenty years my senior, often kicked my butt on the racquetball court) said he became rich by spending an hour a day doing one thing: Calling his best customers regularly just to say “Hi.” He explained that, “People do business with folks they know, like and trust. Without building a relationship, they can’t know, like or trust you. It’s up to you to reach out to them. After all, the most popular people are the ones who go out of their way to be friendly. That’s why they’re popular - they make everyone else feel genuinely important.”

He said to avoid long calls to show respect for their time, and that leaving a message just to say “Hello” was often just as beneficial. After you’ve called a few times, they’ll welcome your call because they’ll know you only want to check in. Some will look forward to the call the way we look forward to a birthday card (and you can collect birth dates, too, as you call).

Creating friendships is a natural part of business that is often overlooked. Regularly reaching out as a friend to the people who are your best customers benefits both sides of the equation; it’s about win-win, so show the 20% some love. You don’t have to send gifts, just call to say “Hi,” ask about their family and so on. The more you do this the better you know them, and you’ll become familiar with folks you never expected to become friends with. For those folks who aren’t in your 20%, maybe it’s because they have no reason to think of you; call and give them one.

To be effective and to show folks you are genuinely interested in them requires consistency. One method to keep on track with this year-after-year is to take your address book (physical or electronic) and create a spreadsheet with everyone on it. Then divide them up into twelve groups to call in twelve months. Call them some time that month, but don’t wait ’til month’s end because most folks are busy then. Better still, call at least twice a year.

What to say when you call? Tell them about something cool that’s coming up before anyone else knows. Ask how you can help without asking for a sale, or call about an event they might be interested in (a charity fun run/walk, a bake sale, a Big Lebowski bowling event, etc.). Maybe asking for an opinion (vs. professional advice) on something you’re involved with outside their specialty; this avoids looking like you’re trying to poach free service. Maybe you meet for coffee or rendezvous at a meeting or event. Whatever works for you.

You can keep it strictly to business, too. Check on their account or orders or whatever as a pretense to call. Or, call and explain that you do this occasionally just to see how your business is doing in their eyes (you should do that in any case). If they haven’t ordered in awhile, calling just to say “Hi” is even more important. Sure, Facebook is cool and easy, but one-to-one contact between two humans is much more powerful than a poke or a wall post. Do this in addition to social media to multiply its effect and bridge the time between calls.

If you do this year-in and year-out, you’ll get a lot more than sales. You’ll get the satisfaction of helping someone else and the one thing that makes life its richest: Friends.

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