7 ways to get more customers TODAY

You’re blogging. You’ve fine-tuned your website. You are schmoozing at mixers and leads groups. Those are all great strategies for growing your business.

But what do you do to get more customers immediately? You need to break through to your customer, getting past their natural resistance to sales appeals–by making it worth their while. Here are seven actions you can take right now, that can get you customers and sales right away:

Customers are Ignoring You (Photo credit: ronploof)

1. Email your list of customers and offer them a free report, course, recording, or other gift for sending you two referrals. You know that selling something to a happy customer is much cheaper than acquiring a new customer. You can strengthen your relationship with your existing customers by giving them an opportunity to get a gift from you.Make it a valuable gift and put a time limit on it to get quick action.”Word of mouth” is the most effective form of advertising. Extra benefit: When people recommend you, they strengthen their own relationship with you. (Bonus: Even if you don’t have an affiliate program, offer your existing customer a commission on anything their referrals buy from you.)
2. Exercise your social media presence. A great offer on Twitter or Facebook can bring immediate results.
3. Create a press release and send it out. Create a new Facebook fan page, or a LinkedIn company page, and announce it. Hold a special sale of products or services; give it a “why” (it’s my birthday; I’m raising money for cancer research; you think of one). Be sure to include a special offer.
4. Give your services away. “The first 3 people to respond get (an hour of my time, free; a second pair of shoes at 50% off; some other valuable product or service)!” People who enter into a relationship with you are likely to buy from you, either immediately in the form of an upgrade or an “upsell,” or later.
5. Hold a raffle or a contest. Keep it short, easy, and quick, for faster results. Set it up so that you get names and email addresses and permission to send them an occasional email. (Don’t abuse this relationship; send valuable information at least 3-5 times before you make an offer.)
6. Run a survey. People like to be asked their opinion. Ask questions that will help you understand your audience, and offer a discount or freebie to those who respond immediately. Use SurveyMonkey.com, FluidForms.com, Zoomerang.com, or similar service to create a free survey form.
7. Telephone existing customers with a special deal. As in 3, above, come up with a “why”: “Hi, Bob! In honor of (my 12th anniversary, the Fourth of July, my son’s graduation) I’ve decided to offer my clients $50 off my usual detailing package. You can use it anytime, but you have agree on this call to get the discount.”

Work one or more of these into your daily or weekly marketing! Of course, you shouldn’t overdo it; you will probably lose credibility with your third “going out of business” sale. Keep it light. The results will accumulate over time, and pretty soon your new-business pipeline will be full.