How I Doubled Sales Twice -- And You Can, Too

Do you own a business?

Want more revenue?

This is for you ...

Back in the 1990s, I doubled revenue twice in four years -- to a comfortable six figures -- for a resume service I operated amid fierce, price-cutting competition.

The methods that worked then still work today. They can get you more clients tomorrow.

Here's what I did: followed up, kept clients happy, and generated referrals.

1. Follow up
Using CRM software (Goldmine), I followed up by email and phone at least three times with every qualified prospect. And I used it to mail all clients at least once a year with news and/or promotions.

If I were doing it today, I would use Salesforce.com as my CRM. And I would mail clients every month. Not email -- snail mail. Prospects would get a monthly newsletter by mail, too.

2. Keep clients happy
My strategy was simple: I tried to over-communicate. That solved most problems when they were tiny flickers of dissatisfaction, before they grew into bonfires of anger.

Examples: I told clients what to expect at every stage of the process, then told them exactly why I did what I did for them, to resell them on the thought that choosing me was a good idea. Also, I sent them an extensive "user guide" to help them actually use what I created for them.

All of which worked very, very well.

3. Generate referrals
I used 10+ different referral methods, but the easiest to explain here is my formalized referral system.

Here's what I told clients:

For every new client you send my way, I'll discount their order $20 (as a gift from you), pay you $20 cash, or send you a $20 Amazon gift certificate. I settled on these 3 choices after much input from clients.

Any client who referred two or more people was upgraded to Best Client status in my CRM. These clients got more mailings, more phone calls, and all-around "rock star" treatment. They responded by referring even more new clients. Virtuous circle.

What do all three have in common?

None of them requires you to spend another penny on advertising.

You can grow your business from the inside -- heck, double it -- by converting more prospects (by following up diligently), retaining existing clients (by keeping them happy), and "cloning" those clients (by generating referrals).

Try any or all of these in your business. Grow your business from the inside. Repeat as needed.

Don’t Make This Mistake With Your Prospects

I'll write in the coming weeks about the importance of using contact management software in your business, SalesForce.com or Goldmine.com.

For now, to help you understand how many good things can happen when you follow up correctly with prospects, let me show you what can go wrong -- terribly wrong -- when you don’t follow up right.

Below is an actual email I got from a prospect who obviously never bought anything. I made just about every possible mistake with this man, all because I got lazy and didn’t use contact management software. My comments are in the body of his email message, IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

I've decided to find someone locally to do my project. You told me 2 weeks ago that you would get right on it, I need it now. ACTUALLY, I NEVER TOLD HIM I’D GET RIGHT ON IT IN ANY EMAILS TO HIM, BUT ANY CHANCES I HAD OF CLARIFYING THIS FOR HIM ARE GONE

You didn't even remember who I was when I called. DOH! I DECIDED TO “WING IT” AND CALL HIM BACK WITHOUT FIRST LOOKING UP HIS NAME IN GOLDMINE

You came highly recommended to me, why I don't know. I FORGOT TO ASK HIM HOW HE HEARD ABOUT ME, SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHO RECOMMENDED HIM; IF IT WAS A CLIENT, I HAVE EGG ON MY FACE AS A RESULT

I'm going to tell people in the future here in Omaha not to do business with you, because all they will get is a bunch of empty promises. I'm very, very disappointed in your business. HERE’S A POSSIBLE PR DISASTER THAT’S ALL MY OWN DOING

I did email him back with an apology and to wish him well, not to salvage this lost sale, but to try to head off any negative word-of-mouth.

All in all, this is an excellent example of what can happen when you try to keep vital prospect details in your head, instead of in contact management software.