How to Find Clients & Keep Them - Terry August

How to Get Clients and Keep Them

Terry AugustFancifull Fine Food and Baskets

Hollywood, CA

Accentuate the Positive

• You've got to accentuate the positiveEliminate the negativeLatch on to the affirmativeDon't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximumBring gloom down to the minimumHave faith or pandemoniumLiable to walk upon the scene

Barbara CorcoranCorcoran Realty, Shark Tank

• Good salesmanship is never anything more than playing up the positives and minimizing the negatives, and if you can find a unique gimmick, it will give you a huge leg up over your competitors.

• Gimmick: Clever Feature or idea, esp. one that is used to attract attention

What is your Positive?

• What do you do that makes you stand out?

• Do you have a specialty? A Niche?• What can you offer that

1800GiftBaskets can’t?• What can you offer to make a client

buy from you?• What is it that your clients are

looking for?

Gathering Data/Data is Power

• Know what your clients and potential clients buy, how they buy and when. What industries are they in?

• Clients should recognize themselves in your website and your promotional materials meaning: it must communicate to your client.

• It is all about effective communication

The Fastworx Program

Allows you to find:•How this client found you•What Industry does she work in?•What kind of baskets this Industry buys•What clients say on their gift cards: gives us vital information as to what they buy and why

To pinpoint where to spend any promotional dollars you must know who to promote to and what to sell and what to say

Gathering Data to be Effective

• Do different promotional pieces to different industries – both email and postcards

• Look at segments that have bought from us and then go after new companies or departments.

• What my clients buy, what they spend, for what occasions?

• Why do they buy from you?• What is important to them?

Sales is like fishing

• The more lines that you put out the more fish you catch

• Any promotional action is like a line out.

• The more you put out and the more effective you are- know where the fish are and what they like to eat- the more fish/clients you will get.

Nothing Will Work Unless You Do

Maya Angelou

• Mailings and Emails• Networking• Calls • Mixers • Classes• Fairs/Events• Social Media

Attracts Attention to You

Creates Interest

The more interesting you are The more money you make

Specifics!

• Don’t ask yes or no questions. Rather than:

• Are you sending gifts this year?• What are you doing for your clients to

thank them for their business?• Industry Clients:• What are doing to welcome your

talent when they arrive on set?

Finding Potential Clients

•Mixers and table tops: gather names in exchange for a chance to win a baskets•Industry Lists: target industries you want to get into, call and find the person in charge of gift giving, employee relations, client relations.•Networking groups- work them•Chambers: Be an active member so you really get to know people

Interesting to Interested

Promotional Pieces need to be Interesting to attract attentionWhen you are meeting people at social functions you need to be interested. Ask questions, find out what they do, gather data – they will then be interested in youNo one likes a one way conversation that is just a sales pitch

Alliances

• Cross-promote through partnerships with other businesses targeting the same customers, but with a complimentary products

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Tips on Networking

If you go to BNI, Le Tip, or any of the many business networking groups:

Specifics!! Ask for a particular person you want to meet, a company you want to get into.Does anyone know the Jim Smith who is in charge of gifts for the Four Seasons?

They don’t know your business: who buys baskets and for what. Your job is to tell them.

Getting Press

• What are you doing that is interesting?

You are an expert in the field

Let the press know via phone calls and press releases

There are websites that will get your message out. Put it up on Linkedin and other pages.

80 percent of your Business comes from 20 percent of

your clients

Retaining ClientsMake staying in touch easy and

delightful • Welcome letter after first order and

discount on next order• Tagging on Social Media• Referral program• Events at our shop• Complete Customer History, makes

ordering easy• Promote within the basket

In Sales, A referral is the key to the door of resistance

Bo Bennet

• Ask for a referral! A client within the company can get you into another department. They won’t think of it themselves.

• Develop a program to reward people for sending you referrals

• Yelp sends clients our way daily

End of Year Tasting

• Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says,” Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.

• Mary Kay Ash