Like most other businesses, particularly those that are independently operated and managed, it is vitally important to regularly follow up with your clients, both those that have bought from you already, as well as those whom you feel have the potential to become clients.
This follow up procedure is one which we cannot emphasise enough, and it is a process that will benefit you and your established, existing, or fledgling business, turnover and profit included. At Papillon, we are able to understand that you may love what you do, as well as believe in our fine products that you distribute to your clients, but the bottom line is money and income, derived from sales and profits.
The Basic Principles Behind Following Up
In modern societies, people – clients and customers – are allocated numbers, ID, bank account, telephone, tax, and employee numbers, but who wants to be just a number? People have an intrinsic need to be regarded as unique individual persons, each with his/her own wants, needs, likes, and dislikes. One wants to be seen, heard, appreciated, and made to feel special.
How can this be accomplished? It is essential to build a sound mutual, interpersonal relationship, and the key is regular, on-going, effective communication, and follow up with clients. The benefits are many. It’s one thing to make a once-off sale, but quite another to keep the customer loyal, generating repeat orders on an on-going basis.
Prioritise Following Up
Whether your Papillon distribution business is already well established, or you’re a newbie, just starting up, ensure that you introduce a practical, simple follow-up communication system into your business at once. It’ll soon become second nature to follow up with clients. Here are some tips below.
- Keep clients’ contact details current and easily accessible at all times.
- Get to know your customers – make notes of birthdays, births, and small things that matter to them. This demonstrates that you care about them as a unique person, and more than a money-generating buyer of your goods.
- Create a WhatsApp group (we recommend WhatsApp broadcast groups) to make it easy and inexpensive to communicate and keep clients updated with Papillon news, trends, special offers, order cut-off dates, and the likes. It’s also advisable that each customer has a Papillon perfume list.
- Use your Facebook account to share info from the Papillon Facebook account
- Your order book is a handy, accurate reference, and record of purchases. Use it to simplify the follow up procedure, and as a tool to establish which clients may be ready to re-order. Doing so demonstrates that you’re serious about your business and sincerely interested in their product needs.
- Ask for referrals. Word-of-mouth recommendations are far more effective than other means of obtaining new business prospects, and they don’t cost anything.
- When clients refer a new prospective customer to you, the referring person qualifies for a discount on their next Papillon order. Remind them of this.
- Upon receiving a referral, you should initiate contact with this person. Don’t rely on the prospective client contacting you. You should take the initiative.
- Never badger customers – just stay in contact, communicate sincerely, and follow up.
You’ll reap the benefits of a strong, loyal business relationship, repeat orders, and growing profits – more money in your pocket – and a huge amount of personal satisfaction that comes from knowing that you’ve done your job well and built a successful enterprise of your own.