There are two old adages in marketing that seem to be diametrically opposed to one another. Which one do you subscribe to?
- “Great sales cure all ills”.
- “The best way to kill a business is with a great marketing campaign.”
Unfortunately, I have worked for brands that believed the former and not the latter. When you think that great sales are the cure all, you probably are not going to focus what made your sales flatten out. Things like poor customer service, a below average website, being difficult to contact or not returning calls are some (but nowhere near all) of the things that prevent you from growing sales. Worst is that a person can do business with you once (maybe twice) and be turned off by one of the touchpoints I just mentioned.
This is typical however. When you are experiencing great sales or bringing in a lot of new clients, you should do the same thing that you probably look to do when things are not going so great – evaluate your systems to see if there is anything that is not working as best it could be. It may seem counterintuitive (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), but it is actually not. Reviewing your systems for taking in clients/customers and tweaking the customer journey is important in good and bad sales cycles.
Engage Your Clients
I have purchased custom orthotic inserts for years to help prevent knee pain that comes along with flat feet. My doctor has built a very good practice and is always busy. I get a new pair every year and we have a great time at least twice a year (when he fits me and when I pick them up). The last time I was in, he asked me if I would be interested in completing a survey that would take a few minutes. Not in a rush, I told him sure. His assistant explained that they were trying to improve their service offering and had a few questions that would help them get better. I was actually pleasantly surprised and it made it think. It also made me wonder if my Dentist, my Primary Care physician or Optometrist would be asking me those questions.
- What do we better than our competitors?
- What do our competitors do better than us?
- What keeps you coming back?
- What would you do if this was your business?
- Is it easy to do business with us (from intake to payment)?
- What would you change about us today?
When, in good times or bad you keep a singular focus on answering questions like the above, you are well on your way to keeping your eye on the big picture.
