Customer data – Tell My Story

Quite simply – you build the BEST relationships you can with people. And then you increase the number of people you have a relationship with, to turn them into customers.

I’m sorry. It’s probably not what you wanted to hear.

Because building relationships takes time. There are NO shortcuts; no quick fix. You can’t manufacture relationships. You can’t go out and buy them.

But it matters. We live in a world of relentless marketing – and we’re all tired of it. We’re wise to it. The old tricks & manipulations just don’t work any more.

The good news is that it’s never been easier to find & reach people, to start building those real connections, at very little cost.

It’s the same for B2B as B2C – businesses don’t buy from you. People buy from you. And if you build relationships with the key decision makers, so that they know, like & trust you, then the sales are far more likely to come your way.

So where do you start? What do ‘relationships’ even mean for your business?

Well…

1. It’s about creating content that’s interesting & relevant to people in your market – and therefore valuable to them.

2. It’s about sharing this with them every single week – by email, on your Social Media networks & your website.

3. And then it’s about increasing the number of relationships you have, to increase the number of people who’ll choose to buy from you when the time comes (we’ll talk more about tactics & tools to build your audience in future blogs).

It truly is that simple.

The key here is interesting & relevant. It’s NOT about you – but what’s important to your customers. And it really, truly cannot be boring (none of us has time for that).

Talking about easy restoration jobs, that classic car owners can tackle at home? That’s interesting & relevant to me if I drive a 1980’s Porsche, that always needs work.

Talking about easy-to-grow vegetables to plant now, so you can harvest your own in June? That’s interesting & relevant to me if I have a garden & have always fancied growing more with the children.

Talking about whether you have to pay your staff, if your business is closed for snow? That’s interesting & relevant to me if I’m a business owner, and the forecast is not looking so good.

You get the picture.

I get to know you, because you’re sending me stuff that’s interesting & helpful, week after week. I get used to hearing from your business.

I start to like you. I get a feel for what your business is all about; who you are & what you stand for. I get that you share my values, about what matters to me.

I start to trust you – because you’re NOT going for the hard sell – but you’re putting the time & effort in to build a relationship with me.

And when I need a part for my Porsche – or trellis for my garden, or HR advice for my business – do I Google it? Do I call the business I’ve never heard of?

Or do I call YOU, who I know, like & trust? Who are popping up in my inbox & on my Facebook every week, with interesting & helpful stuff?

It works. Truly, it does.

If what you say is interesting and relevant, your potential customers WILL engage with you.

We do get that you’re busy. There’s a million things to do. And that finding time to create content isn’t easy – especially decent content (which is what you need).

But we believe it is THE most important thing that any business owner should be doing right now. Building the best relationships you can with people; and then increasing the number of people you have relationships with.

It’s not going to transform your business overnight.

But 12 months from now – when the comments & replies lead to calls, and sales, and more customers who love you – you’ll be very glad you started.

Until next time

Simple. You do a good job – and then you ask them.

Here’s how…

In the last year, I have bought plants from my local garden centre. I had a new bathroom fitted. And then I bought blinds for that shiny new bathroom.

Not one of these companies has EVER asked for my details.

I’ve never heard from them again.

It’s crazy.

They’re leaving a whole ton of money on the table.

I’d merrily give them my details. They did a great job. I love my bathroom & the blind looks awesome. The apple tree is thriving & the seeds I bought grew into the tastiest, sweetest tomatoes.

In fact, it really annoys me that I HAVEN’T heard from them again.

It would make it SO much easier to buy what I need.

Because we have an en-suite that needs replacing this year. We still don’t have blinds or curtains in the living room. And I’ll grow more veg this year (this gardening malarkey is proving addictive!).

I would LOVE to hear about the latest offers on bathroom suites, or the latest trends in tiles and taps.

I would LOVE to browse through new fabrics for blinds and swoon over thick, heavy curtains to keep our living room cosy.

I would LOVE to know that the new bedding plants have just arrived, or discover the results of their taste tests of potatoes.

I’d buy from those businesses.

Again & again.

They have me. I know, like & trust them. They do a good job.

It would be SO much easier for them to keep selling to me – an existing customer – than to keep finding new customers from scratch, month after month, to keep the cashflow rolling in.

But they don’t even try.

And that’s the power of collecting your customer data.

‘Data’ sounds corporate & big business-y, but it really isn’t.

You’ve done a great job, met your customer’s needs & delivered your product or service.

It’s just about asking for their name & contact details, so you can let them know about more stuff that’ll meet their needs in future.

They can say no – and that’s fine. This isn’t about spamming people or relentlessly flogging stuff to them.

But if your product or service is RELEVANT to them, then it’s of interest. And not unwanted or a nuisance.

Deliver your product or service. Do the great job you always do.
Ask them if they’d like you to stay in touch about future products, services and offers that might interest them too. (If needs be, reassure them you won’t sell their details or send them irrelevant stuff).
Check the best way they’d like to hear from you (collecting their name, address, email & phone is ideal, but anything is better than nothing) – and stick it into a spreadsheet or your CRM system. Keep a list on a sheet of paper if all else fails.
And then keep your word. Stay in touch.

I promise, this works for ANY business (even yours).

Retail business?

You’ve helped find what they need. They’re now a happy customer. At your till, just say you’d love to stay in touch, to let them know when other stuff comes in that might be interesting. Create a quick form for them to fill in. Make sure ALL of your staff get how important this is.

Create a weekly email, talking about what you do – new baking recipes, or seasonal trends for Autumn, or hints & tips to maintain your car. It is NOT about you but must be interesting & relevant for your customers. Include your special offers. Get them engaged. Just talk to them. Get them to know you, like you & trust you.

And get them coming back to buy more great products from you, more often. Don’t let them turn to Amazon.

Café? Coffee shop? Sandwich bar?

It’s harder when you’re making lots of smaller sales – but entice them to opt-in to hearing from you, in exchange for a free coffee. Start a weekly email, talking about your Sandwich of the Week. Or why your pastrami is so great. Or about your new Lunchtime Meal Deal. Don’t be boring. Use the same content across your social media & blog.

Get them back to buy more great food & drink from you, more often. Get their money in YOUR tills. Not Costa’s.

Plumber? Electrician? Chimney Sweep?

You’ve done a great job – and solved your client’s particular problem. BEFORE you leave, ask their permission to stay in touch. Get their details before you go & knock up a form to record them.

And then do it. Stay in touch.

Send them something every month, with case studies of other people you’ve helped. Show them what other problems you can solve. Introduce them to your new apprentice. Tell them about a special offer for the month ahead.

And when their pipe bursts – or their lights start flickering – or their chimney needs doing again – they’ve heard from you every month. They know, like & trust you.

Make sure it’s YOU they call. Don’t let them go back to Google.

Of course, you’re busy running your business. And this stuff takes time. But it works – and it’s SO worth the effort.

(If we can help you stay in touch with your customers – making it easy for them to buy from you again & again – then just stick your details in below, for a chat. We’re really good at stuff like writing weekly emails. And we’d love to help).

Start small – but just keep in touch with your customers. And you’ll be well ahead of the game already.

Until next time

Tag: Customer data

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