"I have over 100,000 people on my mailing list." my lunch date said as we snarfed down the delicious fish tacos.  "That's awesome. How often do you engage with them?" I asked. The look I got was typical - the glare of a really angry chihuahua and the expression of a melancholy basset hound. She went on to ask what I meant and why it really mattered because she was "emailing the entire list about once a month." 

"Let's dig into that" I suggested and, with that, we were off creating a plan to properly get her engaging with her list.

"First, can we agree that someone looking to solve the problem that your service provides is looking for different information than the person that has decided to buy and now just needs to decide whether to buy from you or your competitor?" I asked.

"Yes, I think that would be true." my friend said. "Excellent." I went on. "And would a person that is just about ready to buy need different information than someone that has been using your service for a few weeks and has questions about what to do next?"

"Yes, they absolutely would. " was the reply.

"That is why we don't want to send the same message to the entire list. It's also why we must consider the cadence we use when engaging the different people on the list. So first, let's talk about the different conversations we need to have with those other segments of your list." I went on.  

"To begin, I want you to think about how YOU make your decisions to buy things." 

"When you decide to make a significant purchase what do you do? I'm guessing you're like most other people and me in that you decide to start investigating and fill out some form or make a call to request some information. This is how they captured your name, email and perhaps your phone number. Then, hopefully, they sent you the information you requested. They probably started engaging with you and all the other people that requested the information followed by more, and more, and more. Each time going deeper into the topic and how they deliver it so that you are not only comfortable making a decision but also showing that they are experts in their field.

Why do they do this? Because no one buys anything from someone they don't trust. Shining a spotlight on how it solves your problem, their quality, expertise, etc., builds your trust in doing business with them." 

"Now think of something you're currently looking at purchasing. When did you start researching and when do you plan to make your purchase?" I asked.

"Well, I'm cooking more at home because I want to eat healthier and I just started looking for an air fryer. I'll do some research on them over the next day or two and buy one this weekend." "Perfect,'' I replied. “So this is a product purchase, not a service but the process is the same. You started looking a few days ago but plan to buy it this weekend. That's 5 days. If your business was selling air fryers, how would the cadence of following up once a month work out for you?" I smiled as I asked the question. 

Continuing, I asked, "And, if the email you were sending out was a link to a video on some tips and tricks to clean meat residue off the racks, would it be information that you need right now to buy the air fryer?" 

"Nope. Definitely not," she replied, shaking her head side-to-side as she replied.

Engaging your list requires you to think about the person's "present moment". 

Here's how you do that… First, there are typically only a few different "moments" that they can be in. For example, we can often group people as:

•  Unaware. This is where the person may not even know that they have a problem that needs to be solved. An example might be a first time expectant parent that has never thought about a college fund for a new baby or a person that has a medical problem that could only be revealed by a blood test.
•  Problem Aware. The person knows they should start saving for their child's college but does not know what to do next or the doctor has given them the results of the blood test and though it's not "life-changing" the person needs to make some changes in order to have a long, healthy life.
•  Solution Aware. There are college saving programs that help you save money for your child's post-secondary education or you find out that you can treat your health problem with a drug regimen or changes to your food and diet. At this point, they are not aware of any specific details or benefits of any of the different options, only that there are many groups of options to choose from.
•  Product/Service Aware. At this stage, the person is considering YOUR product or service. They are researching to find out how your product or service compares to options from other vendors. They are also - and this is VERY important - weighing the option of doing nothing.
•  Most Aware. They have done their research and you are one of - and hopefully the preferred vendor/service - they are considering. There may be very little holding them from buying at this point and creating the right incentive would very likely get them to go forward.
•  Buyer/Fulfillment. They've made the decision to buy and have given you their credit card or purchase order. This is where most businesses handoff from sales to operations. As a side note, if a business is going to drop the ball, this is where it often happens.
•  Reviews, Referrals, and Repeat Sales. Reviews are essential for building trust while the prospect is in the Product/Service Aware stage. One of the key factors when I buy anything online is to look at the number of reviews and the number of "stars" for the product. Then I'll go and read the 1-star reviews and make a decision. So reviews, and especially responding to bad reviews, is critical. Referrals are THE best way to get new people into your sales pipeline. I don't know how many times I've been told "You have to go see the new Top Gun movie!! But go to the theater and watch it in IMAX because the air sequences are incredible" or "You have got to try out this new restaurant! Food and service are awesome". And, most times, I do because I trust the person that referred me. Then there are the repeat sales. Now some products and services are more difficult to arrange for repeat sales than others. I used to think that some businesses, like funeral homes, were impossible because dying is... well... kinda permanent. But that's a topic for another day. The reality is that EVERY business has an opportunity to make repeat sales.

My friend looked up at me as she snarfed another bite of her taco. "Kerrie Awn..." she mumbled with a mouthful of fish.

"By segregating, then engaging your list based on the ‘moment’, you not only deepen the relationships but you are also better able to make better decisions regarding the cadence. You're looking to buy an air fryer so if I was an appliance store owner, I could message you several times per day with a combination of display ads, a link to a Youtube video showing how well a certain model works, email you a few client testimonials, show some "buy now" offers on social media posts and perhaps even a coupon sent to them by SMS. When the marketing streams are done properly and made to work together like this, your chances of buying from my business are pretty high and in this scenario, it is completely appropriate."

"But, using an aggressive cadence like this ‘asking for referrals’ would cause the exact opposite effect of what you are trying to do with your past buyer telling you to ‘remove me from your marketing list and if you call me again I'll be suing you for harassment!’. Hardly the preferred result you were hoping for... Right?"

"I'm glad to hear that you do attempt to regularly reach out to your prospects, clients, and past buyers because hardly any business owners ever do any of this. But at least you are doing SOMETHING. Contrast that against most businesses I've encountered which do absolutely NOTHING. It's a shame because they are leaving SO much on the table. Every business owner knows that you have to follow up with leads to get them to buy. But they do not understand that you also must nurture relationships with your recent buyers, and continually reach out to past buyers asking them for reviews, requesting referrals and inviting them to come back and buy again."

My lunch date stared at me and said "This sounds like a LOT of work Rich."

"I agree. It is. And I'm just as guilty of this as the next person. For years when I had the powersports business, we only focused on people that would be buying a new boat THIS SUMMER. As a result, all of the leads we had for next summer got ignored. That led to a very awkward process of trying to re-engage with them as winter was about to start because who buys a boat in winter? And that was assuming we hadn't lost track of the lead... But imagine if we had been staying in touch the whole time. Now it's not awkward at all, it's just a continuing conversation."

"Rome wasn't built in a day. And revamping your follow-up program won't be either." I went on.

"The key is to START. And you start by thinking about WHO you need to talk to and WHAT they would like - or need - to hear. Then you start segregating and creating the content that your prospects and past clients need to move them towards patronizing your business - whether it’s the first time or the fortieth. Yes, it takes time but it's a truly worthwhile investment. Because when you do all this, profits soar and many times, workload DECREASES because:

•  Automation will do the lion's share of the work for you and...
•  You are only attracting and serving those people that are an ideal fit for your business.

Doesn't that seem like a better use of resources than what you are doing now?" I asked.

My friend looked across the table at me and replied "Yes. It does. How do I start?"

"Easy. Find a time that works for you on my calendar and figure out what needs to get done and figure out a budget. The appointment is on me so there's nothing to pay. Sound fair?" I asked.

"Yes, more than fair. At least let me buy lunch." she smiled.

If you would like have a discussion and see if we are the right fit to help you, Click HERE to book your Discovery Call.