Converting New Contacts into Raving Fans
First impressions are everything. And the best form of marketing is converting new contacts into raving fans. If you aren’t familiar with raving fans, you can learn more in Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service. Essentially, Sheldon and Bowles explain how building a consistent, enjoyable customer experience—from the moment the person comes in contact with your business to whatever type of contact they become—is the best and most effective type of marketing you can do.
The goal of the exceptional experience is to create raving fans who spread the word about your business in the community and with their family and friends. When several people receive the same, consistent, enjoyable experience, they trust you and share it and build a groundswell of awareness with others. This is your competitive edge and best form of marketing.
To make this happen, you will want to employ two techniques: Process Use and Role Play. The creation and use of a documented process will delegate tasks to staff, ensure no ball is dropped, and provide a trust-worthy, predictable experience. Once the process is created, pretend you are a new contact, reach out to your firm via all the methods provided (email, scheduled call, online form), and experience the communication volley and process. Provide feedback to your team, make any improvements to the process, and then share the process with the firm. Adopting the Process Use and Role Play techniques will ensure you are making the best effort to create raving fans.
Benefits
There are many wins achieved by tracking a new contact properly. Here are just a few:
- Save money on marketing
- Keep your pipeline full of potential clients and referral sources
- Build a trustworthy reputation and brand in the community
- Grow with less effort
- Continuously uncover improvements to your customer interactions
Exercise
If you seek a New Contact process, download the Excel template below. If you use Redtail CRM, download the Redtail Workflow form and we will add the workflow template to your Redtail.
Reflect and Prioritize
New contacts become raving fans if they have a great experience and can articulate your trust-worthy process with others. While “having clients” supports your income, having raving fans promotes your brand and helps to continually expand your client base while reducing marketing costs.
Please remember to add any new epiphanies and ideas to your Master Plan of Ideas and Initiatives.