Turbocharge New Sales with a Marketing Database

What is the most valuable asset your company owns? Inventory? Equipment? Employees? If you've got customers, your number one asset is your customer list.

You've heard the old adage, "It's 5 times easier to sell an existing customer than to find a new one." Selling an existing customer is easy because you've got the right message at the right time going to the right customer. There are two proven ways to do this. First, you position yourself as the obvious expert and ask for your deserved referrals and for the next sale. Second, you practice solid customer relationship management and mine your database for all that it's worth. The first way is passive and takes a really long time.

The second way actively places you on your customer's radar and keeps you top of mind for his next buying decision. But if your customer information resides in 10 different places, like your accounting software, Excel spreadsheets, little Post-It notes on your monitor and a PDA, you've greatly diminished or erased your ability to "be there" for your number one asset when he's ready to buy again.

Take this 12-point true/false quiz to see if you're prepared to profit from your database. Give yourself 1 point for each "true" answer:

1. I collect complete contact information (name, address, phone numbers and email address) on every customer who buys from me

2. I collect complete contact information (name, address, phone numbers and email address) on everyone who inquires about my services

3. I keep all my contacts in a single database

4. I keep track of how each customer or prospect found me so I can duplicate my successes and thank my referral sources

5. I have an easy-to-use automated response tool to follow up with prospects before, during and after the sale so I never lose an opportunity because it fell through the cracks

6. I have an easy-to-use system to cross sell my customers on my other services because I track what they bought previously

7. I have a system to track opt-outs to my email campaigns so I can stay in CAN-SPAM compliance with my e-marketing

8. I can forecast my sales for the next week, month or quarter based on opportunities in my sales pipeline

9. I have a customer database clean-up plan to update my contact information at least once per year

10. I have an effective system for tracking open and closed customer service issues

11. I can download leads from my website and schedule a call back for myself in 1 hour or less-everyday!

12. It takes me one hour or less to launch an important email campaign to my customers.

What Your Score Means

If you scored a 7 or less, you're working way too hard for business and leaving money on the table. Most likely, you're developing one account at a time instead of creating a sales process that can run on auto-pilot until someone is ready to buy from you. While that's certainly the way most of us were taught to get more business, and it's been done like that for decades, it's not a very efficient use of your time, or a very profitable way to spend your day, or much fun.

If you scored an 8 or above, you're doing a great job of marketing to and reselling your existing customers. You should look for new sales opportunities with a targeted prospect list or try online advertising. Redouble your efforts with existing customers. Customers think of you as a trusted friend and treat your communications as information, not advertising. A good customer contact program includes 12-18 "touches" per year.

Lori Feldman is president of Aviva, a mailing list and database marketing and Internet consulting firm and an ACT! Software Certified Consultant. She is this year's Direct Marketer of the Year, awarded by the Direct Marketing Assn. of St. Louis. Reach her at http://www.aviva-aviva.com/act.html

---

Build Your Business Through Networking

Here's one of the most important success principles you'll ever... Read More

What to be Successful? Marketing Makes the Difference

When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind?... Read More

10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have

Don't want your direct mail to end up in the... Read More

Marketing With Brochures

With the explosion of the internet and online businesses many... Read More

Trade Shows Are Not a Waste!

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (the trade... Read More

How to Connect Features and Values

"Buy this magazine or we'll shoot the dog," went a... Read More

Creating Your Own Lead Capture Pages

Having a downline can be golden. A downline is a... Read More

Reasons Why People Usually Dont Buy Again

There are many psychological reasons why people will buy from... Read More

Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits

What is Upselling?It means pre-selling any additional features of your... Read More

Every Days a Holiday!

You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But... Read More

Direct Mail Formats: How to Choose the Right One for Your Next Mailing

Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or... Read More

Gaining Business Intelligence

A white paper on how companies should analyse customer data... Read More

Effective Marketing for Small Businesses

Effective marketing for the small business begins with market researchIf... Read More

Make Your E-Mail Signature File WORK for You!

You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files -... Read More

5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals

No doubt you started this year with some big ideas... Read More

Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Proposal ? Part 2

Part 1 of this series described five critical components for... Read More

Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?

The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More

4 Steps to Successful Offline Drawings

There are many different ways to market offline, each important... Read More

Like Brushing Your Teeth

What do the following things have in common: brushing your... Read More

The Great Direct Marketing Conundrum

Many a home business owner has spent sleepless nights thinking... Read More

Creative Marketing: Just Your Style

You've enlisted some of the traditional marketing methods to sell... Read More

Brochures that Generate Sales Leads (and How to Write Them)

One rule in direct mail is that your letter sells... Read More

4 Steps to Successful Offline Event Booths

A great way to gain more local sales is to... Read More

Contrarian Marketing at Benettons

Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More

When Designing Postcards, Aim for Refrigerator Door Mindshare

If you want to design effective marketing postcards, then aim... Read More

Promotional Freebies

What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you... Read More

Perceived Value Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Q: My partner and I are having a hard time... Read More

How to Earn the Right

"How to Earn the Right..."Marketing your professional services is a... Read More

How to Develop an Effective Company Profile -- and Why

What is a company profile? ... Read More

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

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

Business Cards and Business Etiquette

One of the very basic conditions of being a successful... Read More

Top Web Site Blunders by Coaches, Consultants and Experts

Of all the web sites belonging to coaches, consultants and... Read More

Build Relationships

Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships... Read More