Gaining new clientele is always a goal of business, but as slow as the economic recovery has been, this is a good time for salespeople to focus on their existing customers as means to impact their success.
But it should not be in the same old way. During this recovery, Jill Myrick, owner of Meeting to Win, a company that saves sales managers time while equipping their teams with business skills, said you need to treat your customers like new customers, because competitors are getting creative and aggressive, and existing relationships could be up for grabs—unless you treat your existing clients like new customers.”
A few of the suggestions she said salespeople should try include:
- Figuring out how your company can better service them. It could be as simple as making your billing statements clearer, or at the opposite end, responding better to customer service issues.
- Making sure they know all that you can do for them. “Think of 10 things your top customers may not know about your offering that can help them,” Myrick said. “Figure out how to share all your services without giving a sales pitch.”
- Being someone they can’t live without.
- Sincerely thanking them for their business. Even bring out the owner to thank them and show how valuable they are to your company.
“Competitors are gunning for your clients,” she concluded. “Treat your existing customers like the gold they are.”