Stay In Touch!

I think I have mentioned, I wasn't the smoothest guy in middle school and high school when it came to the ladies.   I know it is hard to fathom that such a charismatic, articulate and not to mention handsome guy like me wasn't a playa in his day!  I wasn't.    Sad, but true.   I was a strategist even then and always mapped out my "communication" strategy for the young lady I was wooing (did I just say "wooing"?).  A typical schedule;    A bouquet of Dum Dums (remember the little suckers that your mom was afraid would come of the stick and choke you?) on Monday.   A small box of Hershey's kisses with a note inside promising to score the first points of a basketball game for them on Wednesday.   Cap it all off on Friday with a poem (an apology to Donny Hathaway for stealing his obscure song that become a big hit and my girlfriend found out it wasn't original...but I digress!) to ensure she thinks about me over the weekend.    If you need proof of my romantic strategic prowess click here.     Communication.  The key to building any relationship.  Small gestures.  Make you memorable.  When combined, they make you impossible to live without.    In sales that means you get repeat business, referrals and create raving fans.   Not nearly has hard as sales people try to make it, but you do have to have a strategy...a plan.  Here are my Top 10 Ways to Stay In Touch with Clients #1 - Organize your clients - Where is your list of clients right now?  If you are typical (which would make you average!) they are on the floorboard, stuffed in your leather portfolio, in your trunk and stashed in folders.  A lot of good they are going to do you in there.  Get organized and, at a minimum, get your clients in an Excel spreadsheet.  Trust me, you will be glad you did! #2 - Use a Client Relationship Management tool (CRM) - Once you have your clients organized and electronically archived, take the next step and upload them into a CRM that will allow you to conduct specific outreach campaigns, set up reminders (like birthdays) and do a host of other structured "high touch" activities.  Need a free CRM?  Go to www.freecrm.com. You can thank me later! #3 - Send a "Thank You" note - This is the icebreaker for all your future communications and sets the stage for elevating your clients to raving fans status.  How many things have your bought in the last 6 months?  How many Thank You cards have you gotten?  Thought so.  Write them by hand (no rubber stamps!) and include a personal note to make it memorable. #4 - Call them after 30, 60 and 90 days - The best time to solidify the sale and the relationship is during the "reinforcement" phase after the sale activities.  Do you set yourself up for service issues and product problems?  Yes.  Do you put yourself in the position to get repeat business and referrals?  Yes.  It is worth the "risk".  Make the calls! #5 Remember them on special occasions - Your CRM is fantastic for reminding you of special occasions such as birthdays, product anniversaries, annual reviews, etc.  These contacts have to be personal in nature to set them apart from what others are doing (and you will be in limited company anyway!). As you build your year-long strategy, the key is not to saturate your client with frivolous outreach, or a sales pitch each time, but to make sure they know you will...   Stay In Touch! Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!