The quest for the next customer is exciting, arduous, challenging, and – when you win – rewarding. Every quest begins with a first contact. You work hard to learn about this customer's needs, wants, and priorities. You strive to learn their goals, their price parameters, and their personal profile. Where did they go to school? Do they have children? Who's their favorite football team? Where did they grow up?
You learn the facts. You create the plan. You execute the plan. You make the sale, and you ring the bell in celebration! Then you move on to the next potential new customer, the next quest.
You've just worked hard to earn that new customer. Yet, your focus now is on the NEXT new opportunity. What's most important is the CURRENT new opportunity. So many people in business are in such hot pursuit of the next new opportunity that they are blinded to the current new opportunity.
What would rather achieve: 50 one-time sales or 50 sales from one customer? I hope you all responded "the latter." Think of each new customer as the beginning of a new relationship – your current new opportunity. Your primary focus after completing that transaction with the customer should be developing the relationship and initiating an ongoing system of communicating with them.
Selling to people you don't know and don't have a relationship with is hard. Create a legion of customers with whom you can relate, communicate, and – hopefully – enjoy working.
Create this legion by developing relationships with the one-time customers and making them your source for long-term business success.
Previous How Fast are Your Customers Churning?
Next Horton Hears a Stakeholder?