Addison Taylor
Imagine Now
As a business, you have one almighty goal to keep the door open. To engage potential customers with goods or services you offer. In such a B2C relationship, inevitably, important information is passed between the two parties. While processing this information quickly and reliably is absolutely critical to maintaining happy customers and successful business ventures, doing so with tools available today is actually very tedious.
If you elaborate on your scenario, you should somehow start getting important information from the client. How do I do it? If you’re like the majority of the rest of the business world, the answer might be a pile of paperwork.
From the start, this stack will generate negative clients, and when that client is great and disappointing, you’ll have a stack of papers equivalent to an extra 15 minutes of data entry to one of your paid employees. But wait! Upon receipt of the paperwork, the customer will know that they forgot to enter their zip code and email address on the form. The whole ordeal took over 30 minutes until Stack changed hands again. We can all relate to experiences like this. This old way of exchanging information with stacks and signatures, filings and mailings is flawed, corrupt, wasteful, and backwards.
Perfect Picture
A new, seamless way: Email customers a single link to an online web form that asks customers for the same information they need on a pile of paper. Customers lay in bed the night before their appointment and use their tablet or phone to leisurely fill out information and submit forms.
However, the client again forgot to fill in the required fields of the online web form: zip code and email. When you are automatically prompted to fill out these fields, click Submit again. Person! You will then be redirected to your company webpage and receive additional training about your company to prepare for your appointment.
At this point, there is a “client intake form” submission that will allow you to access your information in a new, improved and seamless way. Instead of a pile of paper, you can now get customer information online within databases and/or the cloud. You have control over that information. It can be shared, assigned to specific employees, or printed (among many other features). Instead of the 30 minutes it took in the previous scenario, we collected the same data more efficiently and freed up resources to use and manage information from anywhere.
When comparing the old method with the new seamless method, the differences are evident on several levels. In a nutshell, here’s the new seamless way:
- more efficient
- simpler
- Easier for both
- more systematic
- more safely
5 Steps for getting more Sell from the Clients that you have Already
You need to network, create and follow up on a daily basis. If you make an amazing tool like a lead magnet, it can work with minimal effort. But, as you know, selling to existing customers is easier than attracting new ones.
So how do you upsell without feeling like you’re selling more?
- Don’t think of it as an increase in sales, but as a continuation of added value. If you’re a career coach, your initial program might be to create an amazing resume, but your client’s next step might be advice on how to ask for a raise or find a promotion. Continue to develop programs to address the growing needs of our customers.
- Always ask yourself “what else is there” and ask the customer “how can I help you?” Let this conversation flow freely and listen. Perhaps a monthly liability call will help customers continue to prosper. Understand what success looks like for them and help them continue on this journey. Get involved!
- Understand your business goals and how those goals relate to your customers. When a customer enters the sales funnel, does it leave at a certain point? What steps are you missing to keep your customers engaged longer?
- Pay attention to what your customers are saying. Consider what you need and what concerns you beyond what you can help with now.
- Upselling is not about selling rather than building relationships. Always find a way to continue to establish yourself as a resource with an open door. Your clients should feel like you’re with them in the long run, and that’s a relationship you cherish.
Most importantly, not all customers are perfect for upselling. Review your client list to determine which clients are best suited for you, the ideal clients you love to work with, and the clients that will really benefit from continuing to work together. Don’t sell to increase sales (see these customers as referral sources, not upsell opportunities).
Remember, understanding your customers and their journeys is key. What brought customers to you and where are they going on their next journey? Please review the customer reception form frequently for more information and opportunities to develop a program that serves your entire customer, not just your specific needs.
