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The Power of a Simple Follow Up – One Year Later

PostDateIcon February 4th, 2010 | PostAuthorIcon Author: Phil Lauterjung

edible arrangement 150x150 The Power of a Simple Follow Up One Year LaterI have written in the past about marketing automation and how it can help you grow your business.  Yesterday I experienced this from the customer’s perspective.  Of course, the average customer wouldn’t have recognized the use of a marketing automation system; but, it served to remind me of how effective it can be.

It was just another phone call among many others on a typical day.  This one was from a pleasant female voice with Edible Arrangements.  She asked if I remembered buying one of their arrangements last year for Valentine’s Day.  I don’t normally remember everything that I buy for my wife – probably because I buy her so much, hah ;-) .  But this time I did remember because I was in Kenya last year for the month of February, and quite far away from my wife.

It was actually quite a challenge, one that is hard to imagine for us here in the U.S., to place an order with Edible Arrangements from Kenya.  I was there with a couple of very good friends and we were working on a variety of volunteer projects that we had been involved in over the past 5 years or so.  On this trip we made sure that we had a couple of laptops because getting to internet cafes would be quite a distance from where we were staying.  What we didn’t know was that the available bandwidth there wasn’t sufficient during the daytime to get online and stay online.  So I had to get up very early in the morning to do anything online.  And even then wasn’t always able to stay online.

Long story short (maybe too late for that), I was able to order a nice Edible Arrangement for my honey to be delivered on Valentine’s Day.  She was very surprised and thrilled that I was able to do that.

Now, here we are a year later and I hadn’t had any other transactions with the Edible Arrangement folks since my Kenya adventure.  How do you suppose they knew that I had made that transaction last February?  They obviously keep track of all of their transactions, with follow up triggers, in a marketing automation system.  I was able to confirm that during the conversation with the very pleasant lady who called me.

The lesson for all of us business owners is – do we have a system in place that allows us to follow up with someone like me?  I am not a regular customer of Edible Arrangements, and yet they reached out to me when they knew a certain recurring event was coming up and there was an opportunity for them to remind me about it.

All of us have sporadic customers.  Do you have a way of reaching out to them based on their previous buying patterns?  That may give you a reason to contact them and perhaps turn them into a regular customer.  Please share your ideas and thoughts in the comments.

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

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  • I personally haven't implemented any follow up schemes such as newsletters but I find with things like this it depends how often they come. You can find yourself bombarded sometimes by one company it has the opposite effect and drives you away.

    From some I get about one a month which tends to be the perfect amount. Personally at my job I have to ask face to face if they want to join a mailing list for a monthly letter and the responses range from 'ooh that sounds good' to 'your not going to send me something every day are you?'

    So obviously in this age of constant media bombardment it seems that some people are happy to receive offers and some are suspicious so it may just be about targeting those who are happy to receive such a newsletter.

    I hope this some how makes sense.

    (Just as my name doesn't want to link to it http://seeandhearmark.blogspot.com/)
  • Mark, thanks for joining the discussion. I am curious about the requirement for asking face-to-face to join your mailing list. Why is that? If someone wanted to sign up online, could they? Or would you need to verify face-to-face? When you ask face-to-face do you get very many people saying no? What percentage say yes and then later unsubscribe?

    You may be on to something - a combination of the personal touch with electronic delivery after the personal encounter. Perhaps more of us should incorporate asking for email sign ups as part of our face-to-face meetings. Anyone else have any thoughts on Mark's comment and my questions?
  • Well it's to receive our special offers for the month so it's meant to encourage repeat visits. You can also get it through e-mail but I believe these are sent out more often than once a month as it requires less paper. You can sign up for this online through the companies website and stop it also.

    We don't really get anyone asking for them to stop but after about 3 months if they don't repeat sign up then they stop receiving the leaflet as it's too expensive to print them out for everybody. Usually this is what we get questions about and why they aren't getting them.

    It's probably a bit easier seeing it's a big company with about 270 stores so they obviously have access to great resources but it started out as one store that was just a mail order only store. I suppose this shows the power of good marketing to go from one to 270 in only about 25 years I believe and how as individuals it is possible to expand and reach bigger audiences.
  • There is indeed the "power of simple", and Phil, your blog post met that criteria right on. It came up clear and simple, and your content was so charming.

    My virtual mailbox is so over-stuffed, I delete or spam more than I read. If I don't recognize a name, it's tossed.

    Too avoid accidentally tossing very important information, a true example is the credit monitoring service I subscribe to. They monitor it daily, every 3 months the US Postal service delivers an A-OK report. Recently, an adverse event occurred. I would have deleted a virtual message, but thanks to the US Postal service my credit is being restored back to where it should be. It was a true bank error, but even those take many months and follow-up to correct.

    Thank you for your simple, elegant blog post.
  • Ginny, Thank you for your kind words about my post. I have had my blog called many things, but elegant is a first. I think that over-stuffed mailboxes have almost become an accepted part of online life. Therefore, it is very important for all us to remember to be respectful of those who opt in for whatever we might be sending them.

    You story regarding the USPS is a good lesson for us all - maybe we should think before being too quick to hit delete?
  • I would love to hear some stories of how blogging has helped others keep up with clients. Has anyone had any success with that? Any clients who have continued to purchase from you because of a blog? Any new clients that came directly from a blog? It seems like a great way to keep in touch.
  • julialindsey
    Laura
    So far blogging has not helped me keep up with clients unless they sign up for the RSS feed. We recently decided to add a small summery of our favorite post to the monthy newsletter. Since we have alot of tips on our blog we think that may be a good way to remind our customers we are a source of information.
  • Phil,

    Follow-up automation is a good thing. It becomes more effective when it is personable and shows an effort to treat customers in a fashion that displays you have learned something unique about your them.

    Each contact becomes an opportunity to increase the relationship or turn the person off. The follow-up starts at the first contact. That is your greatest opportunity to obtain information for a future "touch" and set yourself apart from the crowd.

    Thanks for the post!
  • Barbara Brenner
    One of the follow-ups I had recently was a company I bought a software upgrade from online and used a credit card to pay for. They wrote me a follow-up to tell me the name that would appear on my statement, so I could identify what the purchase was for. I can't tell you how many times I see an item on the statement for which I have no understanding of what the purchase was. I really appreciated the information.
  • layabajpai
    I guess follow-up is the key to building good relationships. It works in all spheres of life. Now to get to Laura's observation, yes, some people follow-up so often that you get tired of them. I personally feel that once a week is ideal. This way you stay in the memory without being obtrusive.

    Laya
  • Wow, once a week! That seems like a lot to me, so it is good to know that this would be acceptable. I bet it depends on the business you are in.
  • layabajpai
    Laura,
    I think once a week is good. Yet, as you say depends on the business you are in. I still feel, once a month is too long and daily is too much as that becomes like spam. Maybe one can achieve some kind of a balance by making it once in two weeks. What do you think?

    Laya
  • julialindsey
    I have signed up for updates from companies. If they send them weekly I often delete them due to lack of time. If I recieve them monthly I am more likely to take notice and open the e-mail. But I guess it depends on the reader.
  • layabajpai
    Yes Julia, I completely agree with you on that one. I gues it does depend on the reader. I like my letters with tips and advice to come in once a week or once every fortnight. Yes, letters that offer new products and info I also prefer that once a month.

    Laya
  • Allow me to jump back in here for a comment. As we are seeing from this discussion is the answer to the frequency question is that time-honored, some might say cop out, response of "it depends". It's all about knowing who our customers are and what their preferences are. It might be a good idea to run a poll on your blog or in your next newsletter and just ask the question. Poll Daddy is one simple. free, and easy way, but there are others too. The key to this and most of what we each do is to make sure that we deliver what our target audience wants when they want it. Which is often much easier said than done.

    Have a great weekend everyone. And thanks for your great comments on this topic.
  • Through our conversation here, I realized that it really does depend on the business. My newsletter is about teaching chess to kids. I think people would want to hear about that monthly. I could be wrong though. Other businesses, with tips that could help someone, could go out weekly. It is hard to come up with the material each week though.
  • layabajpai
    Laura,
    I still feel once a week or once in two weeks is a better idea than once a month. Once a month is something we lose touch with. I like newsletters that arrive once a week or once in two weeks, or maybe whenever you feel like posting. Make sure the gap is not too long. Again that is my view.

    Laya
  • julialindsey
    I think follow up is also important following networking events. I generally take a persons business card, then I mail a card the next day to tell them that I enjoyed meeting them and ask what I can do to help them. The cards I send have my photo so they can remember who I was. (I generally make a note on their card about their looks and what I liked so I can remember them)

    For customers in our pipeline I use salesforce. I can then set up alerts to either send a automated e-mail or make a phone call.

    I am not good about following up with past customers but I do love it when people follow up with me. I need to add that to my action items for the month.

    Thanks for the reminder.
  • Collecting cards and writing notes on the back is an excellent tool. A bit hard to organize, but I have been successful with that in the past.

    Definitely following up with old clients is important I think. It is something we can all remember to do more often. If I was really on top of my game, I would send out birthday cards to them each year. However, I'm just not that organized (and I don't like the online cards).
  • julialindsey
    I use a service Send out Cards. It is online but you pick a card write a note on it(with a font that looks like your writing) and then it is mailed. There is a tool that will remind you to send birthday cards. I still dont send them like I should but it helps.
    I love sending cards from businesses. It always makes me feel special even if I know they have some service doing it for them.
  • I have several friends who love SOC. I couldn't get into it. I can see how it would be perfect for some though! There is one online card company that I like. It isn't the usual spam thingy, but more of an work of art. It is Jacquie Lawson. However, I still don't around to sending them out. I'd have to collect birthday dates of all my clients, which would be rough. I do need to figure something out though!
  • Thanks for the post, Phil.

    There are so many great contact management systems on the market right now, and I'm sorry to admit guilt in not installing one yet (although I have the software here - it's on my to do list). In the past, I've been able to keep so much of this in my head - but that's not only a bad idea in terms of building a viable business that can be sold, but is also virtually impossible when you're selling product (historically, I've operated a service business).

    I will say, I can spot an automated form message immediately and rarely appreciate them. It takes only a moment to add a brief personal note and the difference is huge in terms of positive impact. So, I'm cautious on how I define and support "automated marketing."

    I agree with Laura, too many sales pitches too frequently is a turn-off - no matter how great the wares.

    As to your question, I tend to focus on communicating with clients (or contacts) in meaningful and memorable ways, so will clip articles that feature them or speak to their interests and forward via snail mail; refer prospects to them when appropriate; send media queries to them that may enable them to spotlight their business; notice when their kids' teams or activities are spotlighted; know the BODs they serve on and comment when goals are met, etc. Little things can mean a lot to people and if you take your sales hat off and think more about building relationships by helping others feel good, it builds long-term emissaries, at least in my experience.
  • Nanette, it sounds like you're doing a lot of things very well. You're so very right in maintaining the personal touch in your communications. The nice part of an automated system is that it can be used along with those personal touches. I think where some businesses miss the point is that they tend to write sterile messages for their automated "touches". You can still send out messages that are worded in a way that sounds like you instead of some faceless, nameless person who doesn't really care.

    You are right about there being very many contact management systems available. One thing to keep in mind in choosing a good one is to make sure you are very clear on what your objectives are. When you go beyond a CRM system you get into the realm of lead management, lead scoring, lead nurturing (did you know that surveys show that around 80% of initial inquiries aren't ready to buy?), and analytics. Now it starts sounding a little more scary, huh. For those that want some help in evaluating various systems I would recommend Focus.com or The Raab Guide (raabguide.com). Neither one are vendors, but they still have their own biases - but don't we all? :-)
  • This is a perfect example of great customer service! Knowing enough about your customers to be able to anticipate their needs is one of the best things a business can do I think. So often in sales the sale not made is the one from past customers!
  • There is no doubt that follow up is key. There's a fine balance between nagging and keeping in touch, though. Some businesses email me so often it feels like spam. Others, I wish they would contact me more, as I forget their contact info. Yes, I have actually sorted through old emails looking for a company's newsletter.

    I'm curious, what do you think is the correct amount of follow up? Once a month?

    To answer your question from the flip side, as a small business owner, I use newsletters to keep in touch. I try to get them out monthly, but usually fail.

    Recently I started blogging and have been promoting my two blogs to my clients. I have two very different businesses (chess coaching and freelance writing), so it requires two very different blogs. My hope is that my clients can always find me and keep tabs on what I am doing.
  • Laura, I agree with you about having a balance. The difficult part is knowing where that is. One thing I'm in the process of implementing is asking about frequency preferences as part of the sign up form for my newsletter. Give them a choice of weekly, every other week, or monthly. Not sure if that will help, but at least it will give them a chance to choose rather than me just sending something to them when I feel like it. Of course, it then puts the burden on me to have a system in place (which I do) to track their preferences.

    Their is also another option that I'm investigating called Posterous. It allows you to push content out through as many different social media platforms as you choose at one time. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to try it.
  • I never considered asking for frequency! That's a good idea. For me, I have to admit I have trouble creating a newsletter each month. I'm pretty picky about the content and pictures, so it just takes a while to create.

    On my blog I have the ability to send out articles on the various platforms, but I have to admit that it hasn't helped. I track where my blog readers come from and they don't flood in from Twitter or Facebook.
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