5 Steps to Attract More Customers

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

5 STEPS TO

ATTRACT

MORE CUSTOMERS Introducing The Perfect Marketing Recipeďƒ”

The Perfect Marketing Recipe

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

INTRODUCTION Search the internet for help with marketing and you’ll get nearly a billion hits with websites crammed with information designed to turn you into a marketing god – or goddess.

So why, when there’s such a body of really good and helpful stuff do I keep hearing the same thing time and time again. Nearly all the businesses I talk to want to attract more customers, get the phone ringing more, generate more traffic to their website or increase visitors to their store.

MARKETING IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE! There are no secret handshakes or complicated formulas that will lead you to the well of customers ready to be welcomed into your world.

Marketing is all about common-sense. You may be thinking, hang on; there’s got to be more to it than that, and you’re right.

I think of marketing as an onion. Not because it makes me cry every time I think about what it is or isn’t doing for my business, but because it’s multi-layered. Every time you peel away a layer there’s another, just waiting to be exposed. The more you peel away, the more focused you become on reaching that flawless layer where you’re ready to chop and dice your way to a delicious meal.

KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING YOUR POTENTIAL Marketing is about knowing what you know, and what you don’t. Delving deeper and deeper until you have a layer of understanding that leads you to the delightful eureka moment where you leap out of your chair, fist pumping the air, knowing that this is it.

Don’t peel away until there’s nothing left, and you’ve spent time – and perhaps money – delving into the deep and dark psyche of your customer with nothing to show for it. The challenge is knowing when enough is enough, and it’s time for action. In fact, that is where the name for my business came from. It came to me one day whilst doodling, and well the rest is history.

Spend time talking and thinking – or in my case doodling on a white board – then take the bull by the horns, fire up your mojo and go for it.

Whether you plan to sell more homes or perfect the perfect scone recipe, we’ll equip with the best possible tools and techniques to achieve your more.

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

INTRODUCTION CONTINUED….

I’ve seen the communication landscape change beyond all recognition. When I started my career, the internet was just beginning and has evolved into the fantastic online resource we have today.

Social media has revolutionised the way we communicate – in fact we’ve become publishers – and we have direct access to our customers. Our customers have wrestled control of our relationships and talk to us on their terms when they are ready to talk, not when we want to talk.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

I love working one-to-one and teaching, sharing the knowledge I’ve built up over a career spanning the last 20 years.

Get your apron on, it’s time to start baking!

I’ve worked with over a hundred businesses helping them understand marketing, what it can do for them and teaching them how to use it. What did all of those conversations have in common?

You guessed it; they were looking for more customers.

Before you continue reading, nail that down, because knowing where you’re coming from and what you want to get out of life sets the tone for everything you do.

When you focus on what you want, how you want to feel and what you want to achieve, everything in your subconscious is focused on making that happen. Let’s focus on attracting more customers for you.

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

THE FIVE STEPS OF THE PERFECT MARKETING RECIPE We believe there are five stepping stones to creating the perfect marketing recipe. The same five steps apply whether you’re offering a professional service, or sell to the public with a shop window.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Understand your customers Understand who you are Keep your customers Refer more customers Attract more customers

Remember it’s not rocket science. There’s no complicated formula. Just work through the five steps.

Let’s create the perfect recipe for your business. Ready for Step #1?

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #1

UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS: WHO ARE WE BAKING FOR?

I was captivated by Digby Jones as the BBCs The New If you have a small customer base this will be quite Troubleshooter. When a man of Digby’s experience talks, straightforward.

I listen Yet I couldn’t help shouting at the TV screen during one of the episodes.

My customer database is huge: If your customer base is large, do your customers fall into any natural Digby asked a fairly easy question ‘who is your ideal groupings, ie geographic area, needs, interests, types of customer.' It’s one I ask my clients frequently. In fact, it business or consumer? is a marketing basic. So when the company featured admits they’re not sure and that they will probably get I don’t have a customer database: If you have a retail round to doing some research within the year, I – like operation think about what they come to your store to buy many other marketers who may have been watching – and the typical buyer of a product range or service. cringed.

Ideally you want to come up with no more than 10-12 Why? Because they were already developing their customer groups. Next think about who you could be website. They were planning to go to market within a doing business with or would like to and add them to the matter of weeks. Yet they hadn’t done their research. list. Now you’re going to have to focus. Rate each customer group based upon: So what would happen if you create a website and plan to sell, when you don’t know who will buy, how or why?  Can they afford your products/services  Do they value what you do or have UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL  Do they need what you do or have To get the phone or the till ringing you need to understand who you want to attract. Who would you like to hear on the other end of the call, or greet as a visitor into your store?

CUSTOMER CHECKLIST  Who do you do business with now or in the past?  Who do you enjoy working with or selling to?

Let’s start with who you know. We’ve collated a handy checklist to help you look at your current and lapsed customers. Use the this to narrow down your customer database to a smaller group of customers or types of customer.

 Why do you enjoy working with them – similar values, common interests, same sex?  Are they easy to do business with?  Which customers are most profitable?

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #1

CONTINUED To get the phone or the till ringing you need to understand who you want to attract. Who would you like to hear on the other end of the call, or greet as a visitor into your store?

TIME TO START PEELING THAT ONION

READY FOR THE NEXT LAYER?

I’d like to introduce you to Tom Skelton. Tom is a garden designer. His main business is garden maintenance, but he loves designing sensory gardens for children.

Understanding more about your customers is only part of the puzzle. To make your perfect marketing recipe, we need to add something else: their habits. Without this information you won’t be able to select the right ingredients when we get to Step #5.

Tom spent half a day looking at his customers and realised there were two main customer groups that he enjoyed working with, have a budget and value his particular type of garden design: affluent parents with young families and childcare nurseries.

Tom now needs to start profiling these two customer groups. This will help him build up a picture called a ‘buyer persona’ or ‘avatar’.

He starts out by asking himself the following questions:        

Who will make the decision to use him What is their role within the business or family Age, sex, education and personality What level of decision-making power do they have Disposable income or budgetary responsibility What they want or need Their motivation behind seeking out a solution What is important to them about the solution

He talked to past customers, friends, family and contacts within the gardening trade, about his plans and asked for their advice.

Have a look at our handy checklist and try to find out as much as you can.

HABITS CHECKLIST What do they:  Watch—TV, Cinema, Live events  Listen to—Radio  Read—Newspapers, magazines, books  Visit—Websites, places  Engage—social media platforms Where do they go:  Amenities—doctors, dentists, libraries  Art & Culture—museums, theatres, galleries  Shops and supermarkets  Hair, health and beauty  Bars and restaurants  Events and exhibitions Where do they live:  Location profile What groups are they part of:  Sports, leisure and pastimes  Professional and trade  Politics and local government  Business  Mums and tots

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #2

UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE: WHAT ARE WE BAKING?

The communication landscape is cluttered. Every day we’re exposed to so many messages across the internet the television, radio and our mobile phones. What’s more, with a growing global population, it will only get worse.

We believe for your voice to be heard; you need one clear message. That one clear message can only come from understanding who you are and what you do.

Of course, I know who I am, you may be shouting, but do you?

STUCK IN THE LIFT We asked Tom – our garden designer - to write an elevator pitch summarising who he is, the benefits and how he stands out.

If you haven’t come across an elevator pitch, imagine you are stuck in a lift with your biggest ideal customer, you’ve got just 60 seconds to make an impression, what would you say?

Here’s what Tom had to say.

“Hi I’m Tom and I’m a gardener. I do a bit of digging, mowing grass, trimming trees, actually I’ll do anything my clients need me to do in their gardens.”

Be honest, would you remember who he is? Now in Step #1 we saw that Tom loves designing gardens for children and the person in the lift just happens to work in the

Children Services department of the local council. A great contact who could be very valuable for Tom. What if Tom took this approach?

“Hi my name is Tom, from Helter Skelter Garden Designs. We specialise in designing sensory gardens for children. My clients love how my gardens are easy to maintain, while stimulating the children’s senses and teaching them to love the outdoors. I’d love to share with you some of the gardens I’ve created, would you be free to come along and visit the one I’ve done for Happy Days Nursery?”

Can you see how Tom has been clear on what he does, his niche, and the benefits of what he does. What values do you think Tom needs to get across; fun, professional, stimulating, safe? Can you imagine how his logo would look? What his strapline should be?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS CHECKLIST          

What do you do?

What’s your story – why are you in business?

Who else can do what you do?

How do you/will you stand out from everyone else who does what you do?

What are the benefits to your customers of what you do?

What is important to you in the way you run your business?

How do you want your customers to perceive your business How do you want your business to look and feel?

What colours and images will you use to stand out from the competition?

What messages will you use to connect with your ideal customers?

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #3

KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS: WHAT’S IN YOUR FREEZER?

It’s been said many times, it costs about 8 times more to find a new customer than keep an existing customer.

And, if you’ve spent time doing Step #1, you are going to have a pretty good idea of who you want to keep.



Be smart in your approach to keeping customers happy, make sure you are covering all the bases, pre, during and post-sale.

AFTER THE SALE

Add value to the customer experience wherever you can  Deliver what you’ve promised

 Say thank you to your customers for their business – for long term customers send a thank you card on the anniversary of when you completed a major project or BEFORE THE SALE started working with them  Follow up with your customers after the sale to check  Forget about selling, spend time getting to know your they are happy with the outcome customers  Ask for a testimonial and referral  Understand what challenges your customers face and  Stay in touch every 6-8 weeks through phone, email what their plans are for the future or direct mail piece.  Infect your customers with your enthusiasm and passion  Treat your customers the way you like to be treated  Be clear on pricing – no-one likes nasty surprises further down the line  Give your customers what they want DURING THE SALE 

Keep them informed with good communication at every step in the process  Respond immediately if there are any problems  Be truthful and honest – if there’s a problem or you’ve made a mistake, put your hand up

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #4

REFER MORE CUSTOMERS: RECRUIT MORE BAKERS

Referrals are like gold, and unless you offer an incentive, they are usually free.

Your referrer has already established a certain level of trust and credibility by referring you, and the person you are referred to is usually ready to buy.

WHY WE DON’T ASK FOR REFERRALS It’s natural to feel uncomfortable asking for referrals, or even a little scared. We don’t want to come across as pushy or desperate to our customers. If you’re a little shy about asking for the referral, here are 12 ways you can encourage more referrals in your business.

The ideal time to ask is when you’ve completed a project or sale with a customer.

Ask for their feedback on your performance. If you get a glowing report, ask if they know of anyone else who might benefit from your product.

Be referable – deliver on what you promise and exceed REFERRAL CHECKLIST 

Be referable – deliver on what you promise and exceed your customers’ expectations.

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Be clear on the type of referrals you are looking for.

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Tell your network of contacts, the types of ideal customers you’re looking for and ask for their help

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What other complimentary services might your ideal customers use? Talk to them and discuss an exchange of data or cross promotion.

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their network. 

Add share buttons to your email newsletters to encourage the spread of your content.

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Thank your contacts or customers when they refer you on – this can be an email, phone call or card in the post. One of my contacts had special cards printed just for this purpose.

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Create a referral program and reward customers and contacts every time they refer you on to a new paying customer.

Ask clients for testimonials, LinkedIn recommendations and case studies. 

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Add a note on your website and email signature about the types of ideal customers you are looking for.

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Give a referral.

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Encourage social media likes, shares and retweets with interesting content that your contacts will want to share with

Include a referral card with every shop or internet sale.

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #5

CREATE YOUR PERFECT MARKETING RECIPE By now you’ll have invested quite some time understanding what you do, who your ideal customers are and will have developed detailed buyer personas.

You’ll have identified existing and lapsed customers and have put in place a good customer service programme to keep them happy and to refer you on.

Now it’s time to start creating your perfect marketing recipe.

KNOWLEDGE = RESULTS How effective you are at attracting new customers, depends upon how well you’ve done Step #1.

If you have peeled away at that onion and got some good insights and understanding about your ideal customers, Step #5 almost becomes a little, dare I say it, easy?

This is where I get a glint in my eye and a smile on my face. I start rubbing my hands together, as this is the really interesting bit.

If you go to Amazon.co.uk and enter the word cookery, you’ll see there are nearly 100,000 cookery books full of techniques and recipes from some of the best cooks in the business. How many scone recipes do you think there might be? How many of these are the same or have slight variations?

Marketing is no different. You need to decide what you’re baking – what you’re doing – who you’re baking it for – in my case I’m gluten-intolerant, so that affects the ingredients I use – and the best way to do that – the recipe.

You wouldn’t use a chocolate cake recipe to make lemon drizzle, for example, well you might, but you might find yourself a little surprised by the result.

RECIPE TEMPLATE We’ve developed a generic template for the perfect marketing recipe. The template covers the five phases of your customer’s buying cycle.

First you look to raise awareness and attract their interest. Once they become aware of you, collect their details or connect to stay in touch. Whilst you’re staying in touch, inspire them with interesting information and content.

If you’ve done the first three steps you should be on their shortlist for when they’re ready to buy, you just need to convince them to use you. Finally Steps #3 and #4 kick in.

Now comes the tricky part; making it work for you.

Choosing the right ingredients to get you the results you

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

STEP #5

CONTINUED

want can seem bewildering. But remember what I said how much you can afford to spend on marketing. Allow about knowledge. The more information you have on the this to guide you when making your decisions. habits of your ideal customers - go back to Step #1 if you Then once you’re ready fire up your mojo and go for it! need to - the easier it becomes to decide what to do.

Check out our blog at www.marketinginaction.co.uk as we’ll be posting examples from various industries, BUDGET AND TIME starting with what Tom our garden designer found out When deciding on the ingredients you’re going to use in when he looked into the habits of nursery managers. your perfect marketing recipe think about how much time you have to devote to marketing your business and

Happy baking!

Marketing in Action 5 Steps to Attracting More Customers

THE NEXT STEPS Now you’ve learned the five steps of The Perfect Marketing Recipe, it’s time for you to head off to look at your customers, the impressions you give and the ingredients missing from your customer attraction strategies.

It might look daunting right now, especially if your customer database is in the thousands. Make a commitment to implement one step every week, so at the end of the week you can look back and see how you’ve generated an insight or result that you weren’t able to last week.

I’d love to hear from you about how you get on and the results you generate. You can tweet me http://www.twitter.com/MktgInAction, or pop over to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ Mktginaction and drop a post on my timeline.

CONNECT WITH US: Online: Email: Twitter: Facebook: Telephone:

www.marketinginaction.co.uk hello@marketinginaction.co.uk @MktgInAction facebook.com/mktginaction 01780 250130