50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #21
Mistake #21 of 50Don’t forget your existing customers while chasing new ones.
Someone who already trusts you is easier to reach than a stranger.
What it costs you
Who are you chasing?
Most businesses spend almost all of their marketing money chasing strangers.
New ads. New leads. New faces.
Meanwhile, the people who already bought from you hear nothing. Not a call. Not a card. Not a thank-you.
Your existing customer already knows you, already trusts you and already has your number.
Getting them to buy again, or send a friend, is much easier than finding a new customer out of the blue.
Forget them long enough, and somebody else will be glad to remember them.
A real example
The insurance agent’s week
Picture an insurance agent with three chances at business this week.
A new policy from a stranger takes ads, calls, quotes and weeks of back and forth.
A renewal from a happy customer takes one phone call.
A referral from that same customer takes one question: “Who else do you know who should be talking to me?”
Same agent. Same week.
One of those is hard. Two of them are easy.
Don’t skip the easy ones.
Why it happens
Why the easy ones get skipped
The cheapest customer you will ever get is the one you already have.
Do this instead
Go back to the people who already said yes.
Your customers, the reorder and the referral: that’s where the money is. None of it takes an ad. It takes a phone call, a card or a small thank-you.
| The moment | What to do |
|---|---|
| It’s been a year | Call. “We haven’t seen you in a while. Wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.” |
| A job just finished | Ask: “Who else do you know who should be talking to me?” |
| Their renewal is coming up | Call before it’s due, not after it’s gone. |
| They sent you a friend | Thank them that same week, with a note and something small. |
| The holidays | Send a gift they’ll use, not one more card. |
| Something new comes in | Tell your customers first, before you tell strangers. |
Pull a list of everyone who bought from you in the last two years. That list is the easiest money in your business. Call them before somebody else does.
Do this today
- 1
Pull up your last 20 customers.
- 2
Circle the five you haven’t talked to since the job was done.
- 3
Call each one. “Nothing’s wrong. Just checking in.”
- 4
End every call with one next step: “Want me to put you on the schedule?”
Strangers are hard. Your customers are easy. Start with the easy ones, today.
From the book
Chapter 6: The Two Holy Trinities of Marketing
Starts on page 47. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
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Stay in front of people who already said yes.
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