It's a given that you will move your business to the next level with a healthy sales funnel.So how do you keep a sales funnel healthy? Simple. Focus on the the R's: recommendations, referrals and repeat business.
Recommendations: offline and online platforms demonstrate that recommendations influence buying decisions. Ratings, testimonials and comments are powerful marketing messages. Get recommendations by simply asking: provide a forum to rate your product/service online or request quotes from satisfied clients to include in your marketing.
Referrals: the ultimate goal of cruise control marketing is referrals. Getting referrals requires three things: outstanding service, asking for them and giving them.
1) Outstanding Service:
Your business should deliver such a special experience that customers would want to spread the word for you. Wow your customers with excellent follow up like thank you cards or personal calls to just check in on them.
2) Ask for Referrals:
The best referrals are free ones but paid referrals are also viable. At a minimum, develop a consistent and simple referral system. Give out extra business cards, donate to a charity in the referrer's name or have a payout plan. Consistent and simple is easy to manage and the return on investment is very powerful.
3) Give Referrals:
The Golden Chain of Referrals starts with you. Give, give, give and you will get. Note that you will need to give at least three times to get.
Repeat Business: every business relies on repeat customers. The shortsighted business owner sees one transaction. The wise business owner understands the lifetime value of a customer. Customer acquisition is always more costly than customer retention.
Recommendations, referrals and repeat business will keep your sales funnel healthy. Focus your marketing efforts on these three R's. Ensure that all marketing messages enable more recommendations, referrals and repeat business.
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