Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Beyond the daily grind

          Free daily tips, information, advice and ideas
          to help you better manage your small business

     You've done it. I've done it. It happens to everyone, all the time.

     We tend to pigeonhole each other. We remember Judy who leads the meditation classes. But she is also an expert massage therapist. Who knew?

     Running your business, you must guard against this. Your clients and customers tend to remember you for one thing only. While everything you do might be related, you need to point it out.

     It's a problem. You must tell, remind, inform and otherwise educate your customers and clients. If you don't, they might not think to call you when they need another service that you offer.

     Example: You hired a web designer and you were pleased with the result. Then you needed someone to set you up on social media sites. So you called your web designer and asked for a referral. That's when he told you, "I can do that." You had thought of your web designer in only one way. And he had not informed you of the other things he did.

     Example: Clients depend on your accounting firm to handle their taxes. But they are not aware that your firm also helps business owners prepare for the eventual sale of the business. You must remind them from time to time that you have additional expertise. When the time comes that they need your other services, you get the call.

     Example: Regular diners are happy with the healthy meals they enjoy at your small restaurant. But they forget that you also run a catering operation. When they need to prepare for that corporate meeting, they call a caterer. You've missed an opportunity because you did not remind them that you also cater events.

     Reminding people of all the things that your business does should be on you do-do list. If you depend on them to remember that you can cater their next meeting, then you are depending on them to do your selling for you. 

     A gentle mention, tucked into another conversation, can be a valuable part of keeping your customers and clients informed. And coming back.

     Get beyond your daily grind. It's not enough to provide your customers and clients with what they want at the moment. Remind them of all the things you can do for them. 

     

No comments:

Post a Comment