The Top 10 E-Commerce Ways to Follow up with Clients - Part 2

Did you know that 80% of all sales are made after the 5th contact?

The biggest mistake we make is not following up with our clients regularly. We not only lose the chance to offer other services and products, we lose the chance for satisfied clients' referrals.

Building your practice needs consistent bi-monthly follow-ups.

If you think this takes too much time, follow my lead and delegate some of it where you will spend only 6-8 hours a week. Remember, only marketing and promotion builds income and business, the rest are expenses.

Part one of this article is available at www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/ article-129.shtml.

Here's the top ten ways:

6. Follow up in two steps.

In the first ecommerce follow up, give a fre.e report adding your sparkling signature file as a soft sales piece. In a week, follow this up with your offer. Refer to the report, and then make your one irresistible offer. If I sent a report on what web sites need before contacting a web master, I follow it up with the three-session "telecoaching" program on writing a web site with marketing pizzazz.

One personal coach offered an excerpt from her new book the first time, and followed up with a discount offer for the book.

7. Motivate yourself and your staff with a poster of each month's follow up promotions.

It's great to see your follow up progress. Your promotions can be small or large. You know your' re going to attract new clients because you put out messages that keep you in your audience's minds.

With the help of your assistant, in just two hours, you can send out PR to local papers on a seminar, update email addresses, send an article to the top ten, finish an interview and send to no spam ezines, email your new content to your Web master, and send out new proposals for talks to different organizations.

When you notice these 10-20 actions you take each month, you'll also notice new clients coming each month.

8. Offer teleclasses to attract past, present and new clients.

A good first teleclass can be a question and answer call. Once you survey your groups and discover the top 4-8 questions they want answered, include this information in your teleclass sales letter. Two schools of thought on this--a free 1-hour or a small charge for the first. Without some risk such as $15-$20, you may only attract lookie loos.

Be sure to give clear information on the where, when, and how to register. Offer 800 and Web site registration. Include a mini sales letter-- a paragraph with benefits on your topic, your audience, and then add testimonials from satisfied attendees, as well as the list of sample questions you can answer. While topics are interesting, it's the benefits you write that attract people to the call.

9. Make only one offer per follow up contact.

Each time you send out a fre.e tip or report, place a "special offer" at the bottom of the email before your signature file. The common mistake is to offer too many choices. Make it easy for your contact to "buy."

For one follow up, offer a fre.e or discounted eBook or report at your Web site. When they visit, they will see all you have to offer. For another, offer your ezine. For another, offer a discount on your introductory coaching session. Always include a time limit for your offers.

10. Make your follow up offer enticing.

The biggest mistake coaches and other small business people make is to just list the offer in the subject line. One creativity coach sends me a notice of his upcoming talks and seminars. His subject line says, "Upcoming Seminars by Joe." Does that move you to open the email? Since less than 50% of your lists will open the email, put a big benefit in the subject line with your name near it. "Double your Clients in 5 Months" That perks up my interest, does it yours?

Follow up means giving to your potential clients. When you give, many will give back. They will pass your fre.ebie on to their associates and friends and even keep the information in a file.

Don't think you are bothering your contacts. If they don't want your news, they can opt-out. Thank you's and free gifts keep your name in front of your buyers. It tells them you appreciate them and let's them know what new things you can offer them. Follow up is good business.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

---

Doing Business Online ? Private B2B Exchanges

Business processes are the building blocks of an enterprise. If... Read More

How Merchant Accounts Can Save You Money

We all know that accepting credit cards is the key... Read More

Getting Started: Creating a Business Plan

You're excited. You have a great idea for a profitable... Read More

Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Management

What is a Stakeholder?Try "define: Stakeholder" in Google and you... Read More

Is Your Website Credit Card Friendly?

In my last column I discussed the process of credit... Read More

The Webmasters Assistant

There are many tools available to a webmaster to analyse... Read More

How To Accept Credit Cards Without a Merchant Account

To increase sales on your website, you must accept credit... Read More

Shopping Cart Usability

Usable Shopping Carts Increase SalesE-commerce has been around since 1993... Read More

E-commerce: Is It Right for You?

The birth of the Internet and the mass availability of... Read More

Selling Globally Through a B2B Exchange

Participation in B2B Exchanges is increasingly becoming one of the... Read More

Select a Niche Market for Ecommerce

Choosing a carefully pinpointed niche market should be one of... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Resourceful Things You Can Do With A Product That Doesnt Sell

Do you have any product that has not been moving... Read More

Managing Project Risks and Issues

Inherent (or Business) RiskInherent Risk is the risk that exists... Read More

Get Out of The Way

Get out of the way and make it easy for... Read More

Top 5 Dot Com Myths Debunked

Most people who get into business know what's involved. They... Read More

Web Store - Why Do You Need One?

Internet has opened a new era of business opportunities. Each... Read More

Credit Card Merchant Account Basics

Knowing which credit card merchant account to get can be... Read More

6 Steps to Attracting Black Customers Online

by Jamila White, "The E-Commerce Diva"In the rush to keep... Read More

Internet Merchant Accounts For Innocents Abroad

If you want to sell on the internet, your need... Read More

eCommerce, How Much Does It cost?

Making profits with your existing website design or creating a... Read More

Online Customer Service - The Cornerstone of a Successful Online Business

Online customer service is still one of the most frequently... Read More

Ten Reasons Why Online Surveys Are The Future of Marketing

Customers are tough cookies. They're extremely media aware and increasingly... Read More

Creating Legal Framework for E-commerce Taxation; non-tax statutes

We have to make amendments in existing substantive and procedural... Read More

E-Gold

E-gold is a digital currency, used extensively on the Internet... Read More

Database: The Secret of Success

BENEFITS OF A DATABASEBy maintaining your list as a database,... Read More

Projecting Your Image

Whether you sell a product or merely sell time to... Read More

Your Affiliate Web Site Is Built ? Now What?

When I first got my web site built, I thought... Read More

Bringing the World to Your Door

According to Internet.com, by the year 2008 nearly 30% of... Read More

What Are The Barriers of Implementing E-Commerce Solutions

What is electronic commerce?"Electronic commerce is about doing business electronically.... Read More

Chinas Online Shopping May Be Booming In The Next Few Years

Data from China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) shows that... Read More

Direct Marketing isn?t all Brute Force

There are so many metrics surrounding direct marketing. So many... Read More

Shop: Is Shopping Online Secure?

Is shopping online becoming popular and safe enough for you... Read More

Accepting Credit Card Payments Online

Being able to accept credit cards and other online payments... Read More