How To Recover Your Almost Customers

You'll always need to find new prospects for your business. But don't overlook the prospects you already attracted. Many are close to buying. Use these four simple procedures to convert those "almost customers" into paying customers.

1. Make A Memorable Impression

Create a reason for prospects and customers to notice you ...and to think of you when they encounter a competitor.

Many prospects who do not buy from you the first time will come back to buy later. Existing customers will also remember you. They'll come back to buy again -- and they'll send pre-sold referrals to you.

One easy way to establish a memorable identity is to create an important reason for customers to do business with you instead of with your competitors.

The advantage you offer doesn't have to be dramatic to be memorable IF you promote it aggressively. It can be as simple as delivering faster results, more personalized attention or a better guarantee than your competitors.

Tip: Combine several small advantages like those described above to create a big (and more memorable) advantage over your competitors.

2. Follow Up Consistently

Most prospects do not buy the first time they see or hear about you. But they will if you follow up with them.

Your follow up can be as simple as contacting them occasionally with a new offer. Or it can be more complex such as publishing a weekly newsletter with useful information and articles.

If you don't already have a way to collect their address, you can get it by offering a valuable gift that you deliver only by email or postal mail.

For example, offer a special report, a list of sources or some other valuable information they cannot get anywhere else. These are valuable to customers and prospects -- but they won't cost you much to provide.

3. Make Sure You Answer These 7 Buyer's Questions

Prospective customers will not buy from you until all 7 of the following questions are answered. Customers may not consciously think about these questions. But they will not buy until all 7 are answered in their minds:

1: Exactly what are you offering?
2: Why do I need (or want) it?
3: How can I believe your claims?
4: Why should I get it from you?
5: How fast can I get it?
6: What if I don't like it after I get it?
7: What do I need to do to get it?

Make sure you answer all 7 of these buyer's questions in your web site, sales letters and other selling tools.

Tip: Present everything in term of the benefit it provides to customers. For example, don't just list testimonials from satisfied customers (your answer to question 3). Point out that those testimonials prove you really do deliver what you promise.

4. Keep Your Ordering Procedure Simple

Use an uncomplicated and fast ordering procedure. Every additional action you ask customers to perform and every additional decision you ask them to make after they already decided to buy can cause them to reverse their decision.

For example, many online marketers use a shopping cart to process their orders when they could use a simple online order form. Each unnecessary step in the shopping cart process is an opportunity for customers to abandon their order ...a sale lost needlessly.

Tip: Don't ask for unnecessary information during the ordering process. Instead, send a personalized "thank you" message after the sale and include a brief request for the additional information.

Don't overlook the easy sales you can get from old prospects that are almost ready to buy? Use these 4 simple procedures to cultivate your "almost customers" and turn them into paying customers.

Copyright 2004 Bob Leduc

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

---

Marketing On The Cheap: Join The What?

Your local Chamber of Commerce.Now before you stop reading, I... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Create and Manage Opportunity

Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More

Postcards: Awareness Tool or Selling Tool?

Are postcards better for building awareness or for selling?In my... Read More

7 Cheap & Easy Ways To Get Prospects

Here are some quick techniques you can put into place... Read More

The Day I Learned to Start Saying No

It was the fall of 1998 when I had just... Read More

Chill Out With A Summer Time Marketing Plan

Is your business experiencing a summer time slump? Traditionally only... Read More

Viral Marketing with a Powerful Twist

What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional... Read More

Service Marketers; How?s Your Packaging?

When a shopper picks up a product in a store,... Read More

2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around

Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase... Read More

Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less

More And MoreIt was notable that when I started my... Read More

Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!

The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically,... Read More

Limited Time Only (Shh! Its A Secret)

Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After... Read More

How to Use Marketing Judo to Beat Big Competitors

If yours is a small business and you have big... Read More

Catalogs are Selling Machines

If you've got a mailbox, you're no doubt aware of... Read More

How to Set Up & Organize Your Customer Mailing List For Optimum Results

Your list of customers who have previously bought from you... Read More

Generational Marketing

Having run a multi-state franchise company with multiple brands it... Read More

Using Business and Greeting Cards Effectively

Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand... Read More

Beyond the Booth

With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom.... Read More

Big Money With Folios

One of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways of... Read More

Non-Aggressive Marketing Ideas for Enterpreneurs

Do you cringe at the thought of trying to promote... Read More

Marketing with Special Reports. 5 Ways to Develop Content Your Prospects Cant Wait to Read

So you've decided to start publishing an e-newsletter, or you'd... Read More

Forget Conventional Marketing - Embrace the Web!

Tactical marketing processes are once again undergoing fundamental shifts from... Read More

In Sickness And In Health

I recently drove by a business that had a sign... Read More

How to Create a Countdown Marketing Calendar

Just like there are reverse dictionaries, there is a reason... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip ? Putting the Customer First.

I am a great believer in the keeping to the... Read More

5 Ways to Upgrade Your Existing Marketing Materials for Practically Nothing!

In addition to direct marketing strategies you want to be... Read More

Loan Officer Websites: Your Marketing Hub to Magnetize Realtors

Too many loan officer websites look like congested intersections, information... Read More

Do You Know Where Your Marketing Dollars Are Going?

We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales... Read More

Demographics For the Masses

Information is the lifeblood of the economy. That's especially true... Read More

The M-Word (Marketing) Phase 2

Last month we looked at what you need to do... Read More

Marketing Hesitation Costs Dearly

Timing is everything. Hate to be late? The early bird... Read More

Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target?

Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words,... Read More

Simple Marketing Idea - Big Marketing Results!

Have you ever noticed how many times it's the simplest... Read More