Howard Greenstein over at Inc. Magazine wrote the first half of a two-part blog post a couple of weeks back posing a reader question: what is the best way to reconnect with previous customers? The person asking the question runs a golf tournament accessory company and had not been in the habit of trying to sell again to existing customers — in fact, the company had changed contact information without letting its previous clients know, such that previous customers could not purchase again even if they wanted to! By the same token, the reader did not know whether some of his previous contacts at various golf courses and country clubs still work there, or whether they had moved on to greener fairways.
Though the BizSnap blog is more apt to weigh in on trends, new technologies, or clever tips and tricks to get things done in business, in this case our advice to Howard’s reader is more straightforward: the good news is that there is some very low hanging sales and marketing fruit to grab. For starters, simply pick up the phone and reach out to anybody who has ever purchased from you before. For one thing, you will figure out which of your contacts are still working at the golf courses and country clubs that you did business with. If they are not, ask for the person’s current employer and/or phone number; you can track that person down and perhaps gain a new account. For the people you get on the phone, ask them what their problems are and how you can help. Make their lives easier and make them more successful in their jobs, and you will be building relationships that bear fruit for years to come.
Also, start a simple CRM system — if Salesforce.com or similar is not your cup of tea, just start out with some simple information in a spreadsheet: names and contact info of all your previous customers, history of what they purchased and how much they spent, when you last contacted the customer, and some freeform notes. If you don’t have the historical information, just start a now and maintain it going forward.
By the way, part two of Howard’s post will consist of some expert advice, but it hasn’t been posted yet. In the meantime, if you’re in this reader’s shoes, get on the phone!
Comments on this entry are closed.