
Prospecting is good. Having an incoming request that doesn’t require any effort from you is better. While many would like to have customers rushing to their door, few take the time to set up certain systems that would allow them to foster inbound demand. Let’s focus on a few processes to make sure that you don’t have to go “chasing” customers anymore, but that they are the ones who come to you.
The basics: contact forms
Sure, it’s basic, but making sure that your clients can reach you easily and quickly remains the B.A. BA if you want them to make a request. To do this, you will certainly need to set up a contact form or even call numbers, but also optimize their location so that your customers can quickly call you if they “need” you. The prospecting service should rarely be confused with the after-sales service, which generally manages dissatisfaction. In any case, your customer should not make more than three clicks to reach you or be put in contact with you. Some companies have not hesitated to set up automatic callback services or chatbots that direct the various requests to the right contact person.
Automate your customer process
Whether we are talking about an automatic reminder or a response, you can set up a whole process that avoids having to manually do a large part of your sales process (and thus limit the risk of errors, omissions and time spent). You need to have as much (useful) information about your customers as possible so that you can contact them at the right time with a relevant proposal. It is not a question of harassing them, but of sending them offers that are useful to them (and sometimes simply to remind you to their good memory). Ideally, leave nothing to chance. This type of process takes time to set up and refine, especially since it is difficult to identify all the relevant information to be collected and to know how to use it, but it is better to have it in your database.
Make communication campaigns
Obvious perhaps, but the more you are known, and the more people talk about you, the more likely you are not to have to go looking for the client. Some brands regularly test the percentage of the population that knows their name to see if they should communicate or not. The objective is also to stay in the memory of consumers to prevent them from forgetting you. Your communication strategy must be well thought out beforehand to remain relevant and avoid bad buzz that undermines your credibility. Don’t forget to test your ROI (return on investment) even if you must not forget that communication can also be there for the image. Wanting too much that each investment is immediately profitable, some brands have forgotten that efficiency can also erode their brand image with an audience, especially through the intrusiveness of some unwanted campaigns.
Specific offers
Although selling at a loss is forbidden in Europe, the supermarkets are the specialists with appealing products that encourage customers to go to the store. You can do the same and think of a strategy to get customers to come to your site/store to buy not only the product in question but also other products that make you make a profit. It’s not just a question of selling the product even if the communication can be positive because you can quickly have costs that declare themselves as storage or simply the man time dedicated to his products rather than to profitable sales. Also, the arrival of a large number of customers can slow down your service which can then lose value with your high margin customers. This is an equation that needs to be mastered before launching your operations. You can also make specific offers for your good customers in order to make them come back to the store and thus increase customer satisfaction or simply increase your sales.
Working on earplugs
We often forget this, but the person who can best attract customers naturally remains another customer. Often, they are present in the same places and unlike you, they sometimes have nothing to sell to them and can share the “good deals” or simply the suppliers they find effective. To encourage this, several techniques can be put in place, such as sponsorship or the creation of a pole of ambassadors. The former can reduce costs for the sponsor as much as for the latter. Be careful to take into account your margin so that the technique does not turn against you. Concerning the ambassadors, it is often a question of “pampering” the best clients, especially those who are called influencers, among whom we often find “early adopters”. This status can be a presentation to your community, or it can give access to privileges such as the possibility to test the beta, to get the products in preview or at a reduced cost.
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