on target group coaching for painting contractors august 7, 2014
TRANSCRIPT
On Target Group Coaching for
Painting Contractors
August 7, 2014
Group Discussion/Check In
Creating a Customer
Communications Plan
On Target Group Coaching
The Gold in Your Database
Steps to developing and implementing a CRM strategy
Creating a communications plan for staying in touch with your customers, prospects and referral partners
What is CRM? CRM = Customer Relationship
Management Its about:
Knowing your customers, and Using that knowledge to form profitable
relationships Systems & Technology help us do that:
CRM software applications Customer Communications Plans using
multi-media
CRM Is A Strategy Systems:
Collect information and segment customers to know their needs
Collaborate with them to plan and create new value,
Technology: Integrate the customer's various touch points with
the business Develop a single, real-time view of each customer Know what to offer customers/customer groups and
when they will be ready to buy it People
Train for customer-centric service
Keeping Customers Can be Challenging Customer behavior can shift rapidly as
markets create new purchase opportunities and alternative means of obtaining satisfaction
Value propositions have changed significantly as competition across all markets has increased
Customer loyalty relationships are vulnerable when a competitor offers a better solution
Customer Driven CRM What will this
customer/customer group buy? When do they buy it? What will encourage them to
buy it? How much will they pay for it? What creates value for them,
and if we create this value will this increase their loyalty to us?
Getting The Answers Not all your customers have the same
needs but to be able to establish the different sorts you need information
It makes sense to build up a profile of your customers and group them according to their different requirements because this will give you a good idea of how likely they are to purchase what you are offering
And The Benefits Are.... The benefits of a CRM strategy can be substantial:
Increased sales to new and existing customers through better timing, identifying needs more effectively and cross selling of other products
More effective marketing communications using a more personal approach
The development of new/improved products/services
All of which result in the payoff of: Enhanced customer satisfaction and retention Increased value from your existing customers - and
reduced cost-to-serve them
Creating Your Own CRM System Collecting information about your
customers Creating a customer information
database Providing a way to access the
information Analyzing the customer data, and Using the information to meet customer
needs; market more effectively; and enhance the customer experience
Collecting Information About Customers Look at your entire business to establish
what customer data already resides where
Don’t leave any source out of consideration. They all contain customer information, often on the same customer for different aspects of their dealings with you that might later be useful to profile their value to you and determine their needs.
What Information Do You Need? To segment customers and build a picture of what
might appeal to them you need more than just contact details:
Responses to campaigns
Sales and purchase data
Account information
Complaints record
Web registration data
Service and support records
Demographic data: age, occupation etc.
Selling B2B? Selling B2B requires collecting information about your
business customers – firmographics:
What industry sector they are in
Public or private
Size of company
How they buy from you and the size and frequency of their purchase
Also rate how valuable they are to your business
All this information gives an idea of who are your best and worst customers, and what they buy from you
Create A Customer Information Database Centralize your information by bringing
it together in a database of some sort Standardize your information by making
sure you have a consistent way of recording it
Keep it centralized as a database so other team members can access it and be up to date on that customer
What Sort Of Database Do I Need? Consider:
Number of customers and amount/types of data you want to collect – and the possibility of scaling up in the future
Your budget Your in house expertise The need or the benefit of integration
with other business systems
Analyzing Customer Data Data mining can now start to give some
really useful information about your customers to: Develop targeted marketing campaigns Sales offers Identify trends in product likes and
dislikes Develop new services for the customer
Result - increased customer loyalty
Using The Information It’s five to seven times more expensive to acquire a
new customer than to retain an old one Do more business with your current customer Use customer data productively to:
meeting your current customer’s needs, marketing more effectively to them, identifying cross selling and upselling opportunities
to them enhancing their experience in dealing with you
Improving Your Marketing
Typically, 80% of profits will come from just 20% of your customer base.
If you could identify that 20% and gain an understanding of what it is they like about your product or service, you can develop personalized marketing for them
With this knowledge of customers you can: Develop targeted marketing campaigns aimed at
your most profitable customers Cross sell and upsell to them Identify what marketing channels are most
successful
Enhancing The Level Of Service
Offer special services to specific segments
Offer improved service level
Offer new services
Marketing to your Customers Most under-utilized marketing Largest source of business For many small businesses, 65-70% of
business comes from Existing or Past Customers Referrals from Customers Referrals from quality Referral Partners Referrals from Business Networking
Your Customer Communications Plan
Start with Your Database Customer List Prospects Referral Partners
Tools to Manage Your Contact Data
CRM Software ACT! Goldmine Salesforce Microsoft Outlook Google Apps Sugar Zoho Microsoft Dynamics Custom Software Many, many others…
Other Tools QuickBooks Microsoft Excel Microsoft Access
Key to Success – Commitment!!! Keep Your Master Database Up to Date EVERYONE who handles customer information
must be committed to maintaining the database Auxiliary Lists in other software must be
updated from the Master Database Email Newsletter Software (Constant Contact, etc.) QuickBooks
Maintain Segmented Lists so you can reach out to a subset
Database Segments Define Groups
Customers Individual Customers Business Customers Your defined segments
Prospects Did a proposal Inquired about your services
Referral Partners Related businesses who have the best
opportunity to refer BNI Power Team Business Contacts
Classify Your Customers Classifying Your Customers
Characteristics Buying Patterns Interests Types of Services purchased When services were performed
Rate Your Customers Rating Your Customers
A - Best (Ideal) Customers B – Pretty Good/Average Customers C – Substandard (Upgradable?) D – There shouldn’t be any (Fire them)
Develop a Communications Plan – 1
Who Customers Prospects (Prior Proposals) Referral Partners
How Often Depends on the “Who” At least 4 times per year, probably no more
frequently than monthly When
Peak interest periods Slow business cycles Natural touch points (holidays, at the end of a job,
at “X” period following a job)
Develop a Communications Plan – 2
Media – What’s best for your “who” lists? Direct Mail (Postcards, brochures, flyers) Letters Newsletters (Print or Electronic) E-blasts (Specific Purpose – Special Offer) Greeting Cards Telephone Calls In Person Meetings (lunch, coffee) Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter)
Variety – Mix up media Reach more people where or how they like to participate Manage costs with less expensive media
Develop a Communications Plan – 3 Cost
Review Annual Budget If needed, time larger expenditures to projected cash
flow Choose marketing media that fits your budget Refine Monthly Budgets to reflect marketing plan costs
Action Steps Set Action Plan so you can deploy communications on
schedule Keep Marketing and Keep Your Brand Alive!
Develop a Communications Plan – 4 What do I say?
Relevant information to customer’s needs/wants Highlight timely services Provide value (Educate, Inform, Inspire, Entertain) Offer specials Ask for referrals Call to Action
How do I say it? Be customer centric – make it about them Be yourself, use your own voice
Email Marketing Use a Email Marketing Service
Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Chamber Zoom, Aweber, Get Response, I Contact etc.
Share Value – Don’t just sell Be Consistent – Monthly, Twice a month,
Weekly Use Great Headlines Remember WIIFM Build your list
In Summary CRM really comes down to this – it’s a way to store
the sort of information that adds value for your customers when they do business with you
It needs to be supported by a team trained in a customer-centric approach
You must be committed to the process With a solid CRM system, you can create a customer
communications plan that’s easy to implement When you communicate with your customers you get
more business!
Create or refine your client list Write out a simple plan for when you will
communicate with your customers and what message you plan to convey
Test drive an email marketing system I suggest free trial for Constant Contact, Mail
Chimp or try Chamber Zoom if you are a Chamber member
Upload your list to email marketing system Create an email & get feedback from Linnea and
group members Send your first customer communication email Review Tools on Group Coaching website
Implementation steps
35