Altus Agency

Marketing Minute:
You have to keep the pipeline open
For many companies, business is good. Profits are healthy. But I think if we're honest, it's a little harder than it used to be to enjoy that success. In many industries, current clients are spending less. New customers are harder to come by. The decision timetable is longer. And there are more people than ever fighting you for each new piece of business.
Many businesses will look back on the last few years and realize that it was then that they learned the value of having a strong, active pipeline.
The time to look for new customers is not when you need them. Then, it can be too late. Every business needs to have a reliable, ongoing new business strategy that keeps chugging on, whether you are swamped with work or you are down to a trickle.
Over the next couple weeks, we'll be looking at some of the techniques you can use to keep inquiries, initial meetings and hot prospects flowing.
One of the most over looked but most effective is consistent direct mail contact. It can be a postcard, a letter, a newsletter or even an e-mail newsletter. The key word is consistent. Automate it so that it happens like clockwork, be it weekly, monthly or quarterly.
Depending on your business, it may not go out to the same audience every time. You might benefit from contacting new homeowners in your area or people who just had a baby. Think about who needs your products and services and what they need to know. That will direct your efforts. The goal here is stay top of mind so when they need what you sell, they remember you first.
Next week, we'll talk about giving away what your normally sell. Stay tuned.

Marketing Minute:
You set the tone
Here’s a little fun fact for this week’s readers. I've been to Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971. As you can imagine, I sort of think of it as MY Disney World. But, a few weeks ago, I spent a weekend on unfamiliar grounds, Disneyland.
We spent the weekend comparing the two destinations but the difference that was most telling to me was each park's upkeep. At Disney World, everything is pristine. For as far as the eye can see, there are fresh coats of paint, spotless bathrooms, and neatly pruned flowerbeds and shrubbery. At Disneyland, facades were faded, railings were chipped and worn, and everything looked unkempt and dirty.
As human beings, we respond to our environment.
At Disney World, the guests pick up their own garbage, wipe up after themselves at the bathroom sinks and return tables and chairs to their rightful place as they leave restaurants.
At Disneyland, the guests respond to their surroundings as well. People were discarding paper cups anywhere they could toss them, the bathrooms were disgusting and guests had no qualms about violating rules or common courtesy.
Are the guests that different? Maybe a little, but I think it goes far beyond that.
Just like we're a lot more careful in someone's formal living room, our customers react to their surroundings as well. When was the last time you stood in your front lobby or walked through your office/store and tried to see it from fresh eyes?
Will a customer or potential customer get the impression that you take pride in your work? That your clients matter? That your business has seen better days?
Don't let your environment be created by accident. Be purposeful in creating the clues and cues that will trigger the response you want from employees, customers and prospects.