The 11 Gold Mines In Your Customer List

1 Give Customers More of What They Want Go beyond the "Dear John Kopilak" salutation. Say you know John Kopilak's shoe size and preferred brand. You can send him a letter when new shoes in the preferred brand come in. Let him know that you've set aside a few size 9EEEs for him to choose from.





2 Find New Customers Like Your Best Customers

Are you doing a lot of business with 35 to 45 year-old men who drive American-made cars and live within 25 miles of your store? Rent a mailing list within 25 miles of your store? Rent a mailing list of other 35 to 45 year-old men who drive American-made cars and send them an offer.





3 Do More of What You Do Best

What sets you apart from your competitors? The answer might be found in your database. If you're a caterer, you might discover that you get a lot of breakfast party business from mid-sized service companies. Knowing this, you can rent a specialized mailing list of mid-sized service companies in your area and send them a mailing that features your breakfast parties.





4 Get Feedback

Out of sight is out of mind in business, too. Write customers to ask how they enjoyed the party you catered or the car you sold them. Simple letters like these help keep you top of mind and bring customers back.





5 Beat Competitors To The Punch

A clothing store can use its database to determine if it sells more camp clothes in late April than in May or Jun. With information like this, you can invite your best customers to private sales at these times, before your competitors run their sales.





6 See What Works

Do you want to know what people are buying? What price are they willing to pay? Maybe you want to try selling a new item. Send private offers through the mail to your best customers. Maybe attach a coupon. Then see how many customers bring in their coupons. If something works, repeat it.





7 Use Customer Feedback

Knowing your customer is just as important as knowing your product. Enter customer feedback into your database and see what you can learn. If you're a computer consultant, for instance, you might discover that complaints about one software program come mostly from people who also have another software program installed. Knowing that, you can address a possible compatibility problem and advise customers effectively.





8 Get More Bang For Your Advertising Buck

You may be advertising your sale in newspapers, radio or television. But when a customer gets a letter about sale items that specifically appeal to his or her tastes and needs, it's something special. It's a message that the sale is personally relevant. The customer appreciates the notice and spend accordingly.





9 Serve Your Customers Better

Customers are more than happy to help you help them. Ask people what they want and what they need and put the information into a database. Then use the information to better serve your customers. For instance, if you have a jewelry store, you can note when customers buy birthday or anniversary gifts. You can even ask people if there are any special occasions that they need to keep track of. Then, when an anniversary or birthday approaches, you can mail the customer a reminder. You can even offer to help pick out a gift.





10 Let Your Customers Know They Matter

Use the database to find things that your customers want and need, then contact them with the information. Anything from a private sale to a reminder that the car is due for a tune-up is a good customer service.





11 Reactivate Inactive Customers

If someone hasn't done business with you in a while, send the person a discount coupon. It reminds them of your business and may help spark a renewed business relationship.

The 11 Gold Mines In Your Customer List - To learn more about this author, visit Chris Bennett's Website.

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David Acheson David Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns.  David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website

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Chris Bennett Subscribe to Chris's articles (Visit Chris's Website) Chris Bennett started Grow A Company, Inc. (www.GrowACompany.com) in August 2006 with the idea to help companies market themselves more efficiently.  The idea has taken off and business has taken off for Chris and Grow A Company. Chris Bennett is a Bronze author on EvanCarmichael.com

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