When you meet a new person and you know they can benefit from one of your products or services, how do you go about approaching them without appearing to be a sales-hungry vulture with an agenda? Subtlety is your best friend. Here are five powerful tips for turning a casual contact into a happy customer:
Maintain The Connection With A Personal Touch
If a casual contact has expressed an interest in your services, use the power of a personal touch to convert them into a happy customer. People would rather do business with individuals they know outside of the marketplace because there’s a greater level pre-ascribed of trust. To boost this, add a personal touch to your interactions, and don’t be afraid to use branded corporate gifts to sweeten your meetings (everyone loves a fancy new pen that writes beautifully).
Another way to add a personal touch is to send handwritten thank-you notes and follow-ups after meetings – these personal touches add an element of thoughtfulness to your correspondences.
Provide Real Value With Your Products/Services
Turning casual contacts into happy customers is far easier if you have a product or a service that you truly believe in; something that adds tremendous value to people’s lives. These types of products or services sell themselves exceptionally well, and you’re likely to see repeat customers. When you’re dealing with a new customer whom you met outside of work, take extra care to make the experience even more memorable and positive.
Offer A First-Time Friends Discount
To build on the previous tip, you have a unique opportunity to tap into a wider circle of potential customers when you have a contact from outside of work trying out your products or services. News of your great skills will travel fast. You can spur this on, and curry favour with your new contact, by creating a first-time service tier for friends and family.
This might entail going a little bit further than you normally would and offering a discount (for the first time only). Make sure you communicate the terms and conditions clearly so people are aware that their repeat visit won’t come at the same price.
Connect On Social Media
Having a social media account for your business is essential in the modern world, but having a personal profile will also help you leverage new contacts. Connect with the person you wish to convert to a happy customer on social media. Actively engage with their posts (this will increase the likelihood that they will interact with yours) and gently promote the posts from your business page on your personal page. It’s an indirect way to keep your brand in people’s minds, making it more likely that they will use or recommend your business.
Reach Out (But Not Too Often)
Marketing campaigns can often be too aggressive and salesy for friends and casual contacts. However, an informative newsletter is a different matter. Use yours to share the inspirational, humorous, and mention-worthy events that take place within the business. The emphasis should be on providing entertainment and valuable information. Have a section towards the bottom where you mention any specials you have. This is the kind of marketing material you can send out to family and friends.
Tapping into your personal contacts to find new customers is a great way to leverage the power of word-of-mouth referrals. News relating to good service travels much faster in circles that already know your name and your face. Use this as an opportunity to get your reputation out there.
