Keep-InTouch.com

Filling a need can be a challenge, especially if you don’t know there is a need to fill.
Just because you have a good idea, if there is no need, there will be no demand.
If you know your customers, you can be there to fill their need, all you have to do is create value and gather information:

There is no way to accurately predict when someone is going to need what you have. However, there are some general theories that marketers use to target different segments, but they are based more on percentage and assumption. For instance, if someone fits a certain target marketing profile, we can predict with a certain accuracy things about them and buying habits. This is all based on statistics of commonality.

The more information you can get about your potential customer, the more likely it is that you can actually predict when your services will be needed. This is the problem with very general, direct marketing campaigns. There simply isn’t enough information to get much better than a 1 or 2 percent reply rate. More importantly, even with profile information, you may not know the motivation for the purchase.
An alternate approach is to have a strategy to market at the right time. How? Well, there is no way to predict who the potential customers are, because you don’t know when they will need what you have. So, the only logical way to get someone to think of you when the time is right is to make sure they think of you whenever it’s appropriate.

What I mean is, if you create enough value for them and remind them of the value you provide, they will remember you when it comes time for them to repurchase or order. Creating value makes them constantly aware that you exist! This is considered an indirect, non-sales approach. Consider the lawn care person who sends information regarding how watering too little in the summer can cause the grass to die, and too much in the winter is a waste of money. Each of these tidbits not only reminds me of my lawn person, but creates a relationship because they are providing good information and are letting me know they care. If they were constantly selling, they would give that impression and probably I would ask them to stop, and I would be another customer lost. They would also run the risk of losing any potential customer if they left the impression that my privacy is not important to them.

There is a definite difference between creating value and creating an uncomfortable experience. Your potential customers want to believe your relationship will be an enjoyable and rewarding. It’s the difference between a sales professional and a slick car dealer. While you may want to appear professional, the strategy has to fit to create value.

Creating a top of mind awareness has everything to do with making sales, but not selling. The focus of the communication is on building your relationship with the potential customer. Again, this goes to building more rapport, and keeping your prospect out of defense mode. When you want to build trust, don’t put yourself in a position of putting them on the defense.
In an environment of interruption marketing, people you are constantly being hit with advertising thousands of times per day and the defenses are always up. The winners in today’s marketing game make it a goal to have their prospects voluntarily drop their defenses and consider them as a trusted colleague who is there to help.

How can you adopt a strategy that works for you the same as it has thousands of other success professionals? Use the Keep-in Touch Strategy, by letting them know you are thinking of them, they will think of you. Send an occasional card or letter to make sure they don’t forget about you. Gather your customer data and make a birthday calling list. Call or send them a birthday card or appropriate holiday cards, just to let them know you were thinking about them. And you know what? That simple action will make them think of you.

Keeping your clients informed builds trust, if your company has things happening on a monthly or quarterly basis, send your clients an email newsletter. You aren’t going to get referrals unless the source trusts you. You aren’t going to gain trust unless you develop a relationship with that source. While there is no magic formula to predict when a purchasing decision will be made, with these techniques you can be sure to be on their minds when the time is right.