We often speak about creating a sales plan, building a sales strategy and networking for new referral sources. And with the changes in the industry and new companies always entering the marketplace, it is important to have a plan for looking under stones not yet touched — but that is not enough.
I am concerned that with the competitive nature of our business, we are not dedicating our efforts to ensuring that we keep the customers we have worked so long and hard to attract. Customers should never have the feeling they may be forgotten or that you are more interested in insurance company contracts or working with physicians with large practices.
What is your game plan for making sure you do not neglect your existing customers?
Here are some suggestions for keeping those long-term accounts happy:
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Review your sales call report and make sure you have not relegated those accounts to a sales call or meeting just when you get around to it. Place them on your sales call calendar and visit them regularly. Never take them for granted, because when you are not visiting them regularly, your competition may be doing just that.
Nothing replaces a face-to-face meeting when you are looking to keep the customer! That will allow you to hear a complaint or a comment about your home care company before anyone else does.
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Remind your office colleagues about these key accounts and how important they are to the revenues of the business. Since it takes several people to make sure every order is correct, you want everyone to know that no account — especially a long-term account — can be taken for granted.
Inform them about the names of key accounts, important people at each account and any special requests an account may have made. New people are joining your staff all the time (and existing staff often forget), so meetings with your coworkers about these issues is always of value.
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Consider having a manager or supervisor visit these accounts in the next six months. Having a manager or supervisor meet directly with the referral source expresses how important the referral source is to your business.
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Do not forget to send a thank you note to existing customers for their loyalty and their business. You may have made the mistake of forgetting thank-you notes for your long-term clients. Don't, or they might just forget to send you their business.
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Meet with your important customers at least once a year to discuss your service, any paperwork they may need from you or any suggestions they might have to enhance your quality improvement program. Determine whether you can help them meet their accreditation requirements or required documentation needs.
Existing accounts can play three important roles in your business:
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They are the financial cornerstone of your operation. When handled correctly and with continued quality service, they will provide orders and revenues you can count on.
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They are important in your marketing and branding efforts since they will continue to speak positively about your company, thus becoming a positive public relations agent for your organization.
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They can become a conduit to new referral sources. When asked, they are often very willing to help open new doors and share possible leads.
Existing accounts need your attention. Often the office is overcome with excitement about a new physician calling or a first order from the rehabilitation center that you have been trying to obtain business from for a while. Those new orders are exciting, but it's too bad we cannot again experience the excitement we had when that existing account called for the first time several years ago.
Share this column with your colleagues and make sure they read this last paragraph: Treat everyone as if they were calling for the first time! If you do not treat existing customers with excitement and enthusiasm, I can assure you there is another company in town that would be delighted to do that.
Louis Feuer is president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc. and the founder and director of the DSC Teleconference Series, a teleconference training program. He can be reached at www.DynamicSeminars.com or by phone at 954/435-8182.
