Finding New Customers
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By far the most efficient way to get new customers is through your existing customers - they are buying from you because they fit your target market profile, they love / need your products or services, and they can afford them. Let's look at a few ways you can use your existing customers to grow your customer base.
Referrals
There is usually one point in your sales process with your customer where it would make sense to ask them to complete a quality survey. Keep it short and to the point, but at the end, ask this question: "Would you refer my services/our company to others?" If the answer is yes, ask for those referrals then and there! (If the answer is no, go back and fix your problems first!).
Have space for about ten names and contact numbers, and you could even offer an incentive for more referrals, like a discount off their next purchase, or a little freebie.
Then call those referrals up and introduce yourself by saying that their friend Joe Blogs gave you their contact details, because s/he recommends your product/service.
Testimonials
Whether you sell to individuals or to businesses, any time someone comments on how good your product or service is, ask them to put it in writing. You could say something along the lines of: "Thank you so much for your compliment! Could I ask you to put that in writing for me so that I may use it as a testimonial to show future prospective customers?" Most people won't mind doing this, especially if what they have said is completely honest.
There are different ways you could compile these testimonials - you could keep them all in one file for your prospective new customers to flip through, or you could take a snippet from each one and use them on your website or your brochures.
Real testimonials from real people are often very effective for prospective customers who want to know that others believe in your product or service too.
Advertising & Marketing
Watch your existing customers, and learn from them.
Where do they shop?
What do they buy?
What do they read?
The answers to these and similar questions will help you to more tightly focus your advertising and marketing to attract the same type of customers.
If, for example, most of your customers count the days until their free local lifestyle publication arrives in their mail box, it would pay you to advertise in that publication.
By knowing more about your current customers, you'll be able to find many creative ways to make the most of your advertising and marketing budget and get a good return on your investments.