How Well Are You Managing Your Contacts?

In this week’s issue of his free ezine called “Sales Caffeine,” Jeffrey Gitomer talks about contact management software. He believes “every salesperson needs some form of contact control and sales organization.” However, he wonders if the people who make the software, use the software because so many sales people don’t use it, claiming it’s cumbersome, too complicated, doesn’t serve their needs, etc.

He doesn’t slam or advocate any particular software and I won’t either. Everyone has different needs and the key is finding the right database or contact management software that works for your business. But it is essential to your business’ success that you have some way to keep track of information about your clients, referral sources and probable clients (formally referred to as prospects).

Keeping a database of this info allows you to consistently communicate with them and allows them the opportunity to send you more business. I was talking with a health professional last week who was telling me about interesting developments in her industry. She had already told me she does not have her patient information compiled into one complete database. So I pointed out to her that she is depriving her patients of important information, that she may be the only one to provide, because she doesn’t have a client database. Without the client or patient database, she’s unable to reach out and generate MORE business from them. WITH that database, the task would be super easy.What about you? What business are you missing out on by not communicating with your database?

What You Can Learn from Beyonce

Watching the American Music Awards last night got me thinking about how musical artists market to their “clients.” Everyone has clients, although you may not think of them as clients, they are. The artists’ clients are, of course their fans; when they win, they always thank the fans. But the artists also have to market to radio stations and any other channels that broadcast their music. And the channels that distribute their CDs are important to their success too – places like Walmart, Target and Amazon.In order to sell their music, the artists have to consistently market to their clients along with the other people who make them successful. Notice that the truly successful, popular musical artists are always coming out with new music, collaborating with other artists, showing up here, there and everywhere. They understand that if they’re not constantly in front of their customers, their customers will forget about them and move on to someone else. It’s exactly the same for your business.

Take a quick look at HOW musical artists stay in front of their customers. Awards shows like the American Music Awards or the Grammy Awards are one tool. Radio station interviews and co-hosting count down shows are others, as are print media interviews and photo shoots. These methods give fans a chance to “get to know” the artist and relate on a more personal level. (Oh, she likes surfing and Chinese food just like me!) You can accomplish the same goal with newsletters or blogs that share your and your company’s personality.

Now think for a second about artists you haven’t heard from in a while. Shania Twain comes to mind. She is at the top of the list of top-selling female recording artists and hasn’t released an album in several years. Some people might start wondering where she is. And in the meantime, they’re finding other artists to fill their listening needs. Others have forgotten about her altogether.

Don’t let that happen to your business. Stay in front of your clients so they can’t forget about you and when they need what you have, you are top of mind.

Makes a Nice Thank You Gift

Have you seen the “news” story about the restaurant in New York that’s offering a $25,000 dessert? The dessert is a combination of cocoas from 14 countries, milk and 5 grams of 24-carat gold topped with whip cream and shavings from a La Madeline au Truffle. (and no, I don’t know what that is either.) The whole thing is served in a goblet with a band of gold decorated with 1 carat of diamonds and comes with a golden spoon diners can take home.Hmmm. What do you think of using those chocolates and sandwiching them between two Zen Rabbit cookies and then dipping it all in 24-carat gold? We can sprinkle diamond chips on it. No wait, that wouldn’t be good for the digestive system.Okay, we can serve it on a platinum plate encrusted with diamonds along with a matching teacup filled with the world’s most expensive tea. According to the Guiness Book of Records, that would be a rare Chinese green tea called Tieguanyin, which costs about $3,000 per kilo (2 lb 3 oz) or more than $85 per ounce.

I’d be nice and let the client keep the plate and teacup. Wouldn’t that make a nice customer or client appreciation gift?! Any suggestions on sale price?

Guilty For Not Giving

That’s what two-thirds of small business owners said they would feel if they didn’t show appreciation for their clients during the upcoming holiday season. BUT, the newly released survey taken by OPEN from American Express, also found only 59% of those business owners plan to take action and actually give client gifts. Not surprisingly, the survey revealed that the gift-giving people are “growth-minded, customer-focused and generous with staff.”

Alice Bredin, OPEN from American Express small business advisor, says “small business owners who are giving holiday gifts to clients seem to have mastered an important life lesson – you get back what you give.” That’s what I’ve been saying too! Thanks for the reinforcement, Alice. She went on to say that the smart business people are using client gift-giving as an effective marketing tool, on top of providing exceptional client service and developing relationships.What is the most popular choice for holiday giving? It’s cards and calendars! Ewww! How much more mundane can you get?“The stakes are high for making a lasting impression with your gift, especially when competing against larger companies with substantial marketing budgets,” Bredin says. If you really want to make an impression and stand out from everyone else, send one of the very distinctive Zen Rabbit gift packages you can find at the Zen Rabbit website.

Wedding Bells

The other thing I was busy with in October was my brother’s wedding. Yes, my little brother (at 6′1″) finally said “I do” on October 28^th. It was a beautiful, yet blustery, day in New Jersey. I won’t comment about having to wear a sleeveless dress for the outdoor ceremony. Here’s a pic of Greg and his lovely bride Kim at the reception. The staff service at the Lake Valhalla Club was great – those servers were busy, yet kindly accommodated our requests.

<Can I tell you about the wedding cake? Three layers, all different flavors. I tasted them all and give the award for best to the peanut butter with peanut chips.

Of course it was awesome to see all our extended family. Here’s another pic – this one of friends Beth and David whom we’ve known since birth (they’re like cousins) and all of our spouses – all together for the first time ever.

And since we were up in NJ a few days before the big event, I got the chance to get together with my old friend Camille too. We lived across the street from each other from 5 years old until we went to college. She has 5 kids and still looks the same. Check out my beloved Polartec fleece I’m wearing!
Maybe I’ll post some pics of lions and tigers and rhinos when Greg and Kim get back from their honeymoon in Tanzania.

The World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar

October was a crazy busy month. Even so, I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything on Rabbit Rouser Online in a MONTH! I offer no excuses, but would like to share with you what I’ve been doing that kept me from writing.Mid month, I attended the “World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar” in Los Angeles. What a fabulous and very intense 5-day learning experience! Teachers included seminar host T. Harv Eker, Alex Mandossian, Bob Burg, Chet Holmes, Jay Abraham, Joel Roberts, Rick Frishman and more. My head is still spinning from all the ideas I intend to put into action in the coming weeks. Create a formal referral system! Develop a frequent buyer program! Find appropriate joint venture partners! Implement a consistent online marketing program!Stay tuned for more details as each of these tasks gets into process. And if you have experiences in doing any of these things and want to share your stories, please, let me know. I want to hear. Furthermore, if you have a list that you think would benefit from the Zen Rabbit Appreciation Marketing approach, definitely contact me and let’s talk joint venture.