Listen

Listen to your customers. We all talk to our customers and at times may talk at our customers, but are we really listening to our customers? What do your customers need? Are their needs in line with what you are offering? A lot of the time what the customer truly needs is different from what you may think they need. What are their goals over the next few months and year? What are you doing to align what you are offering with their needs?

Communicate

Communicate your message in a clear, easy-to-understand way. This may be targeted direct mail, postcards, newsletters, promotional items, shows, events, etc. We are hit with thousands of messages a day. We live in a world where TIME is important and people are “busy.” Your message had better address a need and speak to the person to whom it was sent or it will end up in his or her spam filter, ignored in a Facebook feed, or deposited in a recycle bin.

Analyze

Data, analytics, and statistics are critical for all businesses. As businesses struggle in a tough economy, marketers and business owners across the board want to know first and foremost: “What’s my return on investment?” and “Are my customers listening to me?” Manage your customer list, leads, and other data, then put it to work for you by reaching out. If you are not looking at data, I suggest starting with website analytics from Google. It’s a relatively easy way to find out what is and isn’t working with your website. Next, get a grip on your customer information by creating a consistent way to gather information. Use an accounting system or point-of-sale system, which allows you to input all the info about your customers. Then, make sure you and your team enter that information in the exact same manner, each and every time. Catching duplicate entries in your system becomes much easier when you are consistent.

Make it Easy

Be easy to reach. Are you or your business easy to get in contact with? More and more users each day are using smart phones, tablets, and other devices to search and find information about your business. Do you have a mobile-friendly website with simple contact information and/or directory info? Are you on the web? Surprisingly, we have customers every week who approach us to print business cards, leave behinds, and other collateral who don’t have a website. Conversations and interactions are happening 24/7/365 online, on phones, and through social media channels. As business owners we need to make sure that we are EASY to reach and EASY to do business with. Increase your reach by being reachable! View the increase your reach ePub Download a printable PDF