Like so many trade “secrets”, this one sounds very simple, but it can be a bargaining chip if implemented correctly. For some reason, also like many of these secrets, most of your competitors will probably never find out; and those who do will not play it aggressively enough.

Customers go where they are invited and stay where they are appreciated. Period.

When I first heard that on a marketing tape, I pulled the car to the side of the road, grabbed my notebook, and jotted it down. I memorized it and have been constantly thinking about it ever since. It is so simple, but here is the problem. First, there is a lot of competition out there. That’s not a negative thing, but you have to wake up and smell the coffee. There are so many marketing messages bombarding us that we have basically ignored them. The average person only has a limited amount of money to spend, only has a limited amount of time, and has things in their life that are very important to them. Just because you’re excited about what you’re selling doesn’t mean they are.

Since people are so disconnected, you should not only invite them in, but you should continue to invite them back. You have to come up with irresistible offers, post them, and make them bite. Once they’ve expressed interest, follow up aggressively.

For example, you can host free events for your clients every month. You can easily contact them from your email list and take advantage of Facebook and other social networks. You can even bring in local experts to make the events fun and informative. Usually only a few people will attend each of these free events, but you can invite and re-invite everyone. That makes a difference, because it helps you differentiate yourself from all your competitors. If I were forced to reduce marketing to one thing, that thing would be “differentiation.” It must be separated from everyone else on the market.

Once you get a customer, do your best to keep them happy. That’s the second part of the equation: showing them that they are appreciated. Once you get people to start coming back, the power of habit kicks in. We’re all creatures of habit – we buy from the same people over and over again, once we’re comfortable with them (as long as they don’t completely screw it up). So keep them coming back by inviting them again and then let the power of habit take over. They will form an emotional bond with you that will grow stronger as you can do things that show you appreciate them.

Most clients feel like they don’t get enough recognition. They love when companies come up and say nice things to them. However, most of today’s companies, whether international, national or local, seem to spend most of their time, effort and money trying to attract new customers. While there is nothing wrong with that, you are a fool if you neglect the clients you already have. These are the people who have made it possible for you to support yourself and your family. So in your rush and desire to acquire new customers, don’t overlook the people who have kept you in business.

I know marketers who have become millionaires by working with small customer lists of 200 or less, because they have consistently taken care of their customers by being there for them, showing their appreciation, and offering them great deals on new products and services. they knew their customers wanted. Never neglect your existing customers! Invite them to come and invite them to stay. Otherwise, your business will suffer and ultimately fail.

Some marketers think, “Well, they just bought me something. I don’t want to offer them something too fast. I don’t want them to bother because I’m already trying to push something else.” But in my experience, if you are providing them with value and they chose to do business with you the first time, then you are doing them a disservice by retiring at that time. They are interested in hearing from you again because you are helping them.

No one has to do business with anyone for any reason, so you cannot force them to be your customer; But you can encourage them to stay with you and buy a second, third, fourth or fifth time once they have chosen you in the first place. All you have to do is offer them something of value, especially if it makes them feel appreciated. It’s always easier to get a happy existing customer to buy from you again than to convince a new customer to buy for the first time.

But never, never forget that you have to make an effort to invite them in in the first place. My mentor worked briefly with a printer in San Diego who did a wonderful job. She found out about him through a recommendation and then started sending him a lot of his business because he did an excellent job. The man was a perfectionist. I wouldn’t remove anything that had even a stain on it.

Russ was impressed with the guy, but he was located in the last store in a small mall. Although Russ was doing quite a bit of business with him, he was in pain, always complaining that the business was not good. So Russ said, “Well, you’re buried in the back of the mall.” The printer pointed out, “But there’s a sign out front,” and Russ replied, “Yeah, but it has about 14 businesses and you’re downstairs, and the cars go through here at 50 miles per hour, so people don’t. You see. What you need to do is get some college students together and have them distribute brochures within a five mile radius. There are hundreds of businesses in that area, all of your potential customers. “

Russ realized that his advice was not assimilating. The guy gave him a weird look and said, “Look, I’m a printer. I have a sign on the front that says I’m a printer. If people want to print, they’ll know where I am. I’ll have to come to me, I’m not going to go. to them “. It was a ridiculous response and Russ could see the writing on the wall. Sure enough, the printer was able to hold out for a year or so, but eventually went bankrupt because he had a bad attitude.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a printer, an insurance agent, a shoe store owner, or a real estate agent, you’d better go out and get a business. You can’t just sit back and wait for someone to come to you, or the cobwebs will grow. Customers only go where they are invited, and simply posting their registration is not enough. Reminds me of that Kevin Costner movie, Field of dreams where the message was “If you build it, they will come.”

That’s the way a lot of people think about their business. They put up their signs, they get an ad on the yellow page and they think, “Hey, I’m open to the public now, baby, go ahead!” They don’t realize how competitive and saturated the market is, and how the average consumer is so wiped out and overwhelmed by all the advertisements and messages. Unfortunately, the attitude of that printer is practically the predominant attitude of small businesses. Don’t let it be yours.