“Why won’t you scratch my itch?”
Weird one right?
Even weirder when it’s the first thing you say to a business woman as she walks in to a networking event!
Let me explain…
I was at The Business Woman’s Network event and knew that a business woman that I knew would be there that sells a mascara that I adore. It’s one that layers up to look like false eye lashes. (not in a Towie way!) and I’ve been complimented on them many times, so I’m hooked.
The only issue is that I’m so busy with clients that I’m in a dangerous zone of not networking quite as much as I should and so I’ve not seen this business woman in ages. Well long enough for my mascara to be too old to use. (Unless I want to get some random eye infection that is!)
So when she walked in I was really pleased to see her. But with my business coach hat on that was what I asked her “Why won’t you scratch my itch?” you see she knew I loved her product, because this was not the first time I had brought this product from her and yet she had not been in touch with me at all to ask if I wanted it again. If someone has an itch in the middle of their back, you itch it right? And boy does it feel good. We like people that helps us right?
The only person I purchase from who seems to get this right is Di The Doggy Dinner Lady. Without fail I get a text. “Hi Mandie, how is your old boy doing for food? I’m coming over to Mersea on Monday, would you like another deliver?” And would you believe it we need a new order!
Is Di the doggy dinner lady psychic?
Or does she keep an eye on her sales so she can maximise on her sales potential?
So I explained my itch to my mascara business woman and how to make it easy to increase sales with people that already love you. And now you can have that for free too. (you know I love to share right?) Let’s go….
- Create a simple XL spreadsheet of sales. Date of sale. Clients name. products purchased and total value.
- If products have a shelf life or are likely to run out in 3 months will you diary to phone them? Text them? Send them a Facebook message? Mention at a networking event?
- How did you first meet? And what was their preferred way to communicate? That is the way you get back in touch with them. Be on their wave length.
- Don’t give up. If you send a message and they don’t reply, do not assume they aren’t interested. Are you sat around with nothing to do? Exactly! Everyone is very busy. So except that. It could be that they are not interested, it could be that they want to buy but not yet, it could be they want to buy but have not had the chance to get it sorted. Until you speak with them you will not know. As I like to tell my clients, getting “No’s” enables you to get valuable answers to get “Yes’s”. So as scary as it can be to pick up the phone and find out why someone has not been in touch. Do it. You are in business. Business has scary things. Business has bits you don’t enjoy. The good news is that the more you do the scary bits, the easier they get and shock of shocks you could come to like
them. (I know this, because clients tell me that after a session of working on how to pick up the phone and get results, they realise that the phone is a powerful friend not an evil enemy intent on your business destruction! - When you discover in actual fact like my mascara lady I’m a lover and I want in. Why would you assume that I only want in on one product? As I chatted with my Mascara business woman I had to ask for a brochure! (No matter what marketers from around the world will tell you with their latest fail safe Go from Broke To £1000000 in 100 Days Quick Fix programs there’s 4 ways to increase sales; Up sale, side sale, re sale and reduce costs. Really that’s it. We dress it really pretty, but that’s it.) So my mascara lady gets me as a “hooked I love your products” woman why do I have to ask for the brochure? That should be offered to me. It should be “Mandie if you are loving the mascara so much, would you like to take a brochure home to have a browse through”….. And if that was me I would make sure that interested party got a “Great to see you at @BWNcouk today at #Colchester @Patrikminder Lexden Crown networking today. Glad you love the mascara, see you at the BWN Birthday event 18th” Because spreading the business love, reminding her I exist and giving her my social media links means she can keep in touch with me without once saying “Check out my social media!” and showing respect for her and help to build a great relationship. All good for business. Great right?
If you would like to know about the awesome Mascara I mentioned ask Lydia Adams;
www.facebook.com/lydiaslusciouslashes
And the Doggy Dinner Lady is Di Gilbranch;
www.facebook.com/officialtrophypetfoods