clockworkconsultants
Ink Sauce
You already know that you need to follow-up on your quotes - this part of the business is easy to remember. And you have a lot of motivation to do so. Gotta eat right?
This is a very basic idea and common sense - but I found it to be very effective to follow-up after each completed job.
If you’re anything like we were, then you’ve got a hundred other things to worry about than work that’s already gone out the door. Why take the time right?
You should be following up after every job.
This is an important strategy to implement- I cannot stress this enough. Whether your a one man operation or have a team of 20+, make this part of your weekly routine. If you’re an owner with employees, you can’t always inspect every job that goes out the door. I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your employees to produce good work, but mistakes do happen.
We all hate fielding calls from dissatisfied customers. There’s no quicker way to ruin your day than to have some lady screaming in your ear because you used the wrong font on 20 yard signs. However, the truth is you’ll never hear from 90% of dissatisfied customers. They’ll just stop doing business with you. And if you’re a busy shop like we were, it can take months before you even realize it. Take the time upfront now, because fixing a relationship six months from now is a lot more expensive.
Following up after a job is completed:
1) Gives you a chance to fix any problem before it turns ugly and you lose a customer.
2) Allows you to get important feedback on how you can improve
3) Provided that they are very happy with the completed job, it also gives you a reason to
a) Learn more about their business to discover how else you can help them and/or
b) Ask them for a referral / testimonial
Best Ways to Follow Up
1) Visit your customers in person
This is the gold standard. When possible follow up with your customers in person. Bring them doughnuts, cookies, lunch, coffee, whatever they like. I’ve found there is no faster way than to secure your position as their “guy” than show up with gifts and make friends with your customers. This is both time consuming and expensive - which is why it works so well. You will know when a job warrants an in-person followup based on your customer’s value. When in doubt, if it’s a key customer take the time to follow up in person.
I assume that most of you own small shops (as we were). You are involved in the day-to-day production as well as any and all business responsibilities. The great majority of the time following up on a completed job in person is just not feasible. This brings us to the next method of followup.
2) Call Your Customers - Preferred Method
I recommend calling for two reasons:
1) Most customers are happy to hear from you. It shows you care when you take the take to call - a lot of businesses don't even bother to pick up the phone any more.
2) It is tough to get a sense of emotion through email. It’s also a lot harder to be rude on the phone. I have had situations in the past that have turn rather nasty quickly through email due to misinterpretation. These same people were very pleasant and agreeable on the phone.
When to Call:
Call several days (2-5 days) after a job has been completed (picked up, delivered, installed). This gives them time to evaluate the job.
Do not do this on Monday morning.
Pick one day of the week and schedule 1-2 hours to call customers whose jobs were completed the previous week. Don't rush this. Really focus and take a few minutes talking to each customer - this really pays dividends.
I did this in the afternoons because I'm most productive in the mornings after a few cups of coffee. I usually hit a slump in the afternoons and talking to customers recharges my batteries a bit.
It's important to figure out a schedule that works for you and stick to it. It may be wise to adjust the time you call if you know a customer is busy during a certain time.
On The Actual Call
It's simple - call them up, introduce yourself, and then tell them you're calling to get feedback on the job and make sure they 100% satisfied with the job.
I usually said something like “I’m calling to follow up with you on the ____ we completed last week. Just wanted to make sure you were happy with the job. Are you satisfied with everything? Anything that didn’t turn out the way you wanted?"
If your customer is not happy about a job
If you customer is happy about a job
Asking for a referral on the phone
If they decline to give you a referral, thank them anyways. Do not be afraid to ask them after the next job, though.
If they do give you a referral, be sure to thank them and follow up on the lead.
3) Email Followup
If you absolutely cannot dedicate the time to call or need to cover a ton of ground in a short time, the next best option is email.
Email can be very effective and is good to getting used to asking for referrals.
Email is also great for extremely busy customers who may not have time to chat.
Tools
I use a CRM tool called Streak (www.streak.com) for this. It is an extension that integrates with Gmail. It is FREE to use and has a lot of neat features that I won’t get into here. I use one called Snippets the most. It allows you save time by saving emails you send frequently so you don't retype them over and over. Info on how to setup Snippets can be found here http://support.streak.com/customer/...using-snippets-for-repetitive-emails/articles
Step1. Getting Feedback
Step 2a. Asking for a Referral
Step 2b. Asking for a Testimonial
The Importance of Asking for Referrals and Testimonials
If you've done your job right and made them happy, customers are happy to provide referrals and testimonials. A lot of us inherently avoid selling ourselves - fearing we'll come off like a sleazy used car salesman. I used to think this way myself. It took me a while to develop the courage to flat out ask for referals through email and phone.
It's important that you develop the confidence to ask for them because they really are one of the most cost-effective way to grow your business. A referral gives you instant credibility that you just can't buy with a brochure or website. In my experience, referrals take shorter time to sell and are half as likely to try to haggle with you on price.
I like to refer to testimonials as Amazon reviews for your business. When I buy something on Amazon, there are usually 4 or 5 options that are similar. 95% of the time I purchase the one with the most 4 and 5 stars reviews. This can work the same way for your shop. If a customer visits your website and sees a lot of glowing testimonials, it makes the sale that much easier.
Key Takeaways
1) Its always cheaper to keep a current customer than to have to find a new one
2) Follow-up on completed jobs on a weekly basis: in person, by phone,or through email
3) Do not be afraid to ask for referrals and testimonials
Action Steps
1) Sometime in the next 24hrs - Sit down and take 20-30 min. Using the strategies above, call or email 5 customers about the last job you completed for them. Ask for their honest feedback.
If they were happy with the job, ask them for a referral or a testimonial. Let us know how you did back on this thread.
This is a very basic idea and common sense - but I found it to be very effective to follow-up after each completed job.
If you’re anything like we were, then you’ve got a hundred other things to worry about than work that’s already gone out the door. Why take the time right?
You should be following up after every job.
This is an important strategy to implement- I cannot stress this enough. Whether your a one man operation or have a team of 20+, make this part of your weekly routine. If you’re an owner with employees, you can’t always inspect every job that goes out the door. I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust your employees to produce good work, but mistakes do happen.
We all hate fielding calls from dissatisfied customers. There’s no quicker way to ruin your day than to have some lady screaming in your ear because you used the wrong font on 20 yard signs. However, the truth is you’ll never hear from 90% of dissatisfied customers. They’ll just stop doing business with you. And if you’re a busy shop like we were, it can take months before you even realize it. Take the time upfront now, because fixing a relationship six months from now is a lot more expensive.
Following up after a job is completed:
1) Gives you a chance to fix any problem before it turns ugly and you lose a customer.
2) Allows you to get important feedback on how you can improve
3) Provided that they are very happy with the completed job, it also gives you a reason to
a) Learn more about their business to discover how else you can help them and/or
b) Ask them for a referral / testimonial
Best Ways to Follow Up
1) Visit your customers in person
This is the gold standard. When possible follow up with your customers in person. Bring them doughnuts, cookies, lunch, coffee, whatever they like. I’ve found there is no faster way than to secure your position as their “guy” than show up with gifts and make friends with your customers. This is both time consuming and expensive - which is why it works so well. You will know when a job warrants an in-person followup based on your customer’s value. When in doubt, if it’s a key customer take the time to follow up in person.
I assume that most of you own small shops (as we were). You are involved in the day-to-day production as well as any and all business responsibilities. The great majority of the time following up on a completed job in person is just not feasible. This brings us to the next method of followup.
2) Call Your Customers - Preferred Method
I recommend calling for two reasons:
1) Most customers are happy to hear from you. It shows you care when you take the take to call - a lot of businesses don't even bother to pick up the phone any more.
2) It is tough to get a sense of emotion through email. It’s also a lot harder to be rude on the phone. I have had situations in the past that have turn rather nasty quickly through email due to misinterpretation. These same people were very pleasant and agreeable on the phone.
When to Call:
Call several days (2-5 days) after a job has been completed (picked up, delivered, installed). This gives them time to evaluate the job.
Do not do this on Monday morning.
Pick one day of the week and schedule 1-2 hours to call customers whose jobs were completed the previous week. Don't rush this. Really focus and take a few minutes talking to each customer - this really pays dividends.
I did this in the afternoons because I'm most productive in the mornings after a few cups of coffee. I usually hit a slump in the afternoons and talking to customers recharges my batteries a bit.
It's important to figure out a schedule that works for you and stick to it. It may be wise to adjust the time you call if you know a customer is busy during a certain time.
On The Actual Call
It's simple - call them up, introduce yourself, and then tell them you're calling to get feedback on the job and make sure they 100% satisfied with the job.
I usually said something like “I’m calling to follow up with you on the ____ we completed last week. Just wanted to make sure you were happy with the job. Are you satisfied with everything? Anything that didn’t turn out the way you wanted?"
If your customer is not happy about a job
If they're not happy, you will know it. Others here are probably way more experienced with this and would probably be able to offer better advice, but here’s what worked for me.
When I proactively called people to get their feedback and they were unhappy, I found they were way more reasonable and rational than if they were to call me first.
When dealing with unsatisfied or upset customers, I try to follow this outline:
1) Acknowledge their concern - you don’t have to tell them they’re right, but you do need to let them know you “understand where they are coming from"
2) Get their side of the story - ask them to clarify what happened so you can figure out where things went wrong
3) Offer a solution - this is the trickiest part. When I first started, the thought of losing a customer terrified me. I would cave like a little girl and offer a huge discount or refund on the job to a complaining customer.
Do not give stuff away or discount unless that is the only way to fix the situation. Some particularly nasty customers will complain about every job just to see if you’ll cave. Most times you do not have to do this.
It’s important to start small here and work your way up to a solution that doesn’t leave you without lunch money.
Typically I would follow a progression similar to below (caution: use your own judgement here - based on the value of the job, deadlines involved, how big the error is)
If it’s our fault (which is almost always in the customers eyes)
1) Offer to fix the mistake by reprinting the job or fixing the error by any other means.
2) If they balk at the above solution, I would usually put the burden on them and say something along the lines of “Look, I apologize for the mistake and really want to keep your business. What would you like me to do to make it right?” I’ve gotten all sorts of answers to this from “I’d like to whole job for free” to “I just wanted to let you know how dissatisfied we were.” Angry customers aren’t used to fielding this question. I’ve found it puts them off-guard a bit, which can allow you both to come to reasonable solution.
If it’s the customers fault (they approved a proof that had an error)
1) Stand your ground. Be firm, but not rude. Refer to the proof that you provided of the job. Let them know you try to catch any errors before the job is completed, but ultimately they signed off on the proof and are responsible. Depending on the customer, they may (a) own their mistake and want to reprint the job at full price (b) pay and take the job as-is (c) wash their hands of the entire transaction. Others here may disagree, but none of these outcomes were ideal for me. If at all possible, I like for a customer to leave happy about every order.
2) In this situation, if the job cost us less than $50 to fix, I would reprint it for free. If it cost us over $50 to fix, I would offer to reprint it at half price. To us a happy customer was worth the extra trouble and expense. Some of our most fiercely loyal customers came from jobs that went wrong and we bent over backwards to fix. I'm not advising to kill yourself for each customer - but one or two go a long way here.
When I proactively called people to get their feedback and they were unhappy, I found they were way more reasonable and rational than if they were to call me first.
When dealing with unsatisfied or upset customers, I try to follow this outline:
1) Acknowledge their concern - you don’t have to tell them they’re right, but you do need to let them know you “understand where they are coming from"
2) Get their side of the story - ask them to clarify what happened so you can figure out where things went wrong
3) Offer a solution - this is the trickiest part. When I first started, the thought of losing a customer terrified me. I would cave like a little girl and offer a huge discount or refund on the job to a complaining customer.
Do not give stuff away or discount unless that is the only way to fix the situation. Some particularly nasty customers will complain about every job just to see if you’ll cave. Most times you do not have to do this.
It’s important to start small here and work your way up to a solution that doesn’t leave you without lunch money.
Typically I would follow a progression similar to below (caution: use your own judgement here - based on the value of the job, deadlines involved, how big the error is)
If it’s our fault (which is almost always in the customers eyes)
1) Offer to fix the mistake by reprinting the job or fixing the error by any other means.
2) If they balk at the above solution, I would usually put the burden on them and say something along the lines of “Look, I apologize for the mistake and really want to keep your business. What would you like me to do to make it right?” I’ve gotten all sorts of answers to this from “I’d like to whole job for free” to “I just wanted to let you know how dissatisfied we were.” Angry customers aren’t used to fielding this question. I’ve found it puts them off-guard a bit, which can allow you both to come to reasonable solution.
If it’s the customers fault (they approved a proof that had an error)
1) Stand your ground. Be firm, but not rude. Refer to the proof that you provided of the job. Let them know you try to catch any errors before the job is completed, but ultimately they signed off on the proof and are responsible. Depending on the customer, they may (a) own their mistake and want to reprint the job at full price (b) pay and take the job as-is (c) wash their hands of the entire transaction. Others here may disagree, but none of these outcomes were ideal for me. If at all possible, I like for a customer to leave happy about every order.
2) In this situation, if the job cost us less than $50 to fix, I would reprint it for free. If it cost us over $50 to fix, I would offer to reprint it at half price. To us a happy customer was worth the extra trouble and expense. Some of our most fiercely loyal customers came from jobs that went wrong and we bent over backwards to fix. I'm not advising to kill yourself for each customer - but one or two go a long way here.
If you customer is happy about a job
If they're happy, great news. Be sure to thank them and let them know you appreciate their business. While you've got them on the phone, take the time to learn some more about them. I've found it pays off to be curious.
Ask them about their business and what problems they're having. People love to talk about their businesses and you may discover another need that you can help them with.
Some questions you might ask:
What problems are you having with your business?
How are you promoting your business now?
What have you tried in the past?
What are you doing to stay ahead of your competitors?
When you get people talking about their business, often times you’ll start to see opportunities to share your knowledge of signage and advertising. They may tell you about another location they plan on opening, or how one of their trucks they just got back from the body shop.
Educate your customer on what you sell
A lot of times a customer may not know all the products you offer. Do not underestimate this. Despite having it clearly listed on your website, your business card, or the brochure you gave him last week, customers still need to hear “Yes, we can do that.” It’s your job to let a customer know how you can help. We offered a ton of products in house, so this would happen to us a lot. We’d sell a max-metal panel for an plumber’s building, but he wouldn’t realize we could put graphics on all his trucks. I might say “I noticed you didn’t have any lettering on your trucks. Is there a reason you guys aren’t doing that?” Then I'd tell him about how we did some graphics for _____ last week and how they mentioned they got a bunch of calls already.
Ask them about their business and what problems they're having. People love to talk about their businesses and you may discover another need that you can help them with.
Some questions you might ask:
What problems are you having with your business?
How are you promoting your business now?
What have you tried in the past?
What are you doing to stay ahead of your competitors?
When you get people talking about their business, often times you’ll start to see opportunities to share your knowledge of signage and advertising. They may tell you about another location they plan on opening, or how one of their trucks they just got back from the body shop.
Educate your customer on what you sell
A lot of times a customer may not know all the products you offer. Do not underestimate this. Despite having it clearly listed on your website, your business card, or the brochure you gave him last week, customers still need to hear “Yes, we can do that.” It’s your job to let a customer know how you can help. We offered a ton of products in house, so this would happen to us a lot. We’d sell a max-metal panel for an plumber’s building, but he wouldn’t realize we could put graphics on all his trucks. I might say “I noticed you didn’t have any lettering on your trucks. Is there a reason you guys aren’t doing that?” Then I'd tell him about how we did some graphics for _____ last week and how they mentioned they got a bunch of calls already.
Asking for a referral on the phone
If you've never done it before, asking for a referral on the phone will feel completely foreign to you. The first few times, I promise you will feel like an idiot for asking. Push through this and you will be rewarded. If you've satisfied your customer, most will have no problems giving you a referral. The best time to ask is right after they've had a good experience with your shop.
The important thing is you actually come out and ask. A sample outline is below - don't use this word for word. Change the language to something you feel more comfortable with. If you need, practice by yourself until it sounds less like a telemarketing script and more natural.
The important thing is you actually come out and ask. A sample outline is below - don't use this word for word. Change the language to something you feel more comfortable with. If you need, practice by yourself until it sounds less like a telemarketing script and more natural.
If they decline to give you a referral, thank them anyways. Do not be afraid to ask them after the next job, though.
If they do give you a referral, be sure to thank them and follow up on the lead.
3) Email Followup
If you absolutely cannot dedicate the time to call or need to cover a ton of ground in a short time, the next best option is email.
Email can be very effective and is good to getting used to asking for referrals.
Email is also great for extremely busy customers who may not have time to chat.
Tools
I use a CRM tool called Streak (www.streak.com) for this. It is an extension that integrates with Gmail. It is FREE to use and has a lot of neat features that I won’t get into here. I use one called Snippets the most. It allows you save time by saving emails you send frequently so you don't retype them over and over. Info on how to setup Snippets can be found here http://support.streak.com/customer/...using-snippets-for-repetitive-emails/articles
Step1. Getting Feedback
Here is a sample email I've used in the past to get feedback from customers:
If I get a positive response from the email, I like to send back another email asking for one of two things a) a referral or b) a testimonial.
NOTE: If they respond with negative comments about the job or express dissatisfaction - call them on the phone ASAP. I have found it very difficult to resolve issues like this through email. You could wind up trading emails back and forth for days. Do yourself a favor - suck it up and call them.
If they respond, typically you'll get something back like "The signs were great. Thanks again."
If I get a positive response from the email, I like to send back another email asking for one of two things a) a referral or b) a testimonial.
NOTE: If they respond with negative comments about the job or express dissatisfaction - call them on the phone ASAP. I have found it very difficult to resolve issues like this through email. You could wind up trading emails back and forth for days. Do yourself a favor - suck it up and call them.
Step 2a. Asking for a Referral
For a referral, I'd usually reply with something like below - Use this a template, but make sure you change the wording to fit your business. Depending on what you sell you may offer a free product or discount for the referral. People give referrals when it's in their best interest to. Always give the customer a reason to give you a referral. If you're looking for a specific referral to a company or person be sure to include that in the email.
Step 2b. Asking for a Testimonial
If I need a testimonial, I'd usually reply with something like below. I'll almost always write the testimonial myself - 1) this saves them time 2) they always have the ability to change the wording if they want. 3) it allows me to really gear a testimonial towards a particular industry or product
Step 3. Thank ThemIf a customer says no to giving a referral or testimonial - thank them anyway and move on.
If a customer does give you a referral or testimonial, it very important to thank them. How you should thank them depends on how well you know them and their value. I've sent thank you emails, called and thanked them, sent thank you cards, books I think would be valuable to a customer - you get the idea. Generally the more personable and valuable to them, the better.
In the case of referrals, make sure you follow up on those leads.
If a customer does give you a referral or testimonial, it very important to thank them. How you should thank them depends on how well you know them and their value. I've sent thank you emails, called and thanked them, sent thank you cards, books I think would be valuable to a customer - you get the idea. Generally the more personable and valuable to them, the better.
In the case of referrals, make sure you follow up on those leads.
The Importance of Asking for Referrals and Testimonials
If you've done your job right and made them happy, customers are happy to provide referrals and testimonials. A lot of us inherently avoid selling ourselves - fearing we'll come off like a sleazy used car salesman. I used to think this way myself. It took me a while to develop the courage to flat out ask for referals through email and phone.
It's important that you develop the confidence to ask for them because they really are one of the most cost-effective way to grow your business. A referral gives you instant credibility that you just can't buy with a brochure or website. In my experience, referrals take shorter time to sell and are half as likely to try to haggle with you on price.
I like to refer to testimonials as Amazon reviews for your business. When I buy something on Amazon, there are usually 4 or 5 options that are similar. 95% of the time I purchase the one with the most 4 and 5 stars reviews. This can work the same way for your shop. If a customer visits your website and sees a lot of glowing testimonials, it makes the sale that much easier.
Key Takeaways
1) Its always cheaper to keep a current customer than to have to find a new one
2) Follow-up on completed jobs on a weekly basis: in person, by phone,or through email
3) Do not be afraid to ask for referrals and testimonials
Action Steps
1) Sometime in the next 24hrs - Sit down and take 20-30 min. Using the strategies above, call or email 5 customers about the last job you completed for them. Ask for their honest feedback.
If they were happy with the job, ask them for a referral or a testimonial. Let us know how you did back on this thread.
Tagged for later.
