In today's episode of the IT Provider Network, I want to talk about one of our most important assets and one that is often neglected.

I would bet that many of you are like me in your business, you sell hardware and software to your clients when they have needs.   They call or write to you when they have a new user and need a new computer.  You might even have your VCIO call on them to drum up hardware refreshes or new technology initiatives but I’ll bet that you can’t tell me all your clients know about all your offerings.

Today I want to talk about some ways that you can market to and capitalize on our greatest assets – our clients.
Your Best Prospects Are Your Existing Clients
Your best prospects are your existing client.  If you have been marketing only to cold or warm prospects then you are missing a big segment of buyers that are already buying from you.

Take some of your marketing efforts and work on reselling, upselling and cross-selling into your existing client base.

I know that I have not done a great job having a formal, consistent marketing plan for our installed base.   I just realized that not only do our clients not know about all of our offerings but all of our team members don’t either!

Heres some new strategies to try get your hands around this often overlooked segment of your business.

 
Try This
 

* Keep in Touch – It’s important to have regular communication with your clients, and I think it should be a multi-faceted approach to outreach. The owner, the sales team and the service team should all have regularly scheduled outreach to the base.   The medium for these touches can and probably should be varied.   For example, the VCIO might send out a monthly email,  The service manager might have a quarterly call with the power users and the owner to owner communications might be face to face meetings or a lunch along with regular calls or letters.
* Reassure Them on their Purchases – Every time a client purchases something from you, follow up with them after the purchase to reassure them of the purchase. This is also a great time to make sure there are service related issues.    If your terms are Net 30 make this call about 15 days in to make sure the client is happy and the product or service you delivered and the invoice is top of mind.
* Give your Clients the Best Deals – Doesn’t make you crazy when you hear your cable TV provider offering great new customer deals on TV. Doesn’t it make you question why they don’t value your business,  you know the customer that has been with them for 5 years?   Well, your clients feel this way too.
* Let them have it First - Extend your best offers to your existing clients and do it before you announce it to the world.  People want to be valued and they always want to be let in on a secret or a private sale.
* Remember the Golden Rule – Always work to build rapport and continued trust with your base. This is where some of the multi-faceted communication can come into play.     Remember people do business with people they know and trust.  If you want some tips on building rapport I recommend you listen to Building Rapport with Employees, Prospects and Customers – ITPN-EP003

 
Be Real and Consistent
 

Be real and consistent and start doing this right after the sale.   As part of your onboarding procedure make sure you include a follow-up to their first purchase

 

* Make sure you thank them for the purchase
* Re-affirm the value of your company
* Reassure them that signing up for your service was the right move,