Personal Connection
Making a personal connection can ensure great marketing possibilities. Whatever business you're in, it all boils down to one factor: how well you know your customers.
No matter how slick your website, how well thought out your social media strategy or how outstanding your product or service is, if you aren't serving up what your customers want, when they want it, then you aren't going to succeed.
The best businesses do well because they have worked hard to forge a real connection with their customers. They have learned to anticipate what they will need so they're always one step ahead.
Using myriad channels, from getting out and meeting customers in person at events, to carrying out social listening or focus groups, even through to investing in a software like Spiro sales automation CRM.
It uses machine learning and big data to paint a more accurate and dynamic portrait of your customers. Hence, being good at this is something you should never stop striving for or learning about.
The best businesses do well because they have worked hard to forge a real connection with their customers. #businesstips Click To TweetFind A New Role Model
As start-up businesses, we are used to looking up to the blue-chip players or the disruptive start-ups in our industry. But it's not Apple or Lyft we should be modelling ourselves after.
No, it turns out the best business role models tend to be a lot closer to home - quite literally. The neighborhood corner shop may not be glamorous. But it's to this kind of family-run micro-enterprise that we should be looking to for inspiration.
The cornerstone of their business is personal service for each and every customer. They don't have giant advertising budgets or fancy technology. Hence, they achieve success through the giving the ultimate personal touch to a small group of repeat customers.
If you think about it, it's quite funny that in this digital day and age, the cutting edge of customer service should come from the kind of business which hasn't fundamentally changed in centuries.
The key is to log those little details about your customer and weave them into the purchasing experience. Whether your company is small enough to do that by hand, or whether you get some help from a killer CRM system is up to you.
The principle is that in a world driven by algorithms and contactless transactions, people really do value being made to feel a little important.
And with social media acting as the new village square, the great feedback this tends to generate gets amplified with digital word-of-mouth .
The principle is that in a world driven by algorithms and contactless transactions, people really do value being made to feel a little important. #marketingtips Click To TweetAlways Ask Questions to Make Personal Connection
Selling is no longer about the traditional soapbox mentality of preaching the features and benefits of what you do. Savvy consumers can see a slick marketing campaign or a well-rehearsed sales pitch a mile away.
Often they don't respond well to the lack of authenticity. Instead of going into a sales process, flip it round by prioritizing asking questions first.
Again, this can be digitally or in person. Take your time to fully understand the needs of who you are dealing with. The more relevant data you collect, the more you can tailor your offering.
Questions may be a little more work upfront, but this approach has a much higher hit rate than a blind pitch. It will also help with the holy grail of marketing - turning customers into brand advocates .
The value of repeat custom you are likely to get if you really make a connection with a prospect far outweighs the extra effort in getting to know them. And if it's not a match between the client and your product or service? Don't be too proud to recommend them to somewhere else.
They'll usually be so impressed with your honestly that they may just reciprocate by talking you up to someone else who will find a fit with what you do. I've seen this work wonders over the years. People love getting referrals and will likely refer you in the future. Don't overlook this! It will make you feel good too. 🙂
Hone Your Listening Skills
Just as important as asking the right question? Really listening to the response. In any situation where a prospect is giving you information about themselves or their business, it's very rude and insulting to make them feel ignored.
This even counts online. Don't make your customers hand over endless data and then fail to follow up. Or tell them how the new information will personalize your offer to them. We can avoid not listening - again, whether in person or online - but not pre-empting a response or failing to personalize subsequent communications.
If your follow-ups still aren't relevant when a customer has taken their time to give you information, then they are unlikely to give your business another chance.
Really, great personal service, even in the digital age, comes down to old-fashioned values like respect, honesty and authenticity. Be guided by those and you won't go far wrong and are sure to see the benefits pretty soon.
Sam Hurley sums it up creatively about personal connections with customers in his tweet below:
Don't Speed Date Your Customers! [#CX via PostFunnel] ➤➤➤➤ https://t.co/2KKAwMFxMc pic.twitter.com/Qy1KB8GWjA
- Sam Hurley 😎💻😎 💗 Kindness Enthusiast 💗 (@Sam___Hurley) April 6, 2019
Are you making a personal connection with your clients and potential clients today? I'd love to hear how you are doing this and what other tips you could add here in the comments below. ⇓
