I should have phoned them, met them, and written to them before they called me about a need or a problem.
In his fine book, Promise of the Future, Duncan MacPherson tells me what I should have been doing. “One of the most efficient proactive techniques is a 90 Day Call Rotation. You initiate a call to each of your clients at least once every 90 days.” Calls initiated by clients don’t count.
If you’ve 400 clients, call 5 or 6 every day. Make this a a habit to protect your most valuable assets, your clients.
He tells of one financial advisor who after sending all his clients a questionnaire, received one back from one of his top revenue generators. It was blank except for this comment: “I’m thinking of moving my account. I never hear from you.”
The advisor was shocked. Today he faithfully adheres to the call rotation system, and has held onto that client.
But what do you talk about when you call a client out of the blue? It shouldn’t be about you, a product pitch, or a request for referrals. It should be about the client, and should focus on his or her interests and areas of concern.
Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Money (FORM) is what they’re interested in, so these are the things to discuss.
What you don’t know about, ask. You may know more than you realize about each client, because of the answers you got when you completed an application.
You know where they were born, and when. You may even have the same data about their spouse, and children. You’ll also know their past addresses, their occupation (and maybe that of their spouse), whether they indulge in dangerous sports, and so on. In short, you already know a lot about each of your clients, and can glean more by asking questions.
Know as much as possible about each client, and keep it in your contact management system. Before calling a client read over his or her file to see if something jumps out at you that you can talk about (a spouse’s birthday?).
Here’s how I call a client: “Hi Jack. Don here. Just called to touch base: to find out how you and your kids are doing, whether your job still sucks, how the golf game’s going, and so on. If now’s not a good time to talk, tell me, and I’ll call back.”
This even works if his answering machine answers.
Clients need personal contact to tie them to you as tightly as contact cement. So start calling them on a systematic basis such as the 90-Day Call Rotation.
------
Want more commissions with less pain? Need more qualified prospects? Seeking high-earning referrals? Join New TIP at http://www.New-TIP.com now for more invaluable know-how!
Are You Neglecting Contact Cement - To learn more about this author, visit Donald F. Pooley's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Related Articles |
|
 Are You Neglecting Contact Cement
|
| |
I’ve lost clients because I didn’t cement my relationships with enough personal contact.
|
|
Are You Neglecting Your Network?
|
| |
As a business owner you know a lot of people, and you continue to meet new people. This is your network. But what are you doing with it? How often do you connect with people in your network?
|
|
Need A Niche
|
| |
How'd you like a niche where most of its members are amiable, agreeable, affluent, accessible, and ready to chat with you?
|
|
The "Stuff" Is the Fluff, The Flower Is the Power
|
| |
 I see there's a lotta talk about Posts with flowers pics! Fact is, The Great Peony Post was just an innocent (I thought) riff about missing home, pretty flowers, and Mid-summer's.
But if you wanna fight ...
|
|
Effectively Working Your Media Coverage
|
| |
If you’re creative, you can turn an initial media opportunity into ongoing press coverage.
|
 |
Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors |
|
Leanne Hoagland Smith
Are you or your business where you want to be? Are you facing constant struggles in business or life in general? Would you like to "unlock" those obstacles keeping you from greater business or personal success? As your results partner, we can work together to unlock those desired results by achieving tomorrow's solutions today. Let’s use your strengths for real change through proven and affordable solutions where the real problems are identified. Are you seeking loyal customers, great attitudes, increased sales, improved profitability or just some sleep filled nights? Then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspec ialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. I look forward to speaking with you. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland Smith's Website |
The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.
|
|
|
Donald F. Pooley
(Visit Donald's Website)
Don Pooley, the author of this article,
allows you to publish
it if you include these credit lines:
Copyright 2005, Donald F. Pooley, Inc.
Don Pooley CLU, CFP, CHFC, "The
Advisor's Advisor" has shared
his marketing know-how with audiences of
life insurance men
in all major Canadian cities, London,
Australia, Chicago, New
York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and
Singapore, and now in his
free ezine. To get more ideas on marketing
your services, plus
free ebooks, subscribe now at www.eTIP.ca/
|
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
