.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
Everyone is out there looking for the new customer and the new sale. I’m here to tell you, it’s much closer than you think. Look no further than your current customer list.

Current and past clients are a gold mine of potential new sales. Here are some of the advantages of selling to people who have already bought from you:

They know who you are and trust or like you enough that they’ve done business with you.

They are more likely to take your calls than a prospect.

You’ll be able to get past their gatekeeper.

They’ve already experienced your product.

They are great referral sources.

They are the source of testimonials.

If they had a good experience, they will want more.

Of course, if you fade away and lose touch, they will lose interest. So you want to be sure that one element of your marketing or sales plan is staying in touch with these valuable customers. In fact, if there’s a place where your marketing efforts are weak, I’ll bet a buck that it’s in this area.

Remember, you’re going to have to talk to them in a way that lets them know you already have a relationship. Some of your one-size-fits-all marketing may not work. It’s like the difference between talking to a stranger and talking to your cousin. If you are like most businesses, you spend a disproportionate amount of your time chasing strangers and not enough time talking to old forgotten cousins.

Do you have a cousin or two that you should reach out to this week? Do you have something relevant to say?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2010 Drew McLellan