Positively Pam

Archive for the ‘Relationship Marketing’ Category

What do you get in the mail?

When you get home at night what is waiting for you in the mailbox? Typically, if you’re like most people it is an endless stream of bills, flyers and impersonal “to resident” mail pieces that do nothing to make you feel good or excite you in any way. The whole experience of collecting the mail becomes an exercise in sorting over the blue box, with many pieces never being opened.

When was the last time you noticed a piece of mail with a real stamp addressed to you, that was not a bill? How did you feel? Was it the first or last piece you opened? Imagine someone sending you a note of appreciation for something you did. How would it feel if someone took the time to acknowledge something you did? What if the drycleaner sent you a note recognizing you as a preferred customer because you had been such a loyal client? What if the automotive shop appreciated you choosing them over the dealer down the street and took the time to acknowledge their appreciation of your business. Better yet what if someone reached out to you just to stay in touch because they cared and were thinking of you?

Who could you take a minute to acknowledge, in order to give them the same great feeling you just experienced?

What impact could you have if you took just a few minutes every day to make sure someone else received a gift in the mail?

You can make going to the mailbox something to look forward to  for everybody important to you!

Contact me at pam@pamjford.com with your stories of how you made someone else’s day by making it fun to get the mail again!

Who do you do business with?

Coming from the highly competitive investment banking industry I understand the value of a strong client relationship. Today almost every product and service has a generic quality that can easily be replaced or duplicated by someone else. What differentiates you and your service? Why do people choose you over your competition?

I myself do business with people I know, like and trust. People who make me feel special beyond the sale. Recently I have become more aware of the people who are grateful for the business I have given them and who acknowledge me in some meaningful way. You can be sure referrals are coming your way if I have had a positive customer experience with you or your company.

How are you ensuring your customers feel the relationship you have with them is valued more than the sale.  Did you know 62% of customers leave due to perceived indifference? You don’t even have to do something wrong, but if you are not top of mind the next time they need your service you have lost them. It is common knowledge that it takes more time and money to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one.

Tim Templeton wrote a great book “The Referral of a Lifetime” that talks to the kind of well thought out system everyone needs to have in place to ensure customers and referral partners are treated like gold.

I encourage you to read it and share your thoughts with me.

You can reach me at pam@pamjford.com

Is there value in a smile?

My clients often ask me how they can generate more leads and quality referrals from their existing client base. Instead of asking for the referral I suggest earning it! The very first thing I recommend is that you send out a note of heartfelt appreciation at least once every year to everyone you have done business with. I think a wonderful way to start a New Year is to appreciate those who contributed to your success the previous year. The next thing I recommend is regular contact, whether monthly, quarterly, or semi – annually, your business will dictate the frequency. But here’s the catch, not to promote your business, rather to make your client smile! There is great value in a card or note that makes someone smile or better yet laugh out loud. You can stay top of mind and make someone else’s day just a little bit brighter with just a little creativity.

This is something that is so easily done and so inexpensive and yet so meaningful. I challenge you to think about what would make your particular clients smile, keep you top of mind and bring a little laughter to the world.

If you want to brainstorm some creative ideas you can contact me at pam@pamjford.com