<p>There are three ways to increase your bottom line: get more clients, get each client to spend more during the purchase process, or get your clients to buy from you more than once during the year.</p> <p>By far the easiest sale is to an existing client. They know you. They love you. Yet this is often the most underutilized tool of a small business. Use this list to jumpstart your own marketing strategy, and begin bringing back your existing clients.</p> <p><b>1. Create a database of all your clients.</b> Sort them by the type of client they are and their purchase histories. Then mail to them periodically based on their buying patterns.</p> <p>Sample Mailing Plan:</p> <ul> <li>Entire list receives newsletter in January, April, July, October.<br /><br /></li> <li>Entire list receives special promotions postcard once a month.<br /><br /></li> <li>Client list receives &quot;thank you for being our client&quot; bonus mailing in March and August.<br /><br /></li> <li>Potential client list receives &quot;new client promotion&quot; mailing in May and September.<br /><br /></li> <li>Holiday buyers receive holiday promotion in September, October, and November.</li> </ul> <p>The main goal here is to keep your entire contact list in the loop for receiving regular mailings from you. This will establish a pattern that you want to stay in the lives of the people you do business with.</p> <p><b>2. Convert your mailing list to an email list.</b> Mailings can be very profitable; but don&rsquo;t forget about the power of email. Mail out postcards directing people to your website for different promotions.</p> <ul> <li>Try giving a percentage off coupon to entice people to sign up for your ezine.<br /><br /></li> <li>Offer a free report to lure people to try your new service.<br /><br /></li> <li>Present special promotions to your online subscribers &ndash; and be sure to tell your walk-in clients all about it.</li> </ul> <p>By combining a snail mail and email campaign, you can be in constant touch with your clients. Some prefer traditional displays; some prefer the convenience of an email. Either way, you provide the content in a format ready for them. And stay in their minds.</p> <p><b>3. Stick to your plan.</b> No matter how you choose to stay in touch with your clientele, the most important aspect is to remain consistent.</p> <p>Establish a system within your office to make the entire process easy. For instance, a number of years ago I produced a quarterly newsletter that I snail mailed out to more than 500 clients, vendors and prospects. I built it from actual client work, and devoted a page of my newsletter to each client I worked with during the quarter. Rather than waiting until the end of the quarter, and spending hours on production, I created it along the way. I created a file on my computer at the beginning of the quarter, and would post photographs, stories, testimonials, and other pertinent information as I worked with a client. I would create the page, attach it to my newsletter format, and save it along the way. Then at the end of the quarter, my work would be limited to a small amount of production to get the file over to the printer. Making the entire project much more manageable.</p> 2008-02-25T23:12:27Z -26.0535 1003 322 true 15 5997 3-ways-to-successfully-stay-in-touch-with-your-customers 1 2008-02-26T19:51:55Z 2008-02-26T19:51:55Z

<p>There are three ways to increase your bottom line: get more clients, get each client to spend more during the purchase process, or get your clients to buy from you more than once during the year.</p>

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