The Big Marketing Mistake Business Owners Make and How to Avoid it
Have you ever had this happen to you? Several years ago, I attended a business networking function and I just happened to strike up a conversation with a person who sold cars for a local Chevrolet dealership.
And as luck would have it, I was in the market for a new car and was especially looking for a Chevrolet Trailblazer. I really liked the person that I was speaking with and told them that I was in the market for a Chevy and asked if they would contact me. We exchanged business cards and I looked forward to their call.
A few days passed and I still had not heard from the salesperson. I was very anxious because I really wanted to buy a Chevy Trailblazer. So I gave them a call, leaving a voice message on their cell phone and on their office phone. And then I waited for a return call. And a few days, I still had not heard from the salesperson and so I gave up.
I decided that if they did not want my business, I would take my business elsewhere, ending up buying my Trailblazer through the car buying service located at my credit union.
I’ve had this happen to me several times, and in each case, the sales person, or business owner has lost thousands of dollars in sales from me all because they did not follow up!
I think many business owners confuse the term “marketing” with the term “selling.” Marketing is simply the process or strategies that you use to get the word out about your business and gather leads. Selling is the process of turning those leads into paying customers.
The biggest problem that I see in marketing your business is that you can be the best marketing in the world, but if you don’t convert the leads to clients you have nothing. And the most important step in converting leads to clients is simply following up with them.
There are many ways to follow up with leads or prospects, here are just three.
1. Phone:
After you exchange information and agree to follow up, give them a call within 24 hours. Say something like, “Hey, I said I would follow up with you, and here I am! I would love to get together with you to learn more about your needs.” Don’t aim to sell them your product over the phone. Aim to set an appointment and to build a relationship. Find out about what they want before you start selling them.
2. Email:
If the thought of making a phone call gives you hives, then you could also follow up by email. The benefit to that of course is that you can do it at any time, and they can answer at their convenience. If you don’t hear back from them though, go back to step one.
3. Snail Mail:
Yes, snail mail still exists, and believe it or not people enjoy getting old fashioned cards and letters. If you’re just not sure about the person, or if you want to send them some additional information, sending a letter via regular mail is a good option. However, if the contact had indicated that they were interested in your product because they are looking to buy one in the near future, do not use snail mail. Give them a call first, within 24 hours is best.
The lack of following up is the biggest mistake small business owners make and it costs them thousands, if not millions. Don’t let this happen to you. Follow up with people right away. I guarantee your sales will soar!
Note: This is an excerpt from my upcoming book “How to Build Buzz for Your Biz: Tap into the Power of Social Media, Publicity, and Relationship Marketing to Grow Your Business.”
April 25th, 2010 at 8:05 am
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April 25th, 2010 at 11:34 am
This is a good common sense look at it.
April 25th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
[...] StartupNation Blog » Blog Archive » The Big Marketing Mistake Business Owners Make and H… [...]
April 25th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
[...] The Big Marketing Mistake Business Owners Make and How to Avoid it Published: April 25, 2010 Source: StartupNation Blog Have you ever had this happen to you? Several years ago, I attended a business networking function and I just happened to strike up a conversation with a person who sold cars for a local Chevrolet dealership. A… [...]
April 26th, 2010 at 2:14 am
Great post - I agree completely - for my small online business, following up very quickly is essential. People who fail to do so just look uninterested and unprofessional
April 28th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
This is so true. It happens way more often than you think. In fact, just making a friendly followup will pull you ahead past most of your competition. I’ve seen it so many times, and experienced it myself when I am the person that follows up.
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:55 am
good share, great article, very usefull for us…thanks!
June 24th, 2010 at 4:44 am
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The Business Renegade
June 28th, 2010 at 12:50 am
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July 11th, 2010 at 2:56 am
when you want to promote your webiste or product, article marketing is always the best way to do it.~’,
August 12th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I think that trying to promote your company with blog articles and a few other tips and tricks that you can get from working with an SEO company is going to give you the most value. Since it takes some work to be on the first page for whatever you are trying to rank for.
June 16th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Hey, thanks a lot for sharing this. Bing has you at number 1 and I must say I’m impressed by your website.
July 4th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Interesting info, this always contains highly valuable information, but true value means putting it into practice.
November 21st, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Great to see someone online ok with snail mail. I will check out your book on Amazon. It’s got a 5 star rating with multiple reviews!
December 23rd, 2011 at 4:14 pm
This is a very interesting post. I’m just starting with offline marketing and need all the help I can get with tailing to real people! Snail mail still has its place!