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Of all the Possible
Marketing Mistakes,
Please Don’t Make This One!
By Karen Simmons
Recently I met a retailer who decided it was time for
semi-retirement and was in the last days of closing her brick and
mortar store. We discussed her plans for opening an online gallery.
Though she was not very Internet savvy, she felt sure she could get
the technical support she needed. For many years, she had sold
hand-thrown pottery, representing many well-known potters from
around the Southeast. She had a loyal clientele who stopped by
frequently to see what new pieces were in her gallery or to put in a
request for something special. At first it seemed she would have no
problem with her transition. She could just sit back and let the
business come to her without maintaining the hours and overhead of
her physical gallery. But when she told me she had never kept a
database of her clientele, my heart sank. After all her years of
running a profitable business, essentially, she would be starting
over.
I would have been more shocked if I hadn’t known other business
people who have found themselves in similar situations. "But my
business is different!” you say. Perhaps you are a software
consultant and only work with a few large clients each year and
think you don’t need a marketing list of 2,000 companies. Perhaps
you don’t, but any list will provide leverage to keep your business
going as clients turn over or economic conditions shift, which they
certainly do.
I am currently working with a massage therapist who used to work
with a chiropractor. When the chiropractor decided to move his
office, he no longer had room to accommodate her. Her referrals and
appointments dried up. After three years in business, all she should
need to do is market to her past clients. She should never have an
empty appointment book. But she never kept a list of her clients.
She relied on the chiropractor’s staff to make, cancel, and
reschedule her appointments. She’s lost momentum and is now
struggling to re-establish her client base to its previous level.
I know this sound so obvious, but you would be surprised at
how many people make this very fundamental marketing mistake.
Keep a list of your clients. Period. When lean times come along, you
won’t have to be a hard sell. You’ll just remind them you are
available or offer them a special discount. I promise you will learn
that there are people who have been meaning to call you, but never
got around to it – until you sent them a friendly hello.
Action Steps
1. Commit to collecting names and contact details of every person
who expresses an interest in your business, even if they are not
ready to buy or use your service right away. Make this a priority.
It will help you weather hard times.
2. Follow up and stay in touch. Don’t use the excuse that you’re too
busy. An email newsletter is a cost effective way to stay in touch
with thousands of people. Even monthly or quarterly mailers or
postcards would be better than nothing at all. You don’t have to
have the perfect mailer or offer, just stay in touch.
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Karen Simmons is the owner of
Info2000 Information
Services Inc. and provides marketing consulting services,
market and competitive intelligence, and small business website
design.
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