The Importance of Good Follow Up Techniques with Prospective Clients and Customers

In both my career as an insurance agent and my present career as a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, a discount medical and dental benefits company, I have always been quite aware of the importance of following up with prospects and clients. As any good advertising professional will tell you, it takes a number of exposures to your marketing or advertising to make that sale no matter which industry you are in.

While we have all experienced those customers who are ready to buy as soon as we finish our presentation, and some clients will even buy directly from your website without even calling your 800 number or requesting more information via e-mail, chances are that these customers have already done their homework, have a need that your product, service or opportunity satisfies, and are ready to buy when they come across your advertising or website. There is always the impulse buyer too, but in my experience they are the first to return the product or only use your service for a short period of time.

For most sales, people will want to think about it. Sometimes the timing is just not right. Perhaps they have some extra bills to pay, their life is too hectic at the moment, or there is even a family crisis going on. Your prospects may be ready in the future to make the purchase, but if you don’t keep your advertising in front of prospective customers, you will lose them as future customers when they are ready to try your product, service or opportunity.

Here are some tips for following up with your prospects:

1. Keep an accurate and up to date database of all your customers and prospects. You can even subdivide your database into various categories e.g. age group, income level, type of product purchased, etc.



2. Set up a system of drip mails or repeat promotional announcements to send to your prospects and customers. Do this in a tasteful and subtle way. Send a drip mail or announcement frequently enough to keep your name in front of the potential customer but not so often that your messages are annoying.



3. I make it a point to follow up until the prospect unsubscribes from my list or tells me they are no longer interested.



4. Purchase an auto responder. I use Constant Contact for my drip mailings and newsletters. You can easily create beautiful promotional mailings, announcements, and newsletters with this program. Be sure to use only opt-in leads with Constant Contact otherwise purchase a more general type of auto responder.



5. Have promotions from time to time. It is not surprising that people will make that purchase when the price is right.



6. An informative, content rich newsletter makes a good follow up piece to send out. Your prospect will appreciate the timely information and good content.



7. Remember to send out holiday cards, not just at Christmas and New Years, but for other important holidays as well.

For more marketing tips and ideas check out my website at: http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/.

Finding a Great Home Based Business

There are many reasons to make the decision to work from home. For many parents, it is the desire to spend more time with children and family. Even if you have the best quality child care available, there is no substitution for the love and care that you can provide as a parent. It is so rewarding to watch your child take those first few steps, speak those first words, and later on to be able to attend school events. For other people it is the flexibility of being in charge of your own schedule and earnings. For people with disabilities, the opportunity to work from home can allow you to be able to earn a living without the hindrance of commuting to a work place. And with today’s high gasoline prices, working from home makes more and more sense with the money that you will save by not having to commute.

Now that you have made the decision to work from home, how do you go about selecting a suitable and profitable home business? Here are some suggestions:

1) Telecommuting – You might already be working for a company and like your job. There are many jobs that can be done just as well from home such as bookkeeping and accounting, data entry, advertising, editing, and many others. Discuss with your manager the feasibility of being able to work from home for all or part of the work week.

2) Special knowledge and expertise – If you have special knowledge, experience, or talent, put this to work for you as you start a home based business. For example teachers can start a tutoring service. People talented and skilled in music, art or theater can give lessons out of their home or even start a small school or studio. If you are skilled in market research, accounting, advertising, human resources, website design, computer programming, or other business related areas, consider becoming a free lance consultant or starting your own advertising, accounting, internet marketing, or other business service.

3) Choose a service or product you are passionate about – When choosing a totally new business, be sure to choose something that you are truly passionate about. If you are passionate about ecology, choose a product or products that benefit the environment. As a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, the discount dental and medical benefits company, some of my best team members are those that are very passionate about wanting to help people save money on their health care.

4) Hobbies – If you have hobbies like making jewelry, sewing, writing, and various crafts, consider turning these into businesses.

5) Work at Home Jobs – While there are many legitimate work at home jobs, do investigate them thoroughly before signing up. Generally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of such schemes as envelope stuffing, mailing letters, and assembling products. In some cases they are just trying to get your money for the purchase of a kit, and then there is no real work behind this. From my own experience, filling out surveys is time consuming, and most turn out to be just contests. Filling out surveys is very unlikely to pay your bills.

As with any important decision, be sure to do your research when selecting a home based business. Read as much as you can about the company, and speak to people who have been successful in similar businesses. If you will be working for or representing a company, be sure to qualify this company. How long has the company been in business? What credentials does the company have? Are they members of any professional or industrial associations? In addition, learn all that you can about their products and services.

Successful Flea Markets and Outdoor Shows

Whether you are selling a product or service, exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can bring some extra sales revenue. If you are lucky enough to live in an area like Florida or Southern California, you can do this all year long. For those of us who don’t, take advantage of these nice weather months and see what exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can do for your business.

Even if you do your business from a brick and mortar storefront or sell your product through the internet or by having parties, exhibiting at a flea market can bring in some additional sales. Even if you sell a service, exhibiting at a flea market is a great way to meet prospective customers and get leads. For those of you who are just getting started in direct sales, you will find that interested prospects will actually walk up to you to request information about your product or service. If you do this on a weekly basis, it actually gives you an inexpensive storefront.

Here are some guidelines for a successful flea market or outdoor show:

1. Make your flea market stall as attractive as possible. You can use a holiday or seasonal theme to draw people over. Cover your table with a bright colored table cloth and invest in a banner displaying your company name and logo.

2. Invest in some large readable signs. Make sure that they are easy to read from a distance and weatherproof. You can use an easel to display your sign, but make sure that it is weighted down so that it doesn’t blow away. If you are offering great prices or deals, let people know about this through your signs.

3. Do have a canopy for sun and weather protection. Both you and your prospective customers will appreciate it. A canopy also adds to the look of your display.

4. Give attention to how you display your products. If you sell a product, an attractively arranged display will bring over customers. Bring some of your more popular items for sale, and have catalogs available so that customers can easily order your products. Be sure to have catalogs and literature that the prospective customer can take home.

5. Set up an attractive display of your brochures. If you provide a service, have plenty of information available for customers to read. Display your brochures in nice holders and arrange them attractively on your table or counter. Also, have your business card available.

6. Have a system for capturing leads. Have lead sheets or cards available for your prospects and customers to fill in. Offer a free gift or DVD when they fill out the card. You can also have a drawing for a prize to help gather leads. If you do hold a drawing, be sure to award the prize to someone visiting that day. Your good reputation is very important.

7. Bring a portable DVD player. Playing a DVD about your product, service, or opportunity will attract prospects and customers to your table or booth.

8. Follow up on all your leads. As they say, “the fortune is in the follow up.” Make it a point to follow up on all leads and you will be successful.

For more marketing tips check out http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/. Good luck on your flea market or outdoor show.