No B.S. Guide To Maximum Referrals & Customer Retention
By Dan S. Kennedy & Shaun Buck
*A Book Review*
by Michael C. Gray
© 2021 by Michael C. Gray
Many small business owners believe that delivering good service and reliable products should be sufficient for their customers to make referrals to them.
The fact is our customers have other things on their minds and don't think about our businesses regularly, possibly until it's time for them to have their next service done or to resupply their product needs. Even then, they might decide to go where it's most convenient at the moment.
Businesses can take action by implementing systems for regular customer contacts to bond with their customers as friends and keep themselves front of mind for referrals.
Referred prospective customers tend to be the most desirable because they have a lower threshold of resistance. They already accept the referred business as being trustworthy.
In addition, when you ask many business owners how they can improve their businesses, the most common response is to "get more new customers." New customer acquisition may be their principal marketing focus.
By focusing on new customer acquisition, the business might make the mistake of taking the customers they already have for granted. Neglected customers aren't likely to come back to do more business. They don't feel any affiliation or loyalty, so they'll go somewhere else. They can also complain and drive away business.
Again, systems should be implemented in the business to nurture the customer relationship so that customers feel an affiliation with the business and feel appreciated.
Marketing teacher Dan S. Kennedy and Shaun Buck, owner of The Newsletter Pro, describe systems for encouraging referrals and customer retention in their book, No B.S. Guide to Maximum Referrals & Customer Retention.
The book includes a chapter on "money math." Business owners should know what a customer is worth to them, what it costs to get a new customer, and the cost of losing a customer. This knowledge gives direction for the systems to be implemented.
A free website includes examples of multistep direct-mail campaigns and newsletters that can be used as models for your own customer retention and referral generation systems.
If you're serious about growing your business and improving your profitability, the best place to start is with your own customers.
Every business owner should have a copy of No B.S. Guide to Maximum Referrals & Customer Retention in his or her library and should study and implement the systems explained in this invaluable reference.
Buy it online at Amazon.com: No B.S. Guide to Maximum Referrals and Customer Retention: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Plan to Securing New Customers and Maximum Profits.
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