Any business owner will tell you that bringing in new customers will always remain part of the battle, no matter how successful and stable the business becomes. Your customers are the heart of your business and without them, you have no business at all. So let’s take a look at some powerful techniques you can use to bring in some fresh new business.
1. Optimize Your Website’s FAQ Page
If you don’t have an Frequently Asked Questions page on your website, you may very well be leaving money on the table. A well-written FAQ page can squash typical sales objections effectively prequalifying your prospects so that only those that are a great fit for you ever come through with an inquiry.
Take a moment to think about your sales process. Ask yourself what the most common objections you encounter are. Our most common sales objections are the following:
• Price – “Looks great but I could probably get the same thing for less.”
• Trust – “You seem great but I’ve been burned before.”
• Timing – “This is all great but I can’t take it on right now.”
We answer our FAQs as transparently as possible. We have nothing to hide, so why not go ahead and address the questions and concerns our prospects have so that by the time they reach out to us, we can skip all the generic talk and dive right into getting to know each other and establishing goals for our project?
2. Revisit Your First Customers
You might not think about them this way, but your first customers made you what you are today. These are the original gunners for your business. They took a leap of faith with a new company when they had many other options that were safer. You should be grateful for these folks and you should show it. Take care of your early customers well and you will cultivate an army of raving fans who will spread the word for you.
Make a list of your business’ first wave of customers. Reach out to them with a simple message saying “thank you” by email or snail mail. Personalize these messages (they deserve it) and in them, ask how they are doing and if there’s anything you could do for them, their friends, their family, or their colleagues. You will be surprised how much business this will generate. You may drum up some repeat business with these customers, or even better, they may tell someone else about you.
3. Cultivate Partner Distributions
Think about the products or services you offer. What other products and services do your customers purchase in conjunction with those you offer? When our clients come to us for website design and development work, for example, they are often starting a brand new company. What other services do people starting a new company need? Perhaps they could use the help of a business consultant, a business attorney, a CPA, etc.
Forming partnerships with other businesses that are aligned with yours is a powerful form of marketing. When someone recommends you, the trust they’ve already established with that person is transferred to you. And your partners benefit because they further build their authority with their customers by adding value as a source of great contacts.