Mark looked around the large room. He’d never been around so many business people at the same time. He had started Mark’s Garden Center a dozen years ago, and his responsibilities didn’t let him get away very often. But not long ago, Sam, one of his favorite mentors, announced a conference less than an hour away.
He really wanted to go but almost didn’t. Then his wife told him, “You’ve earned it. You need to go.” He’d been reading Sam’s emails for a long time. And now, he finally got to meet him in person.
In the middle of the morning break, he found his way over to Sam. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Mark asked.
“Sure thing!” Sam replied. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got a small business, and I’m wanting to do things better. Where’s one place you see business owners missing opportunities?”
Sam smiled. “Oh, that’s easy. Many owners get excited about new leads and more sales. But the easiest customer to get is the customer you’ve already got. By the way, have you talked to Kenny? He’s one of my best students.”
Mark shook his head. “Here, I’ll introduce you,” Sam offered. “Grab lunch with him today. He’ll give you a lot of insights.”
When he saw Kenny, he shook his hand, then grabbed a spot at the table next to him as the next session got underway. Mark tried to pay attention, but he couldn’t wait for lunch. He knew his time with Kenny would pay for his conference ticket many times over.
When noon came, the two men found they had a lot in common, and Mark felt right at home. In between bites, he jotted some notes down as Kenny talked.
The conference food was good, but Kenny’s insights were even better.
Monday morning
Monday morning, Mark got to the office early. He wanted to clear as much off his schedule before everyone else arrived. He’d need the extra time to get started on what he’d learned from Kenny.
Around 8:00, his employees started rolling in. Soon after, Jessica stopped by his office, holding a coffee pot. “Anything you need from me today?”
“Yes,” Mark said. “Could you get me a list of all the jobs we wrapped up last week? I’d like to pay those customers a visit. And, if you see Tom out there waiting for his coffee, can you send him in?”
“Sure thing!” Jessica replied. Mark appreciated the way she threw herself into her role. Since hiring her, he’d been able to hand off many of the little things he used to chase down. Thanks to her, work had gone smoother in recent months.
Moments later, Tom walked in with his “Best Boss” coffee cup. As the crew foreman, it was a standing joke in the office.
Mark started explaining what he’d learned from Kenny. “The best customers are repeat customers and referrals. And online shoppers are looking at verifiable reviews. We’ve got a lot of opportunities here. I’d like to have you go with me to visit a few job sites from last week.”
Tom nodded. “I’m game.”
Testing a theory
After a few minutes on the highway, the two men arrived at the first site. Mark immediately noticed debris that had blown into the tree near the house. He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. An energetic, middle-aged man came to the door.
“Hi, Roger, I’m Mark, the owner of Mark’s Garden Center, and I wanted to meet you and hear how the project went last week.”
Mark listened as Roger spoke, and Tom jotted down a few notes. Roger had forgotten to tell the crew about a water line, and they inadvertently punctured it, creating a minor emergency. But Tom had been there, and he helped get things straightened out.
“I liked it,” Roger told him. “I especially liked how the crew handled the unexpected situation.”
“Would you be open to leaving a Google review for us?” Mark asked.
“Happy to,” Roger said. Mark showed him how to find his company on Google. He helped Roger sign into a Google account and leave a review.
“Thanks. One more question, Roger. Do you know of anyone else who might want to do business with us?”
Roger scratched his head. “I’ve got a neighbor who’s looking at doing some projects at their house down the road. You might talk to them?”
“Great,” Mark said. “Thanks again for your business. It’s been an honor working with you.”
Mark and Tom climbed back into the truck. Tom commented, “Did you see how hard it was for him to find us on Google? I wonder if others are having the same problem. What if that is costing us reviews?”
“I had the same thought,” Tom said.
Mark continued, “You know, Kenny gave me the email address of someone who helped his company out. Let’s see if they can make it easier for us. Either way, we’ve got to make sure this trash gets cleaned up every time we leave a job!”
Tom agreed.
Coming full circle
Months later, Mark saw a new email from Sam. “Invitation-only event for our business alumni!” Mark smiled. He didn’t bother checking his calendar—as long as it wasn’t his anniversary or his wife’s birthday, he’d be there. Minutes later, he was registered. He couldn’t wait to tell Sam his latest news.
Mark had come to believe in post-sale follow-up so much that he’d worked with a company to create custom software to track it all. Every single job needed a signoff from himself or from Tom. They made sure to visit every site and run through a quick checklist to make sure they caught the most common issues. They always asked the customer for feedback.
If there were any issues, they’d log it in the system and Jessica would immediately get a notice. Sometimes she’d call the customer while Mark or Tom were still there!
If they’d won a happy customer, the customer could either scan a QR code or get a link sent to their cell phone. This made it easy for them to fill out a review.
If they got a referral, all they had to do was text a contact card back to the same phone number. These referrals would go straight into the sales pipeline, flagged as referrals. Because of their focus on quality and customer service, repeat customers reached 20%. Their referrals had tripled, and they’d already gotten fifty new 5-star reviews on Google.
All this had translated to a record-breaking year for Mark and his team. And Sam had been right. They hadn’t needed more leads. They hadn’t developed a better sales process. All they had done was double down on their post-sale follow-up.
You wait, Sam! he thought to himself. Just wait until you hear this!
The Takeaway
Are you looking for a better way to follow up with your customers? If you feel your customer journey has been ending too soon, Silverloom software might be your solution.
Call us today. We’re looking forward to helping you determine if Silverloom is right for you.