You’re on the phone with a hot lead. They don’t bite. End of story, right?
Not if you want a sale, it isn’t.Statistics indicate how important it is to keep building a relationship, offering a rundown on when sales typically occur.
2 percent on the first contact
20 percent on the second to fourth
80 percent on the fifth to twelfth
Surprised?
Also notable: nearly half of sales people never follow up at all with a potential client and only 12 percent contact the potential client more than three times. If sales aren’t exactly rolling in, lack of continued customer relations may play a part. Here’s how to fix that. Read the rest of this entry »
Holiday cards that read “Happy Holidays; now buy something,” just don’t cut it. You can still sneak a little marketing into your cards, just do it a subtle and tasteful manner.
Here are four creative ways to add marketing messages to your cards without turning people off. Read the rest of this entry »
Flashy videos. Catchy tunes. Clever animation. Loud noises and louder graphics. All these things are screaming for our attention, as well as the attention of your clients. It seems tough to compete with such raucous and complex forms of communication, but you don’t even have to try. Switch gears and go back to a more straightforward mode of expression: those little things called words.
Focus on creative ways to use words and play to your heart’s content with their power and flexibility. Words are versatile enough to be sent via email, on greeting cards, handwritten notes, or even the back of a rock.
Businesses don’t sign contracts or pay invoices — people do. Build solid interpersonal relationships to build a solid professional network.
Even if your prices are the best in town or your company offers the highest quality services, customers won’t want to work with you if you don’t connect with them on a deeper level.
Building Relationships
Developing a personal relationship with a customer or another business takes dedication and care. Below are some tips you can use to get the most out of interpersonal relationships for business. Read the rest of this entry »
Yams and pumpkin pie are dandy indeed, but they are not the only things Thanksgiving is all about. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude. Gratitude is that overall feeling of being so very thankful, a feeling that often comes with the urge to show your appreciation or return an act of kindness. A few tips from The Change Blog can help you express that gratitude while reminding you of all the wonderful things in your life.
If you don’t treat your employees well they might start looking elsewhere, or at least start sending each other snarky ecards. Don’t take the risk; show them that you appreciate them.
Most people love hearing good news from family, friends and colleagues. No matter how great the distance between you, a congratulations card is always an appropriate way to help them celebrate accomplishments and important events. Make it a card that they’ll remember with these three simple tips.
Three Components of a Great Congratulations Card
Send a Paper Card. It’s easy to send an e-card within a matter of minutes. The Greeting Card Association says that more than 500 million digital cards are sent each year.
Think about your day thus far: how many minutes have you spent using electronic devices? And how many minutes have you spent talking with people face-to-face?
Technology is great for creating a business and exchanging information with people around the globe, but it’s not much help in the way of nurturing the relationships that you already have. In his TED talk (above), Simon Sinek explains that humans are social beings and, because of this, the most successful at survival over the centuries.
Personalized interactions create relationships that thrive. Talking to a friend in person, chatting on the phone to grandma and sending cards to loved ones are all ways in which humans fulfill this need.
But who has time? We all have 24 hours in the day; the key is to disconnect from technology.
Regardless of the type of company you run, your customer is your most valuable asset. Forming solid, ongoing relationships with these customers is essential to the success of your business.
When surveyed for the 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, three out of four customers said that they have spent more money with companies as a direct result of positive customer service experiences.
Here are some strategies you can use to forge stronger connections with customers and improve their overall experience.
A business is more than just the sum of its products. True success means building a strong brand for your organization. A solid brand communicates your business’s most prominent characteristics, such as quality or reliability, to your target consumers.
Most businesses also create a branding image, or logo, to associate with their brand. As consumers view your marketing material over time, they begin to associate the logo with your company.
