This is a sample business lesson of what you get in your MLM Millionaire Club every week:
I want to cover for you, not only how to FIND customers, but how to GET and KEEP VALUABLE customers. There’s a lot of depth here.
First: how to FIND customers.
I think the most important thing we can keep in mind is that everyone around us is trying to move away from pain, and toward pleasure. Or, away from problems, and toward solutions.
All businesses solve problems or meet needs for people, or they don’t stay in business. Have you written down the problems that your business solves for people? If not, take a moment NOW. This is your business priority for today!
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Now, listen about you for these problems. This is how you serve life.
I hope you are passionate about this, or can get passionate about it by realizing the good you do, or that you find a business in which you really like solving those problems for people.
Lots of times our passion comes from previously being in those shoes ourselves. Our child gets cured, and now we help other parents whose children need this. Our budget becomes workable with a lower energy bill, and now we help others to save needed money too. We are saved from a scary legal situation, and we want to let others know they can be helped too.
So our most natural ideal customer may be people we relate to the most. The ones who have a similar challenge, who we understand, have compassion for, and are inspired to help.
It’s wonderful for a prospect to be able to hear, “I had that problem, (or my neighbor did), and this is how he solved it…”
Now they know they are not alone, and that there is an answer.
So list the problems you solve. Then listen for those problems. Listen for the pain people are in.
If you’re networking, or chatting with a lady while you get new tires, you wouldn’t say, “What’s YOUR pain?” :), but you can ask interested questions, like “What’s your business? How was your recent vacation? What your daughter have plans after graduation?
How’s your mother doing now?”
These have been taught by real estate agent Larry Kendall as FORD:
Ask them about Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams.
Just chat, care, be interested, and listen for the problems wherever you are. You can then ask more leading questions to see if they need what YOU have. If so, you can say “I understand you have (this problem). This is just what I help people with. Would you like to hear a little more about it?”
Another idea for finding future customers is to write up your ideal customer. Have you heard of writing a list of qualities you want in a future mate? Same here! It attracts that kind of customer to you, and also helps you recognize one when you see one.
You may list qualities such as your niche market, location, age, gender, occupation, income range, personality, and other qualities that make them valuable to you, and who have the problems you listed above that you solve.
Valuable means to me: not only the ones who bring you the most profit, but also who you enjoy the most. You know the ones who you do business with and afterward, you actually have more energy than before!
These may be customers who value YOU, are grateful, are on time, are pleasant, pay you well and maybe even pay you more, tell others about you, and are not overly needy or stressful or negative to you.
So you write down who your ideal customer is to you. Say it’s 30-40 year old single corporate women who are too busy to cook for themselves, are stressed, and need nutritional supplements.
Then, hang out where they are. Find them at Women’s Chamber’s, speak at or attend their conventions, join their online Meetups and discussions. Add value there, and ask and listen.
David and Mary Scarborough have more great tips: if you’ve been in business for awhile, list all your customers up to 10 years ago. Note by each info such as what date they bought, last bought, what they bought, frequency of purchases, the price they paid, your income from them, are they still active with you, their age, sex, location, occupation, industry, how you got this customer, do they give you referrals, do you enjoy them, the problems they have that you solve, and other characteristics.
Now look at the top 5. What do they have in common? Behavior, demographics, characteristics? Remember, what makes them your top customers is their value to you, which may be profit, but also how much you enjoy them.
These are your most valuable customers. Were you surprised?
Data reveals the truth!
Now, to get more customers like these, hang out where they are, as we described.
And ask your current valuable customers for referrals! They know people like themselves. Better yet, ask for an introduction. Remember, 80% of introductions end up as sales!
You can stop networking or speaking to groups who are not full of your most valuable customers, or who give you referrals to people who are not your most valuable customer.
Now, to KEEP your most valuable customers: don’t take them for granted, or give them less attention because they are easy. Give them your highest level of service! Send them birthday and holiday cards, thank you gifts, take them to lunch or dinner when they give you a referral that you value. Isn’t it easier and more cost-effective to keep them as customers, than to acquire a new valuable customer?
You can learn more on how to get and keep customers from 3 audios in your MLM Millionaire Club Teleclass Archives.
Look for:
* Fastest Way to Your Ideal Customer (David and Mary Scarborough)
* Be Effective with Customers
* Meeting Customers’ Needs
What did you learn from this lesson that was new to you?
What is your most valuable idea you will to take away and use this week? Do you think it will change your business?
You can bring any questions or comments to our next MLM Millionaire Club coaching call. And remember, Club members can get private coaching with me too! I love working one-on-one with you!
Dedicated to Your Success,
Bess
You may also enjoy: MLMs, an Answer to These Economic Times, by Bess McCarty, as seen in the December 2010 issue of the Network Marketing Business Journal.