The document discusses strategies for referral marketing. It suggests targeting the neighbors of existing customers to gain new clients in a personalized way. Specifically, it recommends:
1) Reaching out to the neighbors of top customers by accessing basic contact information like name, address and zip code.
2) Crafting personalized, relevant messages that highlight value and make it easy for neighbors to engage.
3) Following up initial messages with a phone call to introduce yourself and potentially set up an appointment.
4) Tracking results to determine the most effective marketing approaches and focusing future efforts there. The key is targeting the right audiences repeatedly with strategic, niche-focused marketing rather than broad shotgun approaches.
2. Session Framework
Jim Eggleston
President & CEO
Cole Information
Lora Ullerich
Digital Media Specialist
Lora.Ullerich@coleinformation.com
3. Session Framework
•Common herd building opportunities.
•Critical questions to ask.
•Best practice approach and offer examples.
•Five action points to start on today.
4. Then and Now
•Cole Directory
•Published in 1947
•“Blue Book”
•Crisscross directory of addresses and phone
numbers.
•Invaluable information for a number of
industries:
•Telemarketing
•Debt collection
•Law enforcement
•Today, web-based lead generation for
business.
7. You’re a Winner!
•You’re committed to:
•Growing your business.
•Understanding marketing best practices.
•Investing in an affordable
and successful marketing
solutions.
•Connecting with your
niche customers.
9. Triggers
•Insurance agents:
•Expiring homeowner policy
•Policy claim/resolution
• Life stages
•Entrepreneurs/home services:
•Working with a client/reach out to neighbors
10. Just Listed/Sold
•Real Estate agents:
•Let the neighbors sell for you.
•Find new listings, right next door.
•Retail and home service providers:
•41.5 million movers in 2010.*
•Home-related spending $9,400.
•Décor
•Appliances
•Remodel
*http://about.usps.com/who-we-are
11. Referrals
• Typically happens organically.
• Go from organic to strategic & purposeful.
• Consider your 10 best customers:
• What’s their age?
• Where do they live?
• What’s their annual income?
• What’s their home worth?
12. Referrals
Wouldn’t it be great to reach
out to more of these “best
customers” when they’re
most receptive to you?
17. Referral Marketing
• Reach out to the neighbors of your 10 best
customers.
• Simply know these critical facts:
• Last name
• House number
• Zip code
19. Referrals
• Spend 15 minutes:
– Come up with approaches & offers
– Write down a script
• Considerations:
– Time of year?
20. Make it Personal
Average household receives 2 mail pieces per day
•Tailor it to specific individual.
•Make it relevant to their life.
•Pay attention to their needs!
Flickr via makeshiftlove
29. Follow with a Call
•Introduction:
•Be clear
–“Hi I’m Lora Ullerich,
your local agent/service provider…”
•Stress local
–Differentiates you from those
UNKNOWN callers.
30. Approach
Approach:
“I just wrote a new policy for Bob Smith and
was able to save him a bunch of money on his
homeowners insurance.”
Alternate:
“Bob Smith is a good customer of mine and
gave me your name.”
“Your neighbor, Bob Smith, recommended that
I call...”
31. Offer
Offer:
•“I would like an opportunity to quote on your
homeowners insurance to see if I’m able to
save you money like I was able to for Bob?”
•“Could I set an appointment to stop buy and
prepare a quote for your homeowners
insurance?”
•“Is there a better time I can call and ask
questions to prepare a quote on your
insurance?”
34. Marketing
• If you:
• Don’t do your homework.
• Don’t know which approach and offer works best.
• Buy a list, pick a postcard with a pretty picture and
mail it to everyone.
You’ll fail every time.
35. Marketing
Shot-Gun Marketing
Approach Response
• Pick out a pretty postcard.
• Create a generic offer.
• Mail it to several hundred
people one time.
• ROI= [Revenue Generated-
initial investment/initial
investment) x 100
• ROI = -32%
36. Marketing
Response Niche-Marketing Approach
• Have an effective postcard
with a specific approach.
• Mail it to a couple dozen
people who fit your
demographics three times.
• Get several responses.
• Follow up with a phone call.
• Track and measure.
• ROI = 1309%
38. 5 Action Points
•Pull your 10 best customers.
•Download a list to reach out to more.
•Figure out the offer, event, etc. to reach out to them per
the triggers in their life.
•Track and measure.
•What’s working? What’s not? Do more of what’s working.
Hello & thanks for joining us for Cole Information’s Small Business Marketing webinar: Clone Your Herd. You know the type: the customer who calls or comes in weekly, always has questions and seeks you out for advice. They're loyal, a rich referral source and have come to be a good friend. Plus, they use your product/service exclusively! Wouldn't it be great to find more of these "best customers?" You can and we'll show you how during this Small Business Marketing 101 webinar. Cole Information's President and CEO Jim Eggleston joins us to enlighten us on the critical steps you need to take to clone your best customers. During the half-hour webinar, he'll discuss the necessary questions to ask, the timing involved and the processes that need to be in place to clone your herd. In addition, one lucky attendee will win a $50 Amazon gift card. But hurry, spots are limited. Reserve your seat today!
Small Business Marketing 101 webinar series Thanks for joining us. My name is Lora, I’m the digital media specialist for Cole Information. Today I’m happy to have Jim Eggleston on the webinar—he’s the president & CEO of Cole, so thanks for joining us. Jim, you have more than 2 decades of marketing and sales experience in the small business arena, tell us a little about yourself.
Discuss today's session: Today we’re talking about finding customers who are just like your best customers. we will show you tried & true tactics on how to reach out them when they’re most likely to want to hear your message. We’ll tell you: Clues to look for in your current customers—there are two herd mentality clues… People who cluster together due to demographics People who are going through similar life events. Ways to move referrals from organic to purposeful and the critical questions you need to ask! You’re going to want to write these down! Approaches & offers that work! Close it up with 5 action points to get you started today. Some housekeeping items for you, I do value your feedback & questions—so if you have a question/comment, please use the dashboard located on the right hand side of your screen and type your question/comment in the applicable area. We are recording today’s session and it will be availbale to you via email in about 24 hours. And one lucky attendee to today’s small biz webinar will walk away with a $50 Amazon GC at the end of today’s webinar so stay tuned for the opportunity to win that.
We also have a an online community called Cole Community, where with articles, a blog & other content including past webinars we think is interesting & is beneficial to small business owners like yourself. We invite you to take a look around, check out the site & use it as a resource for your needs.
We also have a an online community called Cole Community, where with articles, a blog & other content including past webinars we think is interesting & is beneficial to small business owners like yourself. We invite you to take a look around, check out the site & use it as a resource for your needs.
Cole Community features articles, a blog & other content including past webinars we think is interesting & is beneficial to small business owners like yourself. Best of all, it’s FREE! We invite you to take a look around, check out the site & use it as a resource for your needs.
Congratulations for being here! You’re committed to: Growing your business Understanding best practices Investing in an affordable marketing solution that’s going to get you where you need to be Connect you with customers who best fit niche.
It starts with timing. It’s everything. It’s the difference between success & failure in direct marketing and small business. If you can reach out to your prospects when they’re most likely to need you, be receptive to your message, you’ll be success. Otherwise you’ll fail. If you don’t, you may randomly find some new customers, but ultimately your marketing program won’t be sustainable. So how do you know the right time?
Triggers provide clues to when the time is right. For example. Area weather related events For insurance agents, if a storm just blew over, maybe it’s a good opportunity to see if it affected any of your customers? It may be a good idea to give them a call & check in…a new possible claim check. Home service: new roof/damage, fallen tree check Life events—birthday’s Jim It’s your b-day month…how do you feel when you hear from folks like your favorite store, insurance/real estate agent, etc. ? Be sure to acknowledge it It keeps your name/agency/company top of mind It’s ac
Another trigger for real estate agents & this is huge….the just listed/sold sign in the front yard. According to the United States Postal Service: in 2010 alone, they processed 41.5 million address changes! What does that mean for you? Plenty! On average, the new homeowner spend more than $9,400 on things for things such as décor, furnishings & appliances. According to the president of a Chicago-based solutions firm, new movers spending more money in the first three month residences than most people do in 3-5 years. That was the case for me, I had to buy all new appliances, new blinds, landscaping, etc. This gives you a small window of time to be the first in the door to introduce these folks to the neighborhood, welcome then & give them a reason to do business with you. Real estate agent: check in to see if they need advice/recommendation on who to go to What about the time of year—in term of seasons (heating/air check, routine checks) or holidays
First, let’s take a look at referrals. These are your current customers. We’ve just discussed reasons to call them to initiate a conversation. Think of your ten best customers. These are the people who you know by name, they are constantly coming in, asking you questions, otherwise engaging with you on a regular basis. As your self the following four critical questions: (You’re going to want to write these down) What’s their age? Where do they live? What’s their annual income? What’s their home worth?
If you want to make memories, another vital component of any tailgating party is who’s invited are these people fun & engaging? Or are they serious, reserved and don’t even like football? Similarly, every campaign has a certain audience, neighborhood or demographic target. The message needs to speak to them and also be in the medium where they’re at. In other words, if you’re targeting your message to women, new research suggests more women spend their time on social networking sites like Pinterest & FB, than men. Are you promoting your product/service on sites like those?
If you want to make memories, another vital component of any tailgating party is who’s invited are these people fun & engaging? Or are they serious, reserved and don’t even like football? Similarly, every campaign has a certain audience, neighborhood or demographic target. The message needs to speak to them and also be in the medium where they’re at. In other words, if you’re targeting your message to women, new research suggests more women spend their time on social networking sites like Pinterest & FB, than men. Are you promoting your product/service on sites like those?
Thinking back to triggers, when they’re most receptive to you. You can w/ CL & it’s as easy as 1-2-3. Out customer cloning feature allows you to plug in contact information of at least 3 of your best customers.
Start with at least of your best customers. Plug in their: Last name House number Zip code Of our system Then simply preview the details, feel free to add to your herd with additional demographics, determine where you want to find these clones & then search again & within seconds you’ve got new customers to reach out to these clones of your current best customers.
Start with at least of your best customers. Plug in their: Last name House number Zip code Of our system Then simply preview the details, feel free to add to your herd with additional demographics, determine where you want to find these clones & then search again & within seconds you’ve got new customers to reach out to these clones of your current best customers.
First, let’s take a look at referrals. These are your current customers. We’ve just discussed reasons to call them to initiate a conversation. Think of your ten best customers. These are the people who you know by name, they are constantly coming in, asking you questions, otherwise engaging with you on a regular basis. Again know these critical questions: (You’re going to want to write these down) What’s their last name? What’s their house number? What’s their zip code?
Before you pick up the phone, stop!
Once you’ve got some names and numbers of referrals, spend 15 minutes & write down all of the approaches & offers you can think of and be sure you right down a script so you have an idea of what you’re going to say. Things to consider in your script: what time of year is it—New baby? Back to school? Teen-age driver?
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
A great example of making it personal and also timely is this example I recently got from my insurance agent.this postcard camein the mail the other day. It was one of two mail pieces I had received that particular day. My birthdy falls in october. So personal. It is also timely. It’s a trigger for my agent to reach out to me and look at the wording on the back. Its time to review your policy. Lets talk about additional life insurance options. He knows my age, knows whereim at in my life and knows im thinking the same thing. This is effectiveand a great example of being personal and also timely. This can help make your campaign sizzle.
A great example of making it personal and also timely is this example I recently got from my insurance agent.this postcard camein the mail the other day. It was one of two mail pieces I had received that particular day. My birthdy falls in october. So personal. It is also timely. It’s a trigger for my agent to reach out to me and look at the wording on the back. Its time to review your policy. Lets talk about additional life insurance options. He knows my age, knows whereim at in my life and knows im thinking the same thing. This is effectiveand a great example of being personal and also timely. This can help make your campaign sizzle.
Create the dream
Now that you have their attention, reach out them on a timely basis with postcards—which continue to be 80% effective and it also keeps you top of mind Telemarketing—follow up from postcard-did you get my postcard, are you interested in buying/selling your home Enewsletters—let me capture your information on industry news, home sales in the neighborhood and seasonal or decorating information tips /ideas.
Create the dream
Create the dream
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
Tom Foti, manager of Direct Mail and Periodicals at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), recently said in a statement that an "average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day" and that most people are excited by receiving something. This means that business owners who use direct mailing lists are likely to have more success grabbing consumers' attention when compared to other forms of advertisement. According to DirectMarketingIQ, in 2011, 38 percent of direct mail was personalized to establish a stronger connection with clients. If a company delivers information that has been tailored to a specific individual, region or demographic, it is more likely to attract attention. Businesses can use reviews of relevant products based on a consumer's buying history, or referrals from other clients, to create a specific advertisement. Even something as simple as including a free offer for regular customers may make a mailer feel more personal to a consumer. Clients want to know that companies are paying attention to their needs. Making a more personalized advertisement may be a more effective mailing list marketing strategy than sending out general information. This might be the budget-friendly solution for owners whose customers complain about not receiving service based on their interests.
Not so fast…. You’ll fail every time: You don’t do your homework You don’t know which approach & offer works the most effectively You buy a list, pick the prettiest postcard with a pretty picture & mail it to everyone.
Let’s say we’re going to mail 500 postcards. Each postcard cost $1.20 x 500 =600 (includes creative, printing, paper) Cost to mail presorted posted cards .28 x 500 = $140 Total initial investment cost is $740. let’s say you generated $500 so the calculation would be: $500 -740/740 x 100 =
So let’s take that same example….but instead of mailing it to 500…let’s say you mail it to 8 people. Each postcard cost $1.20 x 8 =$9.60 x 3 (includes creative, printing, paper) & you mail it out 3 different times at a cost of $28.80 Cost to mail presorted posted cards .28 x 24 = $6.72 $35.52 total investment You made one sale ($500) Let’s say you generated $500 so the calculation would be: $500 -$35.52/35.52 x 100 = 1309% Mail it 8 people $500
Pull your 10 best customers.—look at who they are, what their ages are, average incomes, types of neighborhoods they are. Download a list from ColeLists customer cloning tool & reach out to more. Based on the customer profile information, figure out the offer, event, etc. to reach out to them when they’re most receptive to you. Track and measure. Then honestly look and see. What’s working? What’s not? Do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.
Pull your 10 best customers.—look at who they are, what their ages are, average incomes, types of neighborhoods they are. Download a list from ColeLists customer cloning tool & reach out to more. Based on the customer profile information, figure out the offer, event, etc. to reach out to them when they’re most receptive to you. Track and measure. Then honestly look and see. What’s working? What’s not? Do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.