Back in August, our a/c went out in our house right in the middle of the summer. It got very uncomfortable fast in our house! I looked through my network but the only guy in know in the heating and air business was not available.
So, I ended up going online to Yelp (I don’t use the phone book) and called someone to fix it. It turned out to be bad blower and $450 later we had ac again. Yea!
This company did a mighty fine job and certainly no complains. However, they left a lot of money on the table. It’s not just HVAC. I see this all the time with countless local businesses both big and small.
What if, when I called to schedule the appointment, after we set the time but before I hung up, they asked me a simple question. The question is “Would you like to get our newsletter with tips on how save money by making your home more efficient? We send it out a couple times a month and we also include money saving coupons.”
Would I have said yes to that question? Yes!
Would many other people? Yes!
Would the people that don’t want the newsletter be offended by being asked? No!
Or how about this….
What if after I spent the $450, they had sent me a card thanking me for my business?
Or what if they asked for my birthday and sent me a birthday card? Would I be impressed then? Absolutely!
Would I tell my friends about them? Absolutely!
These things don’t have to be expensive. In fact, its some of the cheapest advertising you can do. The heating and air company that I dealt with has phone book, tv, radio, etc. I bet that they easily spend 4 figures a month on advertising.
Does sending a card or developing a newsletter take time and work to do? Yes it does! Is it worth it? Absolutely!
If you want to develop an online newsletter, there are several resources that you can use to help you.
In my opinion, anyone with a local business should have an account with Constant Contact or an equivalent autoresponder service. It’s simply too valuable in today’s marketplace. They should also have an account with a greeting card service like SendOutCards. Again, another valuable tool that is simply too important to ignore.
What if you simply don’t have the time or technical know how to get these services set up? No problem! Give me a call and I can do it for you. No more excuses…get your follow up system set up today!
Original source: Reprinted with permission from the Dayton SEO Services blog