E-mail marketing tips for new subscribers

 

It’s always great news when you get someone new to sign up for one of your e-newsletters online.  Whether it was a referral, someone who came across your Web site, or a friend or past client, you’re thrilled for the opportunity to sell your products or services to a new customer.  Now is your opportunity to nurture this relationship and make sure the customer is getting everything that he expects.  You don’t want to bombard him with e-mails, either.  Here are some tips for new subscribers, auto responders, and when you have to say good-bye.

New subscribers:

You definitely want to make a good first impression when you get someone new interested in your e-newsletter.  Once you have the new prospect’s e-mail address, send them a welcome e-mail with a personalized note.  You’ll also want to set the stage for what’s to come.  Tell them how often they’ll be hearing from you, the type of information you’ll be sending (coupons, newsletters, etc.), and who it’s going to be coming from so they can add it to their address book.  Otherwise, it could end up in their spam box or junk mail folder.

Send them the last e-mail that went out to customers so they’re not waiting a month (if that’s your frequency) for the next one.  And in your e-mail, include a link to past newsletters they can view online or other online discounts for subscribers.

Auto responders:

All auto responders should have a call to action without asking for someone’s business.  You can have a link in the e-mail for an online discount or free consultation with you about purchasing a home.  Some readers aren’t ready for the whole enchilada when they give you your e-mail address.  Keep these messages less frequent than those you send to your regular subscribers.  You don’t want to bombard them with information and prevent them from signing up.  A monthly e-mail is a good starting point. 

Opt-outs:

To make it easy for all your readers, make sure that every e-mail does offer the option of them being able to unsubscribe.  Make it as easy for them as possible so they don’t get frustrated.  If you get a few of these, use the information to help you determine what future customers are looking for from you.  Here are some tips on these.

1. You have 10 days by law remove an e-mail address from your list if it’s requested.  It’s best to do it as soon as possible, however.

2. Send them a friendly note that their unsubscribe request has been received.  Something along the lines of “We’re sorry to see you go but hope to see you again in the future.”  You can always leave a note on how to resubscribe when the time is right or if they unsubscribed by mistake.

3. Give these customers an opportunity to write why they unsubscribed.  You will learn so much from their comments.  If it’s because they were receiving too many e-mails from you, you might think about toning down the frequency.  If they didn’t feel your information was valuable, consider replacing some of your newsletter content. 

More tips for e-mail marketing can be found in this article.

If you’re ready to get your e-mail marketing messages out there, let us help! Visit our Web site to get started.

When to fire a customer

We’ve all heard the saying “The customer is always right.”  While that philosophy may help when it comes to disputes or disagreements, it’s not ALWAYS true.  There are plenty of times when it’s wise to break off a relationship with a customer.  Some examples are when a customer . . .

• Never pays on time.
• Threatens to jump ship if you don’t constantly throw in a freebie or an extra.  An example, threatening to take their business somewhere else unless you reduce the price for them or give them a bonus item.
• Asks you to do something unethical or against your morals.
• Complaining to others about your services.  If there’s a genuine problem, definitely address it first.  If it’s someone who will never be happy no matter what you do to fix it, they are most likely complaining to others about you and therefore, hurting your reputation.
• Is extremely rude, belligerent, or aggressive to yourself or someone who works for/with you.

Consider the customer’s monetary worth to your business.  Are they your number one account?  If that’s the case, it might be worth discussing the problems between you to see if you can get it resolved.  Are they someone who doesn’t affect your bottom line?  Then let them go.  It will be easier in the long run.  It’s hard to consider letting go of potential sources of income in this economy, but think about the pros.  Your employees not having to deal with constant abuse or yelling from a customer can boost their morale.  It will increase their productivity.  Plus, it’s almost a guarantee that your most demanding customers are not the ones that bring you the most money.  They’re usually the ones who you work hardest for for the least reward.

So how should you go about it? 

1.  Be professional.  Don’t send an e-mail or leave a voice mail message unless that’s how you usually communicate with them.  It’s like a regular relationship.  It’s best done in person.

2. Don’t vent and get emotional.  That’s the first thing they’ll go complain to your competition about.  Let them know your reasoning in a straightforward manner.

3. Offer referrals.  Let them know of other people from whom they can obtain similar services or products.  It will help steer them in the right direction.

Firing a customer is not always an easy or black-and-white decision.  It’s important that you do your research on whether saving the relationship is worth it to your business.  But don’t let your customers run the show. 

For more resources on this topic, you should view this article or this one.

For help with your real estate or small business marketing needs, visit us online.

Get your money faster – tips on invoicing

While you’re doing your best to keep your clients happy and generate new business during tough times, it’s important to get paid for the work you’ve put in, too.  It may be hard asking for money from clients when they’re having tough times from the economy, too.  So you’ll want to be clear on your invoicing statements and make them timely.  Here are some other important tips to get paid correctly and on time. 

1. Don’t surprise the client.  If there’s going to be an unexpected charge this month, be sure to communicate that first via a phone call or e-mail.  If they’re not sure what the charge is for and they can’t get to the phone to call you, it will delay receiving your money.  Be up-front about all costs.

2. Suggest getting paid for some or all of your work up-front.  If you have up-front costs especially, you may want to ask for a down payment to help cover your expenses.  By having this money ahead of time, you won’t be worried at the end of the month that you can’t pay your bills.

3. Consider changing your invoicing date to the middle of the month instead of the end.  That way you could be included in the client’s monthly billing cycle and not have to wait past the end of the month for your payment if you have your own bills due.

4. On every invoice, make sure you specify what your late payment fees are and how it works.  If you charge a percentage after a certain number of days late or just add it to the next invoice, make sure that’s written out each time.  If these policies change at any time, make sure to draw attention to that fact in a bigger font or different color.  You may even want to call your client ahead of time.

5. As a bonus to your clients, you might want to send an envelope pre-addressed with your information and even a stamp if you have it.  This can definitely speed up payment by saving your client a step or two in finding an envelope, addressing it, and purchasing a stamp.

6. When making collection calls, keep a record of the date, time, who you spoke to, and the gist of the conversation.  This can become very important if you choose down the road to sue your client for past payments.  It will definitely work in your favor if you have this information and your client doesn’t.

Another very important step is to make sure you have a contract in place prior to working with/for a client.  What’s going to force someone to pay if there’s no agreement in place stating that money is owed??  More great tips can be found here and here. If you need assistance with getting your projects done, please visit us online.

Keep customers for life with these tips

We can’t stress enough how important it is to stay in touch with past customers since they can be your best source for referrals.  Small business owners and Realtors all know that you build your customer database with past customers and you should have many repeat clients throughout the years.  There are important strategies to learn about how to make sure a first-time customer is a lifelong customer.  If you are happy, your customers will be happy.  Here are a few of the tips:

1. Expect the best from your customers.  Don’t meet someone new and worry that they won’t pay on time and haggle them about your payment deadlines.  Don’t think they won’t show up for appointments and remind them how busy you are.  Expect that they will be a customer who pays on time.  From the very beginning, treat your customers with respect.  Expect upfront that they will be one of your best customers.  This will help keep your relationship a long-term one.

2. Beat their expectations.  Of course, it’s important to have quality products and offer what it is you are promising in your marketing pitches.  That is the first step.  But once you have that under control, go beyond the norm and what is expected.  If you’re a Realtor, offer to help them stage their home at no additional cost.  Send them articles about their neighborhood they would be interested.  As a small business owner, if you have a customer looking for a product that you don’t stock, offer to find it for them.  If you have someone who can’t get to your store during business hours, offer to have it open when they’re available or help them order online.  By exceeding expectations, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how loyal your customers can be.

3. Incent customers to want to remain your customers.  Offer a loyalty program for repeat customers.  For instance, they can regularly get a discount on regularly priced merchandise or free shipping with every order.  Realtors can offer money back on their commissions or always provide a $250 gift card to a home improvement store upon closing.  And always provide an incentive for customers who offer you referrals.  Always send a handwritten thank you note with a token of thanks, whether it’s a $5 Starbucks gift card or a coupon for a free dinner at a local restaurant.

4. Listen to their opinions.  Find out what products you don’t have that you should offer because it’s what your customers are looking for.  Ask for suggestions on store layout or how you can speed up your service to make them happy.  By implementing their ideas, they’re more likely to come to you in the future.  Not only that, but it’s an other easy way to earn their referrals.  They’ll know that you’re likely to listen to what they have to say.

More great tips can be found in Jeff Wuorio’s article here.

completeREsources Chicago prides itself on customer satisfaction. We are available for all of your marketing needs. Give us a call at 773-267-6167 for help with your next project.

Don’t lose customers with these marketing mistakes

One quick mistake in your marketing message or delivery might not only make you lose a customer, but could keep you from gaining a new one.  These tips should help keep you on track to make more money, and not lose any!

1. Signing up customers to your newsletter without permission.  Do you ever hand someone your business card and then start receiving their e-mail mailings or newsletter?  It’s very common, and unfortunately, could break a customer relationship.  People want the option to opt-in to these mailings.  They don’t want to receive it without being asked first.  This is especially hard if you just meet someone.  You want to develop a relationship first.  You also want to have the freedom to look at their information and then determine if you want to be on a mailing list.  If you send these newsletters out, make sure you have a sign-up form on your Web site or in your e-mail.  And always ask permission when meeting someone new if you can add them to your list.  Don’t just assume they want to be on it.

2. Changing your message because you didn’t get enough sales.  It’s also very common to see an advertisement: 30% off everything until Wednesday!  Then Wednesday is crossed out and it says 30% off until Friday!  You’ll create a much more powerful message if you stick to your word.  If you didn’t get enough sales, save the promotion for a few weeks.  It creates a lot more urgency and shows your customers that you are willing to offer promotions.  You’ll seem desperate for business if you keep changing your current promotion.  It can make customers think you’re going out of business. 

3. Making everything urgent.  Sending out mailings that say “Urgent!” or “Open Immediately!”  This tactic can definitely work, but once is probably best.  If customers continue to see the same messages on all of your mailings, they’ll know it is just a tactic and probably put it right in the garbage bin.

4. Spending it all in one place.  Don’t blow your entire marketing budget on one expensive TV ad or national magazine appearance.  It could be great to get new customers, but once you’ve done that, what’s left for other marketing?  Make sure to evenly spend your marketing dollars and find the best ways to do that based on your customer profiles.  We blogged a few weeks back about sending clear messages to the right target group.  Don’t get all excited about a new advertising stream without researching it first and determining that it’s right for you and your business. 

5. Fixing what isn’t broken.  Some companies think changing their marketing pieces is necessary, even if they’re still getting great success with the same old pieces.  This isn’t necessary.  If it’s working, that’s fantastic.  Don’t just assume you need to change something because it hasn’t been done in a while.  Use test markets and get feedback before trying something new. 

You can find more common mistakes in this article. Visit us online for help designing your marketing piece!

Learning about your customers will drive up sales

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in determining what next promotion to offer?  You realize that you haven’t put items from your fall collection, for instance, on sale yet, so maybe you should give that a try?  You should recognize that by learning about your customers and their past purchasing habits, you can earn more money by appealing to them.  Marketing Professional Ray Boucher has written an article on five important things you should know about your customers.  You’ll want to go through your database and make note of these, as it will greatly improve your marketing effort and sales in the future.

1. What is the most popular purchased product or service?  Let’s use real estate agents, for example.  If you’ve mostly sold condos in the past year to first time buyers, you’ll want to start marketing move-up opportunities for them.  Try to send them information about 3 bedroom single family homes, or the benefits of selling in their particular complex.  For a small business that sells handmade jewelry, what is your most popular product?  Let’s say it’s a bracelet with add-on charms.  Consider advertising to past clients about the new birthstone charms you have available.  If you buy 1, get 1 free.  Try to think outside the box with what products are the most popular.  It should drum up the most new sales if it’s tied to that.

2. What are your customers spending on each purchase?  Let’s say that an average purchase goes for about $50.  Find out what your competitors are charging.  If they have similar products and price, if you offer a product for $44.99, you should get more sales since you’re selling at a discount. 

3. Find out how many of your customers are repeat customers.  First of all, here’s hoping that most of your customers are repeats.  You want to keep them in your database and contact them at least twice a year so they don’t go to your competitor.  If you have their birthday, make sure you send them a card.  Always send them information when you’re offering a new promotion. 

4. When are you getting most of your sales?  Is it typically in a certain month?  Is it generally on a Friday during the week?  By figuring this out you’ll be able to offer marketing that has promotions during the slower periods to help generate more business.  But don’t forget to still market during the busy times so that those times stay busy.

5.  Where do your customers come from?  Are you getting referred from a certain Web site?  That’s where you’ll want to put a lot of advertising.  Do you have a local shop where customers from a certain neighborhood come from?  Sponsor one of their little league teams. 

This information will be extremely helpful when planning your marketing.  Do you have this information and now need to design the perfect marketing campaign?  Visit us online for more information and a free quote.

Make their jaw drop with these marketing tactics

It’s not enough these days to simply mail out a postcard or a letter to a group of people and hope for the best.  It’s even harder if it’s a new group of people that you haven’t yet marketed yourself to.  You need to stand out in a crowd and get them to be impressed by what you’re sending out.  Even if it’s a group of past clients, you need some new tactics to get them to want to buy from you or use your services.

So what’s going to work?  We came across a great article that offers some tips.  You want marketing material that’s not only entertaining, but something that includes a call to action.  This means that you want to give your target audience enough information to do something about it, whether that means calling you to place an order, calling you to get more information, or asking to become a regular subscriber of your newsletter.

The first step is to get your audience to drop their jaws.  You want them to be extremely impressed by what you’re sending out.  Make them want to read your postcards or mailing, rather than having it go straight into the garbage.  This might include a funny photo, or text that jumps off the page.  Maybe the way you send it to them is what does the trick.  Consider something unique, like a letter in a tube rather than an envelope.  Create text that will make them believe they’re crazy for not purchasing your product or using your service.

The next step is to include testimonials on what you send out.  If you have a Web site (you should!), make sure you also post testimonials from past customers there, as well.  It makes your product or service more believable because they can actually see customers that have benefited from your services.  Make sure these are true testimonials and not made up.  Have past customers available as references so that new customers can contact them if they like.  Get their permission first. 

The last step is to put a limited time offer in your marketing piece.  This creates a sense of urgency and get them to want to contact you immediately, or before the offer expires.  Show them the benefits and get them to contact you for your product before the time runs out.  How often have you seen a coupon for a buy 1 get 1 free that expires in only 3 days!  Doesn’t it make you want to run to the store before it expires?  That’s the urgency you want to create with your customers.

Do you need help designing this marketing piece?  We’re here to put our skills to use!  Visit us online to see product examples and call for a quote!

The social networking conversion factor

So you did a great job setting up your pages on MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  You’ve connected with old friends, past colleagues, and even met some new friends who are interested in your business.  You got them all to come visit your Web site.  So they’re all there and, NOW WHAT?  How do you get their e-mail address so you can add them to your newsletter list and keep in touch with them?  Christine Gallagher talks about just that.

You always want to have a sign-up form on your Web page.  Make it really easy and just ask for a first name and an e-mail address.  Make sure you mention something about privacy and not distributing their e-mail to any other sites.  A submit button after that should do the trick.  And let them know what they’ll receive if they put in their address.  Maybe mention something about a free drawing every month if they register.

Where do you put it?  Studies have shown that one of the most effective places to put the box is in the upper right-hand corner of the page.  Don’t make prospects scroll all the way to the bottom, if you can help it.  Try to make it one of the first places they see.  Also, you’ll want to put a sign-up box on every single page of your site.  If they search for you, they might not come in directly to the home page, so you want to make sure that there’s a way to sign up no matter how they found you. 

We mentioned a monthly drawing.  That’s one incentive, but you might want to offer something else for signing up.  People love free stuff.  You might send them your last newsletter that you sent out to clients.  It could be an interesting article related to your site, but make sure it’s something that they’ll find interesting and help them.  A real estate agent might offer an article on tips to keep your home safe while you’re showing it, for example.

Now that you have their e-mail address, it’s up to you to keep up your end of the bargain.  Make sure they’re getting regular e-mail mailings from you.  Send them promotional flyers with discounts and deals.  Don’t just let them think they signed up for no good reason.  And keep active on the social networking sites. You never know how much more traffic you can get.

Need help designing an e-mail newsletter?  Visit us online for a quick and easy quote.

Don’t ever say _______ to a customer!

It may seem obvious to a business person, but we’ve dealt with so many companies where they’re just plain rude to their customers and clients.  It’s easy enough to lose business because of the downturn of the economy.  Do you want to lose business because your foot got caught in your mouth?  If it requires your time to take an extra second to think before you speak, it’s worth the time.  Jeff Wuorio, a small business writer, recommends never ever ever ever saying any of these things to your customers:

1. “Are you sure you can afford this?”  It’s important and courteous to let customers know that an item may be a bit expensive, but never okay to ask them if they can afford it.  That could be the quickest way to lose a sale. 

2. “That last customer was a ___________!”  Unless that _______ is filled in with wonderful person, such a nice guy, etc., NEVER comment on the previous customer, even if it’s to a colleague.  Your customer can probably hear you, and not only does it label you as a gossip, but that previous customer could be your next customer’s neighbor/colleague/friend, etc!

3. “We don’t have it.”  While you may often run out of stock on a particular item, saying “no” too quickly is not the best approach.  You should try, “We actually just ran out of that, BUT…” and try to sell them on an equal substitute.  Or let them know that you’ll get it back in in the next 24 hours.  A quick and terse no could have them running to your nearest competitor.

4. “What an unusual name.”  You may be curious about someone’s name, but not all people have thick enough skin to hear a comment about their name.  A better approach is to ask how to pronounce the name or ask where they’re from.

5. Don’t offer advice or let the customers know about something that you don’t have any idea about.  You’ll lose credibility too quickly.  If you don’t know something, tell them you’ll get back to them ASAP or refer them to somebody who can help them.  That is much better than giving the customer the wrong information.  They’ll appreciate your honesty.

6. The biggest cliche in the world- “I only work here.”  Ahh, we’ve all heard it from a salesman, waiter, etc after they’ve had a very long, and, obviously, bad day.  It shows that you have no willingness to help solve the problem.  Which you may not, but you don’t want the customer to know that.  Make sure you or your employee refers them to someone who can help them immediately.

What stories do you have of inappropriate remarks to customers?  We’d love to hear them.  Leave us a comment or visit us online.

Be a team player

We all know the results of great teamwork.  Take the Olympics for example.  You have the four members of a relay team competing for Olympic gold.  These four athletes rely on each other to win.  If one person drops the baton, the entire team is disqualified.  It’s important in the real estate industry to understand this concept if you’re working on a team.  And by “team,” we mean those who have one or more partners that all benefit from sales.

Dirk Zeller is the president and CEO of Real Estate Champions.  He trains agents throughout the country.  He wrote a great article on the importance of teamwork in the real estate industry. Here are some of his biggest tips:

1. Accountability.  It is so hard to know you’re being productive when you’re only accountable to yourself.  It’s so simple to say that you’ve worked enough for the day so you can now go home.  When you’re on a team, you need to be accountable to each other.  Make sure that reports are done with how many prospecting calls you made, what your time was devoted to in a given day, and how many deals were closed.  Turn these reports in and discuss them.  Changes should be made to team members who are under performing.

2. Cooperation.  A closed deal is a win for all team members involved and everyone should benefit.  It’s important that you’re all working toward one common goal.  And everyone should always be willing to help everyone else out.  You shouldn’t always assume that it’s one person’s job to take care of A, another takes care of B, etc.  While everyone has their own responsibilities, if someone needs help, a team player will always jump in to help.

3. Caring.  Caring for each other and caring for clients is key.  A great motivation for this category is to work toward a common goal, aside from making money in sales.  It might be nice if you reach a certain monetary goal that the entire team gets a vacation together or a big gift certificate to a favorite retailer.  It will motivate everyone to work harder and to support each other.   It also helps make everyone more…

4. Competitive.  While cooperation and caring are equally important, if you’re not competitive, you won’t be successful.  You should be striving to get more sales than the other agents in your office.  You should be competing to be the most helpful and giving the best service to your clients.  You want prospects to believe that you are the only team they should be calling when they have a real estate need.

Please write us a comment if you can think of other important attributes to real estate teams.  We’d love to hear them!  For help with your online marketing and client prospecting, please visit us for a quote online.