Remember: People like to buy and do business with people they know and like. During times when money is tight, they are more likely to spend money (if they do so at all) on products and services from those they know and trust. You may have had the experience of running into an old friend and to your shock and disappointment discovered that they just bought the very product or service that you represent from someone else. Ugh! The pain runs deep and could have easily been avoided just by increasing the amount of contact with the people you know. You can miss these types of opportunities when things are going great—but when times are tough you can’t afford to miss any business! And the reality is that you should never put yourself in this position, regardless of economic conditions, but now you don’t have a choice—you have to capitalize on every single opportunity.
This process of reactivating your power base might feel a lot like going to the gym after blowing off exercise for six months. It is all new again and you are using muscles that you have not used in some time. Just like working out, once you force yourself back into the gym, and work through the pain, you will be glad you did! So just push through your resistance and know that your persistence is going to pay off, as long as you keep showing up and working out you will rebuild the muscle and in this case your power base.
The Call
So, let’s talk about exactly how you are going to start reactivating your power base. How to make the call and what exactly you might say something like this:
“John, Grant Cardone here. Just thinking about you and wanted to catch up. How are things? What are you doing now? Tell me about the family, the house, the job?” This usually prompts your contact to ask what you are doing; at which point, you tell them and emphasize how excited you are about it. Do not, under any circumstance, mention or discuss or get involved with a conversation about how bad the economy is. No one needs more bad news!
Take the time during the call to collect data and update your files: E-mail and postal addresses, phone numbers, family and employment changes, etc. The second part of the call’s purpose is to set up a time to meet in person. “Let’s catch up this month over lunch. When is good for you?” You must commit to and set a time to meet with the person you’re calling, because this will bring about two subsequent actions: filling your schedule and making personal contacts. Again, your purpose here is not to sell; it is simply to make contact, reestablish a bond, collect data, and set up a future meeting.
Follow up your reactivation call by sending out a letter or e-mail that same day. Do not wait until tomorrow. Build the habit of doing everything you can now to establish a discipline of taking massive action. End the call with something like, “Great speaking with you. I look forward to catching up with you in person.” This call and a mailing will then be followed up with a personal visit—whether or not you get a commitment to a future date to meet. Either put the time you both agreed to meet on your calendar, or schedule a date for a personal visit.
Remember, these people already know you. They will probably want to reactivate as well and help you if they can. In fact, these people will admire you for reaching out to them—and will realize that this is exactly what they should be doing, too.
Here are a few very important do nots to keep in mind when reactivating your power base:1. Do not qualify the list.2. Do not worry about what these people are going to think because you haven’t been in contact for some time.3. Do not be reasonable with this action.4. Do not try to make this a sales call.5. However, do not forget that you are selling. The mere action of reactivating means you’re selling.6. Do not judge the results of the contact.
Your goal is to do everything possible to reconnect with the people you know, connect with others, network, and get people talking and thinking about you again. Any attention is better than no attention. The more people you know, the more likely you will survive—and succeed! So get going on your list of reactivations, and fill your calendar with appointments with everyone you can possibly think of.
CHAPTER 3. Past Client Reactivation
If you are going to advance and conquer, you will be forced to reactivate your past clients. They are a gold mine you may have taken for granted for some time because you have been spoiled by an excess of opportunities.
Reactivating past clients means contacting each person to whom you have sold and provided a service before but with whom you are not actively working at this time. This is not an option; it must be done daily. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to create a list of past clients or customers and start personally calling them. You could enlist the help of someone to make these calls for you, but nothing will be more effective than making the call yourself.
Do not spend your time organizing or qualifying the list. Make calls, organize later, and never qualify. If someone has bought from you once, he or she still deserves to be contacted—regardless of the person’s current financial situation. Remember: Everyone knows someone else. You might only be one contact away from the contact you need in order to make a sale.
During periods of immense economic negativity, your biggest benefit is the fact that your competitors are doing very little about the solution. This is a great scenario, and you want to take advantage of it. It’s a critical time to protect your power base and past clients by staying in touch with them with even more regularity. Increasing the number of people you know will defy the common tendency to pull back, and it will ensure your expansion and survival. Disagree with your surroundings, disagree with the actions of those with whom you work and compete, and always disagree with being reasonable in the marketplace. Do exactly the opposite of what those around you are doing, and more often than not, you will be assured success.
The call itself is not a science, so do not agonize about whether you’re saying the “right” thing. Remember, action counts more than anything. Don’t spend time worrying that this person will be upset with you because you haven’t spoken to him or her in awhile. Trust me; your customers haven’t spent every day since you last sold to them wondering why you haven’t called. The reality is that they have probably forgotten you—and that is exactly the problem. During tight times, you cannot afford to have anyone forget you. Those who get the most attention and stay top-of-mind will exit the situation stronger than their competitors!
A call to a past client would begin a lot like the call to those in your power base. You let him or her know that you’re calling to catch up, and ask briefly about not only the person but also his or her family or business. Try to keep the small talk to a minimum so that you can address your other objective: “The second reason I am calling is to see if there is anything I can do for you at this time to enhance the investment you made with us.”
Continue by asking questions about how your product is working, what the client is satisfied with, and whether there is anything that he or she is not satisfied with. This creates opportunities for you to be of service. And while some might suggest that asking for problems gets you problems, my experience has demonstrated time and time again that problems are opportunities for you to shine. They give you a chance to either solidify the relationship and pull farther away from the competition or actually increase your business by replacing the problem with new products or services. Go into full-service mode when you’re faced with a customer issue to solve; it will bring you back into regular communication with a client with whom you’ve lost touch. Remember: Contacts turn into contracts, and the more contacts, the more contracts. Embrace the challenges that others avoid and use them to create opportunities to propel yourself, your products, and your services.