Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Many small business owners have experienced that static feeling after your company has grown so much in such a short time frame.
You feel like you’ve maxed out on your leads, but you’re hungry for more work—and your process feels more refined than ever.
So, what’s missing? You may be in a bit of a customer rut.
You’ve painted what seems like all of the homes in the local area, and you’ve repaired appliances throughout your region.
Now, it’s time to expand your lead pool and even upsell your existing customers.
We’re diving into five lead generation and retention strategies to help you keep your small business momentum moving.
Reach Your Customers
Sometimes, identifying your audience can be the trickiest part of managing your small business operation.
You may think you know your customers well, but then you may find that all the intel you really have is that they’re a business that needs their carpets cleaned— but there’s much more to their story than meets the eye.
Knowing who makes the call when they need carpet cleaning services, their preferred method of communication, which social media channels they use, and even their personal philosophies can help you capture their attention and turn that qualified lead into a job.
Once you’ve identified this information, meet your customers where they are. If you find that Stacy, the Office Manager is a regular Facebook user and she’s the one that books the company’s carpet cleaning appointments, you may want to focus your attention on social media marketing and engagement.
Provide Excellent Service
Small business owners (especially in the service industry) know how important the customer experience is to retaining customers and getting job referrals.
Refining your customer service strategy can make their experience more seamless and even improve your internal processes.
If you run a carpet installation or cleaning company, for example, you may want to research how carpet cleaning software can help your customer service strategy.
Once you’ve nailed down a customer service experience that works for both you and your customers, growing your customer base will be much easier, and past customers will be more motivated to share their experience with friends and family.
Be a Resource
Being a resource for your customers goes hand-in-hand with providing excellent service. What does this mean for you?
Provide your customers with pamphlet information on how to care for their carpet to prevent wear and tear in between cleaning appointments, or advise them on what kind of carpet cleaning products to use.
If you feel like your company has a wealth of knowledge among industry professionals, consider starting a blog to claim authority online.
This is a great opportunity to share your company mission, gain trust from potential leads, and put your info to good use.
Maximize Your Services
Think your customers would benefit from regularly scheduled carpet cleaning appointments or home cleaning services?
They probably think so, too. Answer your customer’s greatest wishes and offer these services before they even have to ask.
Plus, this strategy could help pay off and help fill your workload even if you’re in a slow period.
Happy Customers are Your Best Asset
Happy customers are the most direct way you can reach and secure new leads.
There are two channels through which your happy customers can help you get new jobs: referrals and reviews.
Referrals generally relate to the customer’s personal network, while reviews can be viewed by the public.
Both are extremely helpful because they establish a trust factor between your business and potential new customers.
People don’t like to be the guinea pig because it feels safer going with a business that’s been tried and tested, so make sure your reviews represent your business positively.
Encourage your satisfied customers to leave you a review about their good experience with personal friends or on Yelp, Google, or Facebook.
Monitor your reputation with a review management tool so that you can react to negative reviews quickly and repair customer relationships ASAP.
It’s not always easy to grow your customer base. Focus on growing these five areas of your business, and you’ll start to see customer satisfaction and company processes improve rapidly. Once you’ve made progress here, you’ll be able to expand your service— and have the funding to do it!