Effective Customer Inquiry Response Systems
If you own an internet based business then you no doubt get inquiries from potential customers from around the globe.
Inquiries can come via your online form, e-mail or even by telephone and fax and I’m sure you try to send information to each prospect as soon as possible. But when you have other duties to perform maybe there is still room for improvement. By acting swiftly it shows very good customer service and a hunger to satisfy the customer’s requirement efficiently, all of which increase the chances of winning the order.
Even after you’ve delivered that first bit of information to the potential customer, do you send him any further information and if so when? What systems do you have in place to follow up the initial response? If the answer is none then this is counterproductive and in fact you might as well have not even responded initially!
When you don’t follow that initial message with additional information later on, you let a valuable prospect slip from your grasp! This is a potential customer who may have been very interested in your products both in the short term and long term. The worth of a new customer is priceless as you never know where one sale will lead to. It could result in a bigger order next time, the new customer if satisfied would go away and tell ten other companies; and there in no better form of advertising than word of mouth.
Chasing initial leads is all part of time management and effective systems. In order to be effective you need to design your own ‘follow up’ system, and stick to it constantly. I will show you in more detail how to use your time effectively in other articles.
It’s important that you design certain stage templates for the initial letter, 2nd letter, 3rd letter and so on. Alternatively you could send the customer a newsletter after the initial first response. But what ever you do it’s important to log the date of when the information was sent and also the template or newsletter number/label.
Spend time designing your templates and get someone independent to check it over for you. Make sure on your first letter you list some features and then benefits of your products or services. Try to keep it to one page but make your first impression count!
The next couple of follow up messages should create a sense of urgency in your prospect’s mind. Make a special offer, giving him a reason to order NOW instead of waiting any longer. After reading these follow up messages, your prospect should want to order immediately!
Phrase each of your final 1 or 2 follow up messages in the form of a question. Ask your prospect why he hasn’t yet placed an order? Try to get him to actually respond. Ask if the price is too high, the product isn’t the right color or doesn’t have the right features, or if he is looking for something else entirely. (By this time, it’s unlikely that this person will order from you. However, his feedback can help you modify your follow up letters or products, so that other prospects will order from you).
In the very early stages gather as much information on the customer as possible, including phone numbers and email addresses. You can do this by directing the customers to an online form which you could create yourself within Google Docs, (I will show you how to create a simple form on Google Docs in another post). Try to keep the options to a minimum because the last thing you want to do is bore the customer with a tedious form entry task.
After you have fifty potential customers to mail shot; only then do you send out the relevant template letter or email. This is called ‘Bulk Send’ and is effective use of your time. To do a letter after each enquiry would be inefficient. If it takes you a month to build up fifty potential customers, ‘Bulk Send’ at a shorter figure. You need to keep your company name fresh in the customers mind and strike while the iron is hot.
Following up with each lead individually, multiple times, but at set intervals, and with pre-written messages, will dramatically increase sales! Others who use this same technique confirm that they have all at least doubled the sales of various products!
Following up effectively seems complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! So many potential customers are lost because of poor follow up. I now use an email marketing program called Aweber, which automates most of the above. Remember that my ultimate goal in life is to be ultra efficient, generate an automated passive income, and then maximize on life and this freed up time by experiencing everything life has to offer.
Most tasks in business, like handling inquiries can be automated. Manually responding to inquiries is a job for members The Rat Race and to be free from the race, automation is a major necessity!
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- Effective and Efficient Filing System
- Using The SMART Mnemonic To Help Set Goals
- Gain Control Of Your Email Inbox
- Effective Time Management System for Tasks
- How To Plan And Set Goals
Gain Control Of Your Email Inbox
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