Keeping in Touch with Your Customers

Owning a small business is hard work.  You need to take advantage of every available tool at your disposal in order to maximize your profits.  One of the most important things you can (and should) do to ensure that your business stays on its feet is to communicate regularly with your customers. 

If you have been in business for a while, you probably have some loyal customers that you can tap to help you advertise at a very low cost.  Even if that is not the case, you can use some old fashioned techniques to help cultivate loyal customers and improve your bottom line.

Pre Sale Techniques
As old fashioned as it may seem, direct mailing efforts can still generate a surprising number of sales.  There are several ways that you can attract new customers through direct mail techniques.  You can design a postcard printing and send it to targeted customers in your area. 

Or you can try a more basic strategy and run a color printing of flyers and post them in strategic areas.  Finally, you can print up some brochures and hand them out to as many of your target customers as possible.

During the Sale
This is by far the most important step in keeping in touch with your customers.  When customers come in to your store (this especially applies to regular customers) try to get their contact information.  Ask them for their address so you can offer them special offers through the mail.  Most will be more than happy to accommodate you if you include that little incentive.

Post Sale Techniques
Once you have contact information for your customers, you have to follow through by communicating with them.  A good way to do this is by sending out a regular newsletter.  It can be monthly, quarterly or (if you are really ambitious) even weekly. Use this medium to keep your customers up to date with all the things happening with your business.  You can also design a color printing of postcards to send out to your best customers.  Use the postcards to give your loyal customers special deals that no one else gets.  This is a good way to make them feel special and keep them coming back.

No matter how you communicate with your customers, the key is to keep reinforcing your company name in their minds.  The more they hear your name, the more they will think of your business.  And the more they think of your business, the more they will take advantage of your services. 

And, most importantly, the more they take advantage of your services, the more money you make.  That is what it is all about, right?  So don’t neglect your loyal customers.  Keep in touch with them and watch the extra profits roll in.