It’s been said for a long time that getting someone’s repeat business is more cost-efficient than going out and getting new customers. Obviously, our job here at Market With Mario is to help you get both! But lately, our focus with our clients has been on generating repeat customers and referral customers.
Repeat customers are the best kinds of customers because they already know, like and understand your work. Referral customers are there because people are likely to trust a family member or friend’s good word over some stranger on Google.
Here are 5 tips for how you can generate repeat business:
1. Do great work.
Right out of the gate, you have to do a fantastic job. This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s the best way to generate repeat and referral business. When you go in and give a customer “Wow!” service, they will respond to that.
Sometimes it’s a simple as doing just one or two things that go above or beyond. For instance, let’s say you send your customer an email with a picture of the tech who will be coming to their house, with a time window for the appointment. Then, you have the tech call when he or she is on the way to the home. When the tech is there, say he uses floor covers to protect your home and takes the time to explain everything he’s doing. Maybe he uses an iPad to close out the transaction right there and send an immediate receipt (people love this).
Little things like that go a long way to making you stand out from the crowd, and making you trusted and welcome into the customer’s home.
2. Use your email list.
This is the bread and butter. This is the gold. This is how we’ve been killing it for our clients. Gather emails anyway you can, stockpile your list and use it.
However, make sure you’re only emailing people who are okay with you emailing them. We are not talking about purchasing email lists! Don’t go out and email a bunch of strangers! Pull emails from your customer lists, or from people who opt into your email list.
The next part to using your email list well is to mail out something of value to your customers. Send them useful tips. Share your knowledge. If they don’t need that information right now, maybe they’ll forward it to a friend who is having those problems.
Most people don’t remember who they use. They just know they had a plumber come in a year ago. They have no idea that they used you. If you get them on your email list and send them an email with reminders of your company, your logo, your brand, you’ve taken the work out of them remembering you. You’re right there in their inbox! If you can add a call to action in your emails so that they can respond to you immediately, that’s even better!
3. Use promotional products.
Give them a promotional product at the end of the service—something they’ll keep, like a pizza cutter, a jar opener, a cutting board, or something useful that they’ll keep around in their home. Of course, make sure your logo is on this item.
When people have an emergency and they need to call someone quick, if your promotional product is right there they’ll call you.
(If you don’t have a promotional products person I highly recommend Laurie Roberts of Proforma. I get all my promotional products from her—shirts, pens, etc.)
4. Introduce some kind of a maintenance plan.
Air conditioner companies do this all the time, and it works well for them. All kinds of contractors do this. Have some kind of a recurring maintenance plan, whether it’s bi-annually or quarterly, or whatever makes sense for your work. The idea is to get something in place for you to go back to that homeowner during the year.
When you keep going back to a homeowner this has a couple of benefits. First, it’s repeat business for you. But it also gives more exposure for your trucks in that neighborhood.
5. Use Facebook.
Have a Facebook page, and encourage people to like your page. Now, if you’ve been following my blogs and my videos, you know I’m not big on people just saying “Like us on Facebook!” and leaving it at that. Give them a reason to like you on Facebook.
As you’re finishing up a transaction, or talking to a customer on the phone, tell them “Go ahead and like us on Facebook because we’re always posting seasonal tips and information.” Give them a selfish reason to like your page. If you keep up with your content consistently, posting regularly, and they’re engaged with your content because it’s helpful, you are in sight, in mind. They may not need you for another six months, but if they’re on Facebook and if they’re using their email and if your promotional products are there in your home, they will come back to you—if you did point number one above, and gave them phenomenal service in the first place!
We hope this helps you get more business out of your existing customer base. If you need any help with this, or if you’re sitting there thinking, “These are great ideas but I have no way to execute them”—that’s what I do! Please reach out to me. Get a free quote by clicking the button below.