1. Only email those who have asked. It’s the law

If someone hands you their business card, don’t assume you can just add them to your email list. Ask first – the best time to mention it is when you get the card in your hand. Say something like: ‘I’ve got a great online newsletter, would you like to get a free subscription? You can leave it if it doesn’t appeal.’ Nine out of ten times you’ll get an affirmative answer.

2. Always honour their requests to opt-out.

Make it a simple process. Since people often have multiple email addresses, include on your email the address you have sent it to. This can eliminate a lot of angst on their side and frustration on yours.

3. Allow your customers and prospects to give you their preferences.

Information: how much and how often do they want it? For example, if you’re doing a daily email – cater to those who might prefer to have only some of the information. This makes it more relevant for them instead of having to scan through the entire email.

4. Do not sell or rent your lists.

Your email list can be your goldmine, one of the most valuable assets of your business. Don’t ruin it by selling or renting your email list.

5. Give and take.

You don’t think people give you their email addresses out of the goodness of their hearts do you? They do it in exchange for something of value to them. A gift, Information. Education. White paper.Chance to win. Be creative, but truly add value.

6. Respond to customer email inquiries promptly.

Why is it that once someone hits that send key on their computer, they expect an immediate reply? They expect that someone is sitting at a computer ready to read and respond to their email. Have an email policy and enforce it. Ensure that you have a 24-hour turnaround if at all possible.

If you liked this tip please sahre it with your friends and colleagues.

Let me tell you about Wayne McCarthy, a top real estate agent with Barfoot and Thompson in Auckland. Wayne worked with a couple from England for two years house hunting in Auckland during the summers. Several months into year three they bought a home online from England from another agent & company. For most, the contact would have ended then and there. However Wayne continued to stay in touch with them with a regular, five monthly “good day, how are you, need a tradesman or anything let me know” email. Yes, Even though they weren’t clients. He never mentioned in any of the emails “Do I have a house for you, told of an open house or suggested they might want an investment property. He simply sent them a can I help you email.

Five years pass
Wayne gets a call from the English couple. “Wayne, we are not coming to New Zealand as often as we would have liked. Please sell the house for us.” “Of course,” Wayne replies “but what about the agent you bought your home from?” “We never heard from him again. You’ve been loyal so we’ve called you”.

What’s the point?

• Persistence – 5 years
• Continued though business was lost
• System
• Relationship building – NOT BUGGING

Your System
To build a similar reminder system for yourself – why not create a recurring Task in Outlook (To Do in Lotus Notes) to remind yourself to call, visit, follow up on important clients and prospects?

It was a business changing moment when I overhead one of my young triplets Matthew say to a friend “oh that’s my mom. She’s always on the computer”   That innocent comment was like a hot knife slicing butter, slashing my heart. How right that little boy was. It kick started a -examination of my business. Being self employed I was able to analyse each type of work I took in, rate it by how personally pleasurable and profitable an activity it was. By 10am the next morning I had a whole new focus of only accepting and developing business that was the most profitable and pleasurable to do.

How do you apply this principal to your business (and personal life)?

What are your activities now?
Write down all the things you do.  Then score each by how passionate you are and how pleasurable an activity it is. Next rate the income production activities by how profitable they are.  Pleasurable/ passionate has to be part of the equation as life isn’t about money alone. For example a self employed mother would find a better use of her time marketing for new business as opposed to cooking dinner. But if cooking gives her pleasure, it’s an activity that stays.

Focus Your Marketing
It’s easy for small businesses or the self employed to make changes swiftly. What about retailers for example?

Rob Bruce, owner of Blenheim Furniture2go has a marvelous attitude. “In the current market we’re not selling so many $2000 lounge suites, but $4,000 ones are moving.  We look at sales, and tweak our focus. Beds vs. lounge suites. Targeting the catalogue mail drop to certain neighbourhoods.

Alliances for work you turn away
You always want to be helpful so try to build alliances with other companies in your industries that are happy to take on that work. You might even be clever and negotiate a little clip of the ticket.

If you like this tip please share it with your friends and colleagues.

It was a business changing moment when I overhead one of my young triplets Matthew say to a friend “oh that’s my mom. She’s always on the computer”   That innocent comment was like a hot knife slicing butter, slashing my heart. How right that little boy was. It kick started a -examination of my business. Being self employed I was able to analyse each type of work I took in, rate it by how personally pleasurable and profitable an activity it was. By 10am the next morning I had a whole new focus of only accepting and developing business that was the most profitable and pleasurable to do.

How do you apply this principal to your business (and personal life)?

What are your activities now?
Write down all the things you do.  Then score each by how passionate you are and how pleasurable an activity it is. Next rate the income production activities by how profitable they are.  Pleasurable/ passionate has to be part of the equation as life isn’t about money alone. For example a self employed mother would find a better use of her time marketing for new business as opposed to cooking dinner. But if cooking gives her pleasure, it’s an activity that stays.

Focus Your Marketing
It’s easy for small businesses or the self employed to make changes swiftly. What about retailers for example?

Rob Bruce, owner of Blenheim Furniture2go has a marvelous attitude. “In the current market we’re not selling so many $2000 lounge suites, but $4,000 ones are moving.  We look at sales, and tweak our focus. Beds vs. lounge suites. Targeting the catalogue mail drop to certain neighbourhoods.

Alliances for work you turn away
You always want to be helpful so try to build alliances with other companies in your industries that are happy to take on that work. You might even be clever and negotiate a little clip of the ticket.

If you like this tip please share it with your friends and colleagues.

1. Lunch your VIPs
While speaking to a group of AXA insurance advisers, I asked, ‘What do you do to stay in touch with your clients?’ One told me he regularly takes his top clients out to lunch. Never once during the lunch does he bring up business. Yet, he said, ‘Universally, they will.

They will either tell me of a need they have or give me a very good referral.’ When was the last time you took a client out to lunch?

2. Make them feel famous
When you see articles, interviews or items of note in the press about your clients, cut them out, laminate them and then send it to your client. It’s likely if you see it in a magazine you can get the PDF for them too. This is something your customers won’t do for themselves and they’ll really love it.

3. Remove effort
Your customers expect more and more now – giving a cup of coffee is mainstream and expected. Look to save effort, improve their experience of doing business with you. For example try to save a customer having to get their kids out of the car, putting baby into the pram and so on, by encouraging them to ring from their parked car. Then you or a staff member go out to them – a bit like a drive through. This removes a lot of the extra effort for your customer, and quite frankly – do you know anyone doing this?

4. That old fashioned thank you note
Regardless of how much or little your customers spend, consider writing a thank-you note for every single one of them.

If you liked this tip please share it with your friends and colleagues.