March 15, 2011

5 Great Contact Strategies

When it comes to connecting with new customers, there are lots of strategies that you can employ. While doing cold calls can be an effective tool, it takes so long to connect with a new customer that the return on time invested may not be worth it. Fortunately there are other contact strategies that are much more effective in both time and cost and actually bring the customer to you. Here are 5 great strategies you can use effectively.

1. Get a booth at trade shows and conventions. The sheer numbers of people that come by will give you dozens, if not hundreds, of new contact info to pursue. Plus, by giving you their info, they’ll already be expressing an interest in your products and services, giving you a targeted audience

2. Carry a stock of business cards at all times. Networking opportunities arise in the oddest places so having a business card to hand to someone can land a new client. Make sure you collect business cards too.

3. Use a postcard campaign to drive people to your website or to make calls. Postcards are inexpensive, cheap to mail and can deliver a lot of information in a small space. Postcards may be your least expensive and most effective marketing tools.

4. Be aware of changes in your customer base. Using good customer reference management software and keeping it up to date and calling clients on a set schedule will let you know when someone changes jobs. Not only will this allow you to contact the new person with an existing client, but you can track back and find the person who had the job. This could give you a new client based on existing contact info

5. Be aware of people around you. You never know when an opportunity to network will come up, even in the grocery line. Having a brochure or postcard with company data with you at all times can land you a new customer in an unexpected way.

There are a lot more contact strategies you can use to connect with clients, but these work well and are easy to implement. Take advantage of every opportunity to connect with people will give you new opportunities to make customers. Marketing is one thing, but people connections are what build a good business relationship.