The first 100 days
In this blog i will go over why the first 100 days are the most important when winning a new client.
Most marketers stop marketing to their prospects the moment they become a customer. They see winning the business as the goal and the end of the process.
I personally think that when a prospect becomes a customer that is the most important time to start marketing.
Let me explain, I am not suggesting don't market to your prospects, I am suggesting to continue to market to your customers. In fact I suggest having a specific marketing plan for your customers. The one I recommend is the first 100 days. The exact number is not important I use 100 days as line in the sand and it can change depending on your industry and sales process.
The first 100 days is all about creating an amazing experience from the moment they are a paying customer.
There should be a process in place to ensure that customers are reached out too shortly after the initial sale is made to make sure they understand how to communicate with you best and how to get the best from your product or service.
This should be followed by a series of emails sent to the right people with tips, guides and resources that will help them achieve their goals. Again at around day 60 or whatever metric you use another call should be made to see if there is any questions or issues they may have. Even if there is nothing to report the very fact that you reached out will make a big difference.
You see most companies stop marketing to prospects the moment they become a customer and only really reach out to them if they want to get them to renew a contract, up sell them something, or ask for a reference or referral.
They are all things that are self serving and not 100% focused on the bigger picture. Of course you want case studies and referrals, but the time to ask for that is after you have truly wowed them.
Can you recall a customer experience that truly made you think wow these guys are good? Maybe you do? If so would you continue to use them? Would you or do you recommend them? The answer is generally yes right? However how times do you never hear from companies unless they want something. Take your insurance company for example how often do they contact you? When its renewal time right?
By making sure you create a marketing plan for your customers and ensure that the first 100 days are full of touch points that are going to add value to the client.
This process will not only help retain clients all the time your product or service is still adding value but will create advocates that will win you more clients. Advocates will want to tell others about you and your company and will happily provide case studies and testimonials. There will be a huge ROI on any costs you incur from putting in a 100 day plan.
We often talk of the funnel in sales and marketing but in this case its time to flip the funnel and service your customers better than ever before.
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Author- Speaker - Consultant. Passionate about all things digital.