Relentless Follow Up - Smarketing Lab

10 Important Messages Your Customers Want to Hear From You Right Now

Assia Salikhova — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 11:43:23 +0000

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It’s easy for us all to assume that everything we know is common knowledge to all. And it’s definitely not.

Sometimes we learn this the hard way. Assuming everyone has the same knowledge leads to underperforming, a loss in sales and messy situations we could have avoided if only we had communicated clearly.

Coming out of such a crazy few years, companies are busily re-starting their operations, which is great for business!

But what about the customer? It’s time to focus on your communication with them.

To make sure everyone knows what is going on with your business you need to deliver these 10 important messages to your current, past and possible future customers.

1. We are back and open for business…

This is truly the most important message your customers want to hear and the world right now. There are countless conversations about businesses closing and people will be concerned having waited to see if you will be opening for business once more. Reassuring them that you will continue operating is step one.

This message is particularly important for companies in non-retail and non-hospitality sectors without a street-level business front that people can walk by and see the operational status.

For all manufacturing, wholesale, professional services and trades it is of real essence to communicate you are open and ready to deliver. When committing to this communication you have to apply it to every platform your business is active and featured on to ensure a consistent message is being sent to your entire audience.

2. Our business hours are…

Reminding customers of your business hours is always appreciated after a change to usual trading. Nowadays, people are mindful of new rules and varied hours of operation but they need you to let them know how these changes affect your business.

Avoid statements like “our business hours are as usual.” Be clear by outlining your operating hours and finding different places where you can effectively communicate this.

Sometimes simple information like this is still difficult to find. Share consistent and up to date business hours on multiple platforms to ensure your customers have the best chance of locating them.

3. Our important cut off times/dates are…

Remind customers about any dates, times and deadlines specific to your business such as cut-off times to place an order or terms of delivery and how to utilise such deadlines. For example, “order before 1 pm for guaranteed same-day delivery!”

This information should be reminded frequently but gently, as customers like to be aware of these points since it helps them plan their purchases. It also keeps them updated with any changes to these cut-offs due to external situations beyond your company’s control.

4. We are located at…

This may seem like an obvious one, but people are seeing many businesses moving locations or shifting to online operations at the moment.

Even if you rely on foot traffic, there is no harm in reminding customers about your address for delivery or pick up and although they may be able to Google this information, facts always feel more accurate coming from the direct source – your business website or social channels.

5. You can find information at…

Let your customers know where they can find information, support and education. Maybe it’s via your website or social media pages or simply by phoning them, it is important for people to know how they can find out more about you.

Here is a short list of information your customers may want access to:

This is just a short list of information that can deliver extra value for your existing customers and provide reassurance to your potential customers about your company, your capabilities and your ability to support them.

6. Who we are…

Unless your customers are buying from you frequently, their perception of what you do may be different from the reality of what your business delivers currently.

Don’t be a stranger, share information about your products and services as they change, even if it’s just a new season of a range of products you get in every year, you never know who you’ll inspire. Keep customers in the know of your most recent additions to ensure they are aware of what you have available.

7. Who we can help…

While we all love to sell to many different customers, the reality is you can attract repeat customers when you communicate with those who are your best customers.

Interest your ideal customer through targeted marketing and by selling yourself as the solution your best customer is searching for.

8. More about our products and services…

A lot of traditional businesses, professional services, wholesale and manufacturers feel as though all the services they offer are common knowledge. There is some unspoken assumption that you know to go to a roofer when the roof leaks and go to an accountant when you need end-of-year financials.

But what about the times you need something less obvious?

There are a lot of crossovers in business and it is likely your company offers more than one primary service or product. Make sure your customers know all the services you offer so they know to come to you first even for your less obvious situations.

9. We want your business…

You’ve advised everyone you are back to business but are you welcoming new business?

Situations are causing changes in the way businesses are able to deliver their services and some industries are under a lot of stress, so make sure you let your existing customers, and potential new customers that you are happy to take on new business.

10. We can offer help…

We are all in the same boat right now. Let’s understand where and how each of our businesses can help others, and utilise this to reach out to others who may need help.

For example, one of our services is to create automated email communication, which helps grow sales. However, right now, we see it more beneficial to have a conversation about reconnecting with your customers which can be done with or without an automated e-newsletter.

Are you ready to learn more about how to best communicate these messages for your business?

Assia Salikhova

Smarketing Lab, Managing Director
Co-Creator of 4Rs Business Growth Framework with profitable B2B solutions

Book time with me HERE now

assia@smarketinglab.co.nz

Find out how well your LinkedIn profile stands by using our Quiz and ask for help when need it. Because the #teamtalent at Smarketing Lab is on standby ready to help you gain the full benefit from LinkedIn for your business.

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How to Efficiently Follow Up Trade Show Leads for Maximum Impact

Artem Axenov — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 07:01:44 +0000

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Trade shows – the rush, the adrenaline, new leads! Oh, how many leads, and you somehow have to follow them all up. How can you follow up on all your trade show leads efficiently?!

I’ve been there, you spend months getting ready, making sure everything is just right. You’re at the booth, chatting to prospects, collecting info, exchanging business cards, handing out candy and ready to generate leads. It’s an exciting and exhausting couple of days. By the end of the trade show you just want to crawl in bed and do nothing. But alas, life isn’t fair. You have leads to follow up and hot prospects to close.

The Hard Truth About Trade Show Leads

80% of these leads don’t get followed up. It’s always the same story – you start out with good intentions to follow up with everyone you spoke to during the trade show. But you’re back in the office and get distracted by your work. There’s nothing particularly wrong about this, it happens to the best of us. It’s just a shame to let all your hard work preparing for the show go to waste.

I could write a guide about blocking out time for follow-up calls etc. But I’m sure you already know about this. Instead, I’d rather focus on a less-known follow-up strategy that has the potential to transform your trade show follow-up process: Email Automation.

Follow up Using Email Automation

Perhaps you’re not sure what this term means, even though it’s been around for a few years now it’s still not as widely known as expected. The funny thing is that the name is self-explanatory. Email automation is a set of emails that are automated to go out at set times. They can either go out on a particular day, similar to a newsletter. Or they can be set up to go out a number of days after you add an email to the sequence. They can of course be much more complex, but I won’t bore you with this.

All you need to know now is that email automation can be set up so your leads are followed up after, and potentially during, a trade show. You might balk at the thought of automatic follow-up emails since it’s just gonna be an email template that you can get from a 5-second Google search.

However, the beauty of email automation is that these emails can be VERY personalised. The whole idea is for them to work, so if they’re too generic or just a straight-out Google email template, they simply won’t work. If this means you need five different chains of emails, so be it. But these five chains will convert better than if you had just one generic one.

This is a point of difference between email marketing and email automation. Email marketing aims to send generic emails to masses of people, hoping some will convert. Email automation aims to send personalised emails to a smaller group of qualified leads, nurturing them along the buyer’s journey.

The more you delve into email automation, the more complex you will want to make it. Our suggestion is to start out modestly and build it out from there. And a trade show is a perfect excuse to start as you’ll see the enormous benefits very quickly.

So, here are some ideas for email automation specific to trade shows.

Don’t wait till after the trade show, follow up during it.

Think of what you can do to attract people back to your booth. Maybe you can offer free food or drinks the day after you connect. Or maybe you have a live business card draw and you invite them to that. At the very least you can say thank you for the connection, and at the end wish them safe travels from the trade show and suggest you’ll connect shortly. This is just one of the best practices that you can do during the trade show and before you even begin following up.

Know what your follow-up emails are for.

Before you start emailing or calling someone, be sure to have a specific goal in mind. It can be to simply clarify something about their business, what types of questions you’re hoping to answer or ask for a pain point. Maybe it’s just to set up a meeting so that you can continue the conversation and potentially work on some solutions together. It can simply be a thanks for stopping by, but it’ll definitely remind them of the interaction during the trade show. You should also consider your call-to-action.

Don’t leave leads to die in an email sequence – set up a quick call to connect personally.

Email automation should take the pressure off connecting within the first week or two. But if you really want to convert leads from the trade show into customers, you don’t want to send email after email. You need to give them a ring and qualify them. So, use the emails as an interim solution, but don’t wait too long.

You’ve put in the effort, so why waste it?

Don’t forget to use your new emails for your non-trade show leads too! You’ll only need to make slight adjustments to the follow up emails and then they can help follow up any prospect!

Don’t forget to set up some emails to invite your current customers to visit you at the trade show.

This is a great way to reconnect with customers if you haven’t spoken in a while. It shows them you’re doing things and your business is thriving. Seeing old customers in person is a great way to showcase any new products or services you may have.

While you’re having a look at email automation, consider reviewing your newsletter.

Once the sequence ends for prospects, it’s an excellent idea to stay in touch long term. A cold lead today can turn into a hot lead in a years’ time, all because you stayed in touch and they didn’t forget about you.

Hopefully, that gives you some good ideas. However, you might be too busy to implement them, and perhaps choose to put it off till next year. I’d suggest against this, next year will turn into never.

Instead, engage our team to help with this. Our service Keep in Touch is designed for busy people just like you. We take the hassle out of email automation. After getting all the info from you, we’ll go and create the emails. Then all you need to do is approve them. The process can take as little as a few weeks from start to finish.

We would love to set a meeting with you, so when you need a hand – book a time for a chat.

Help is here and our consultants love learning about new businesses like yours to suggest a solution that works. We don’t want you to miss any leads that you worked so hard for. Imagine staying in touch with the 80% of leads you would otherwise never talk to and selling more to them with little effort thanks to automated follow up.

Assia Salikhova

Smarketing Lab, Managing Director
Co-Creator of 4Rs Business Growth Framework with profitable B2B solutions

Book time with me HERE now

assia@smarketinglab.co.nz

Discover the Values and Benefits of Upgrading and Optimising LinkedIn Profile

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Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads

Artem Axenov — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 06:54:10 +0000

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Trade Show Season: Time to Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads

Ahhhhhhh, can you smell that? It’s the smell of freshly printed brochures and business cards, stale muffins, and opportunity.
Ooooh can you hear that? It’s the click-clack of booths being set up, sales reps chattering, the noisy show floors, banners erected and promotional pens being splayed across tables.
This can only mean one thing: a Trade Show is looming. For some, a trade show is a field of opportunities, for others it’s a money sink, and for others still, it’s an unavoidable evil in an otherwise perfect universe… Anyway, I digress.

The pandemic may have put a damper on trade shows for a few years, but it’s 2023 now and the cobwebs have well and truly been swept in every convention centre worldwide. Expos are back and in some cases bigger than ever as people have an appetite to do business in person.

Trade shows are one of the old-school sales and marketing behemoths that seem to have managed to age gracefully as we shifted into the digital age. Sure, attendance is down. Sure, it’s more expensive than ever to participate. Yet trade shows are still run and some just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Don’t take my word for it though, see the numbers for yourself:

81% of trade show attendees have buying authoritySource: CEIR: The Spend Decision: Analyzing How Exhibits Fit Into The Overall Marketing Budget
46% of trade show attendees are in Executive or Upper Management. Source: CEIR: The Role and Value of Face to Face
92% of trade show attendees say their main reason for attending trade shows is to see new products being featured. Source: CEIR: The Role and Value of Face to Face
64% of trade show attendees are not customers of the exhibitors’ companies. Source: Exhibit Surveys 2015
The perception of a brand that is not represented at an event falls by 5%. This is true even for global brands. Source: org “The Power of Live Events

So, if you’re in an industry for which there is a trade show – you should most likely aim to attend.

But don’t despair, being an exhibitor in a trade show might be costly and take a lot of time. But if you do things right, you’ll reap the benefits in other areas of your business. For example, is your website a bit outdated? Why not spruce it up for the trade show, hey – it will benefit your company for the rest of the year. Things like this which will live on after the trade show can be a great investment, and the trade show is just a push to finally do it.

I’d like to touch on a couple of things you might not think to review, but which will make your trade show experience (and business experience!) much better. And we’re not here to talk about technology that helps capture leads like those badge scanners, we ain’t teaching you how to decorate your booth either. What we’re gonna dive into is how you manage your customers.

Lead generation isn’t all about lead capture

Now that you’ve collected all of those leads at trade shows, what do you do with them? How’s your lead management? We’ll talk more about this later, but for now, let’s focus on something else.

Your list of customers. If I say can I see your list of customers, and your face blanks and you try to recall where you saved their email addresses and contact information, remember if it’s in your CRM, or hope your email contacts have them all – then this is about you.

I don’t want to shame you – I’d rather help you solve the problem. Having a clean and tidy list of your customers past and present is just a good business practice. It means you can get in touch with them easily to keep in touch and keep selling to them.

So, if your contacts are a shambles, use the trade show as the perfect excuse to clean them up. Even if you can’t find them all, having a set place where they are will mean you can continue adding them as they pop up in different places.

Now you might think – why on earth is this related to a trade show?!

Great question! The reason this is important is that a trade show tends to generate leads and a lot of leads at that. So, if you don’t already have a system for keeping track of customers, I’m guessing you don’t have a very good system for keeping track of leads either.

If you take the time now to clean up your contacts, then adding new leads will be a breeze. Just tag them as new leads so you can differentiate between leads and customers.

The second thing that is key to getting a good ROI on trade shows is how you’re going to qualify leads and ensure you have a plan for a lead follow-up. It’s one thing to call a few hot prospects after the trade show. It’s a whole different proposition to follow up on a few hundred leads. And often that’s what you’re going to have to do after a trade show if you want to get a return.

How to efficiently manage your trade show lead data

What solution do I propose? Well, to be honest, the best solution is to call everyone. But I’m going to be realistic and assume that’s not going to happen.

The next best option is email automation. If you’re not sure what this is, it’s very simple – the name explains itself. It’s a set of emails that go out automatically. These can either go out on certain days or a certain number of days after a prospect is added to a list.

You might think this is a cold and impersonal way to connect with people. But that’s not the case at all – especially if you get one of their business cards. The key to email automation is writing emails that sound very genuine and connect with the prospect’s pain points. This could mean you need five different chains, each addressing a different pain point or highlighting a different service you provide. So be it, but when you do it once, it’s done forever.

Don’t wait till after the expo

For trade shows, we’d recommend setting up some emails that go out even during the show. For example, you could invite prospects added on day one to visit your booth for a free beer/hot dog/soda on the second day at 3 pm for example. This is a great way to build deeper connections and guess what – most of your competition won’t be doing this. Another example is if you’re running a competition you can invite them to see the live draw. The idea is to start connecting immediately and build the foundation for a relationship.

Following on from the trade show emails with relevant information can be sent to educate and provide value. You will want to still call these leads, but having the emails means you don’t have the pressure to follow up on every lead within a week of the trade show ending. Instead, you can first focus your attention on HOT leads.

If you’ve dabbled in email automation before – you’ll be well-equipped to handle this for your next trade show. If you’re a bit new to all of this, or perhaps just don’t have the time to get your head around it – we can help!

Help is here!

Our email automation service Keep in Touch is made for people like you – people who don’t have the time or headspace to do it themselves. We aim to take your ideas, combine them with our expertise and deliver emails that will work. We take up as little of your time as possible, as we know you’re busy enough with other preparations.

Are you interested? Get in touch today, our consultants love learning about new businesses and tailoring a solution that fits like a glove!

Discover the Values and Benefits of Upgrading and Optimising LinkedIn Profile

The post Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads appeared first on Smarketing Lab.

Relentless Follow Up - Smarketing Lab

10 Important Messages Your Customers Want to Hear From You Right Now

10 Things Your Customers Want to Hear From You Right Now

1. We are back and open for business…

2. Our business hours are…

3. Our important cut off times/dates are…

4. We are located at…

5. You can find information at…

6. Who we are…

7. Who we can help…

8. More about our products and services…

9. We want your business…

10. We can offer help…

Assia Salikhova

How to Efficiently Follow Up Trade Show Leads for Maximum Impact

How to Efficiently Follow Up Trade Show Leads for Maximum Impact

The Hard Truth About Trade Show Leads

Follow up Using Email Automation

So, here are some ideas for email automation specific to trade shows.

Don’t wait till after the trade show, follow up during it.

Know what your follow-up emails are for.

Don’t leave leads to die in an email sequence – set up a quick call to connect personally.

You’ve put in the effort, so why waste it?

Don’t forget to set up some emails to invite your current customers to visit you at the trade show.

While you’re having a look at email automation, consider reviewing your newsletter.

Assia Salikhova

Discover the Values and Benefits of Upgrading and Optimising LinkedIn Profile

Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads

Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads

Trade Show Season: Time to Spring Clean Your Database of Trade Show Leads

Don’t take my word for it though, see the numbers for yourself:

So, if you’re in an industry for which there is a trade show – you should most likely aim to attend.

Lead generation isn’t all about lead capture

Now you might think – why on earth is this related to a trade show?!

How to efficiently manage your trade show lead data

Don’t wait till after the expo

Help is here!

Discover the Values and Benefits of Upgrading and Optimising LinkedIn Profile