Duct Tape Marketing

Write this on the wall somewhere in your office.

Any time that any person in your organization has any form of contact with your clients or prospects, they are performing a marketing function.

Marketing does not end at advertising and sales like so many small businesses assume. No, marketing is also in the way that you answer the phone, send out your invoices, return your calls, and serve the ongoing
needs of your clients.

In fact, the little things that you do after the sale can have the biggest impact, long-term, in establishing how your firm is different.

Give this some thought.

Design some very basic systems and procedures that help you over deliver. Surprise your clients with something they weren’t expecting. Send them bonus products or add something for free.

Create reasons to check-up on them systematically. You may even find that doing this is a great way to generate additional or repeat sales.

And whatever you do, find and hire people who have an inherent nature to serve. Some people just provide better customer service because they don’t know how to do anything else.

I recently checked into a hotel in a busy tourist spot and jumped at the only room available, even though it was a smoking room.

Sensing my disappointment, the hotel employee bolted to her office and came back with 5 different fragrances of air freshener. I didn’t ask, she just did it. Now, that was a good start, but, about 10 minutes after I retreated to my room, the phone rang, and on the other end was the hotel employee wanting to make sure that the room was going to be okay.

You know what, after that the room didn’t smell so bad. Now, I don’t know if that was standard hotel policy, or if this was an individual who simply had the need to serve, but either way, a marketing function was performed…heck, right now I’m referring business to the Fairfield Inn in Boulder, CO…see what I mean?