How do you communicate with your customers?

Do you send thank you cards to your clients?

Did you know that not saying thank you to a customer hurts your business more than saying thank you helps.

Let me say that again.

Not saying thank you hurts your business more than saying thank you helps.

What I mean by that is our customers and clients expect to receive a thank you; especially if they spend a lot of money with us.  They expect us to at least acknowledge and thank them.

If I buy a house, I expect a thank you.

If I buy a car, I expect a thank you.

If I buy a Snickers I don't necessarily expect a thank you.

Big ticket items = increased expectations

If you don't send thank you cards to your clients, do you know what they are thinking?

They are thinking you don't care about them!

Studies show the reason why we lose 68% of our clients and customers is because they don't think we care about them.

Here is a simple solution I found to let my customers know I care about them.

www.leescardsonline.com

For $5.48 a year I can send 4 custom greeting cards to my clients to keep in touch with them and let them know I appreciate them.

How much is one dedicated, loyal, and happy client worth to you? Is it worth $5.48 a year?

If so watch this 3 minute video for more information:

www.leescardsonline.com

Once you watch the video, email me back and I'll be happy to help you get started.

Just recently hubby and I went on a fabulous touring holiday through the NSW South Coast in our campervan.  We ended up in Bateman’s Bay at a caravan park just over the bridge.  This caravan park had been recommended to us by a couple we met whilst staying in Merimbula.  When we arrived we found we had a little problem that was going to take some days to sought out.  This little problem meant that the accommodation we had booked was no longer suitable and we needed to change the accommodation style for 5 days.  The staff there, particularly the receptionist, were amazing and were absolutely wonderful to us.

Now, this is where I saw the power of word of mouth marketing in action.  We had been recommended to stay at this park from another couple.  Normally we probably wouldn’t have even given it a thought.  As they spoke so highly of the amenities, location and the staff we decided to go with their recommendation.  This was a ‘sale’ due to word of mouth.  Whilst staying in Bateman’s Bay we toured around several surrounding townships and as travelers do, you start chatting to others.  Each time we were asked where we were staying we mentioned the place and how fabulous the staff had been.  A couple we spoke to decided they also would give the ‘park a go’.

Now the recommendation from the first couple to us sparked a sale.  Our recommendation to the next couple sparked a sale and so you can see how the ball will roll.  The power of word of mouth marketing should never be underestimated.  Give great service, be pleasant to deal with and be priced at market expectation and you will see the power of word of mouth.  The same applies for negative word of mouth marketing, give bad service, be grumpy and price yourself out of the market and you could see the power of word of mouth marketing from a totally different angle.

Word Of Mouth Marketing – it costs you and your business absolutely nothing, not one cent but the benefits could be amazing!  Sometimes, this marketing strategy can be lost in the hype of more exciting marketing strategies, it’s worth doing an analysis of your business to see which angle you would see the impact of word of mouth marketing.

Do you have a story to share?

Just recently, I felt so overwhelmed with everything that was going on in my life.  It seemed like every which way I turned there was something or someone that needed my attention.  I got bogged down in the day to running around that comes with running a home, a business, a radio program and then throw in a social life to the mix.  All of a sudden there just didn’t seem to be enough time for me in there.    

The first thing I did was get someone to help me with some business issues that were on a timeline.  A VA (virtual assistant) can be such a treasure at high times of work load, it can take the pressure off.  The second thing I did was prioritise the most pressing tasks at hand.  The third thing I did was sit down and read an e-book.  Probably something you would think would be high on the priority list.  I had heard about a technique for time management and so I googled this technique and came across a fabulous e-book.   I am so glad I didn’t do overwhelm for that hour and instead armed myself with a very valuable tool.  This technique is called the ‘Pomodoro Technique’.

As a business coach I coach people on time management so I should know what I should do.  Coaching can be just like the cook, who doesn’t like cooking at home, or the mechanic that never gets around to fixing their own car.  Well, coaches can be just the same, they never get around to practicing the time management skills they instill in their clients.

So, back to my hour time out of reading the Pomodoro Technique, I have to say it was the best hour I spent arming myself with a really easy technique to get myself out of overwhelm and back into productive mode.  Any of us can do overwhelm so well that we waist time agonizing over what has to be done and what hasn’t been done that we actually don’t achieve anything.  Next minute a few hours or even worse a whole week has gone by and nothing has been achieved.  Once I read the e-book, I decided to give it a go and see if it worked.  By the end of the day my ‘to do list’ had shrunk and I was no longer feeling overwhelmed and drained.  I somehow felt relieved and satisfied that I had achieved so much in such a short space of time.

Do you do overwhelm well?  If so, I recommend spending an hour or two and have a read of this e-book, you might end up just like me and pleasantly surprised.  Now, I don’t do overwhelm so much anymore, I do Pomodoro instead!


 

On my last webinar "Maintaining The Passion In Your Business" a couple of weeks ago, I touched on the topic of skills trading.  This has sparked some major conversation with the listeners and some of my clients since the webinar.

What is skills trading and how can it help me?  Do you have a particular task that makes you cringe when you have to do it?  Is there a task that you don't have the skill set for?  I am sure you have answered yes to at least one of these questions.  I actually answered yes to both of the questions.

Whether you are a stay at home Mum, small to medium business owner or working in a large organisation there are tasks that just don't fit with our drivers or skill set.  We are all very different beings and something I love to do is a loathe to another.  As a small to medium business owner I don't have every single skill required to run a small to medium business.  I have my limitations.  The smart thing is I know I have limitations and have identified them.

Skills trading is not new, it has been around for centuries.  You have what someone else needs and you barter for a win/win outcome.  The difference  is there is no physical product exchange but  trading of your skills.

A few months ago I had a task that needed completing.  I didn't have the time, the skills or the inclination to even attempt doing this particular task and I was on a dead line. I dug deep intp my little resources kit of 'people I know and trust' and phoned around to see if anyone in this little kit had the time and the skills I required.  After a couple of phone calls I hit jackpot.  Another small to medium business owner had exactly what I was looking for and enough time on their hands.  After some discussion we came to an agreement my task would be completed by the other business owner and in return I shared my skills and did some of her tasks.  It was a win/win for all involved.  The best part was there was no financial exchange which kept our costs down and our jobs completed.

An ideal way to identify skills you can share and trade is to complete a skills and resources assessment.  This assessment helps you to identify areas you can trade.  It is amazing when you are working to a limited budget what can be achieived by thinking out side the square.  Ask yourself what skill do I have that would be a benefit to another and I love doing?  This is an ideal way to kickstart you in thinking beyond financial payment and into a skill trading mindset.

For me, I use skills trading on a regular basis.  Just this week I used skills trading to have manuals and seminar bags made up for next weeks seminar.  I have less stress, less mess and all my seminar manuals and bags ready to go for my seminar.  My manual maker has 2 hours of sales calls to potential clients to take her business to the next level.  How can you use skills trading in your life or business?  I would love to hear some of your ideas or how you have already used skills trading.