As the world is busy bursting into bloom this spring, it’s the perfect time for you to plant the seeds for your business’s growth and nurture them into full flourish!
We’ve gathered insights from seasoned business leaders and entrepreneurs who have cultivated their ventures from budding startups into thriving enterprises. Their journeys, filled with challenges and victories, provide the vital nourishment—much like the sunlight and rain of spring—that’s essential for growth.
Let’s delve into their practical advice and strategic insights on customer retention, marketing, and overall business strategies together, guiding you in nurturing your business’s success this season!
Defining the “Bullseye” — Crafting a Clear Customer Experience Statement
Ali Cudby, CEO of Alignmint Growth Strategies, shares vital insights on retaining customers effectively. According to Cudby, “The best way to retain customers is having clear and consistent playbooks that guide the key moments in the customer’s journey.”
She emphasizes that these playbooks provide a roadmap for team members to deliver products and services confidently, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Rule #1: Define Your Marketing Mission
In her bestselling book, Keep Your Customers, Cudby introduces the concept of the “Bullseye,” a clearly articulated customer experience statement.
She advises, “You have a mission, vision, and values about your company – articulate your company’s position on behalf of your customers. When you develop a clearly articulated Bullseye, you have a customer experience statement that every department can follow, which provides a more confident and consistent foundation for engagement.”
Advice for New Entrepreneurs: Focus Your Efforts
For those just starting out, Cudby highlights the importance of targeting the right audience. “Get clear on who you’re serving. Trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for disaster,” she notes.
Focusing on a specific market segment enables businesses to tailor their strategies effectively and avoid the pitfalls of overextension.
Connect with Ali:
LinkedIn (Ali)
LinkedIn (Alignmint Growth Strategies)
Check out Ali’s book, Keep Your Customers!
Innovative Marketing & Customer-Centric Strategies Propel Business Growth
Alice Heiman, the Chief Sales Energizer at Alice Heiman, LLC, emphasizes the key elements of customer retention: “First and foremost excellent execution. Doing a great job for every client is imperative. Next is caring. We care about our customers and build strong relationships that show them we care. Every client we have will tell you we sincerely care about them. Those are paramount and then we add appreciation. We find lots of ways to appreciate our clients throughout the year. Excellent Execution, Caring, Appreciation—that sums it up.”
Innovative Contact Marketing
On innovative marketing, Heiman describes her approach, “We love to send things in the mail that will get attention. Two of my favorites are chocolate and books. We use a local chocolate maker and send chocolate to our clients and prospects on Valentine’s Day. I’ve also sent a beautifully packaged book to prospects. You have to stand out in this marketplace and sending something lovely does that.”
She also highlights the benefits of podcasting: “Podcasting has been a great marketing tactic and has really grown my following on social media. I get to interview CEOs of the exact type of company I want to work with. It works.”
Key Entrepreneurial Advice
Heiman advises focusing on customer impact in every business decision: “Focus on your customer. With every decision ask the team, ‘How will this impact our customers.’ Always strive to make it easier to be your customer and harder to be your competition. Stay close to your customers. Talk to them frequently.”
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Embracing Marketing Diversity & Fearless Innovation
Amanda Robinson, Founder & CEO of The Digital Gal Inc., employs a unique approach to customer retention by integrating physical rewards into her digital membership program.
She explains, “To help with customer retention in my Membership group, I gift a branded Digital Gal YETI mug to new members once they hit their 3-month milestone after joining. It’s a nice touch point to put something physical in the hands of Members who are supporting my business through my digital product.”
This strategy not only rewards loyalty but also creates a tangible connection with her digital community.
Diverse Marketing Tactics for Business Growth
Robinson has experimented with a plethora of marketing tactics to fuel her business’s growth.
She shares, “I have tried so many little marketing tactics including contests, messenger marketing chatbots, direct mail, gifts, giveaways, collaborations, using my signature colour on everything related to the business, free webinars, incentives, coupon codes, QR codes, NFC tokens, and so, so much more.”
Her commitment to variety and experimentation in marketing strategies underscores her belief that willingness to embrace new methods is crucial for success.
Advice for Budding Entrepreneurs
When it comes to innovation, Robinson advises entrepreneurs to be fearless in executing their unique ideas.
“Don’t be afraid to try your ideas, even if it is something you haven’t seen done before. When something is innovative, new, or different, you may not get the same feeling of support and approval from those around you. Don’t let it slow you down. Try new things,” she encourages.
This mindset is vital for those looking to break new ground and achieve significant impact in their ventures.
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Leveraging ‘Prospect by Interview’ Strategy & Building Social Proximity
Brynne Tillman, CEO of Social Sales Link, emphasizes exceptional service as the core of client retention: “The key to client retention is serving them above and beyond their expectations. Know them, understand them, have clear communication, nurture the relationship, have check-ins to ensure that they are getting what they expected and needed, be flexible to make changes based on any changes to their professional environment.”
Innovative Marketing: Prospecting by Interview
Tillman advocates for a unique marketing strategy called “prospect by interview,”.
She details this concept as, “This is a campaign designed to interview prospects, gather their insights for an e-book, building rapport, and understanding their strengths and gaps. Then publish the e-book with your prospects’ perspectives and your own. Then there’s the follow-up that includes offering insights based on something you heard during your first conversation with each of the interviewees, offer some insights specific to the needs you uncovered on a second call.”
Building Social Proximity and Value
She also highlights the importance of social proximity in business success, “In business, your social proximity is the key to your success. Build a strong network, bring value to that network, and leverage that network to gain access to targeted buyers.”
Additionally, Tillman advises on the approach to sales, “If I could offer a second piece of advice, it would be around showing up as a resource instead of a seller. All your content and messaging should lead to your solution, not with it. Don’t be the salesperson who connects and pitches; be the salesperson that becomes the trusted advisor.”
Connect with Brynne:
Utilizing Strategic Partnerships & Prioritizing Quality
Dylan Bloyed, Founder & Host of the Business Leaders of America Podcast, details his approach to retaining listeners.
He shares, “At the Business Leaders of America Podcast, our success in retaining customers—our listeners—stems from a multifaceted approach. Firstly, we prioritize consistency, ensuring that our audience can rely on us for regular, engaging content. Secondly, we maintain a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality episodes that meet or exceed our listeners’ expectations.”
This strategy, combined with active listener engagement, “We actively solicit feedback from our listeners and prioritize their requests when planning our content,” ensures a loyal audience base.
Leveraging Strategic Partnerships for Marketing
Bloyed discusses an effective marketing tactic: “One unconventional yet highly effective and cost-efficient marketing tactic that has significantly contributed to our business growth is forging strategic partnerships with high-level professionals who possess substantial influence and reach within their respective industries.”
By collaborating with influential figures, the podcast gains exposure and credibility, which is vital for growth.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs
On advice for new business owners, Bloyed emphasizes quality: “The most crucial piece of advice I would offer to someone starting their business and aspiring to grow is to prioritize quality over everything else.”
He supports this with a quote from one of his podcast episodes, “’Stop focusing solely on the money. Focus on making the best product or service possible, and the money will come.’”
Connect with Dylan:
Listen to Dylan’s podcast, Business Leaders of America!
Growing Brand Visibility & Getting A Head Start
Michelle Garrett of Garrett Public Relations emphasizes the importance of exceptional service for client retention.
She notes, “Delivering excellent work and results have been the most effective ways I’ve retained clients over the years. Keeping my clients happy is my top priority. To do that, I check in with them frequently, and we meet monthly to go over their goals and needs. They know I’m responsive to their needs.”
This approach ensures clients feel valued and understood.
Boosting Visibility through Industry Publications
Garrett also shares an innovative growth strategy: “One of the ways I’ve helped my business grow that may be a little outside the box is by contributing articles to industry publications. That’s really helped raise my visibility and won me some new clients because they can see my work and how it might fit in with their needs.”
Writing for industry publications has effectively increased her visibility and attracted new clients.
The Importance of an Email List
On building foundational marketing tools, Garrett advises, “Start building your email list NOW. It’s never too early to start! Even if you don’t have a newsletter or anything to send them yet, I’d recommend having a way to sign up for your list featured on your site. I didn’t do this as early as I should have. It takes time to grow that list, but it’s one of the most valuable tools for communicating directly with your audience.”
Connect with Michelle:
Check out Michelle’s new book, B2B PR That Gets Results!
More Info On B2B PR That Gets Results
Utilizing Client Feedback & Curiosity
Mike Wittenstein, Managing Partner at Storyminers, shares straightforward client retention principles: “1. Be specific about what you promise to do for clients and include the value they expect to receive in it. 2. Deliver on your promises. 3. Put value creation for clients ahead of profit-taking, always.”
These principles focus on clear commitments and prioritizing client value over profits.
Gaining Insights from Past Client Experiences
Wittenstein suggests a proactive approach to marketing and relationship management: “If you’ve been in business for a while, reach out to former clients to ask what stood out about working with you and which recommendations ‘stuck’ and continued to deliver value. Find out how much value. Keep track of those to refine your next marketing campaigns. Also, when you’re on the phone, you can ask for recommendations and freshened up testimonials. Fresh testimonials about older projects carry much weight.”
This strategy enhances marketing efforts and strengthens client relationships.
Encouraging Growth Through Curiosity
On driving business growth, Wittenstein advises: “Be curious. Spend more time asking people open-ended questions so that you can learn to spot their unmet needs. Most growth comes from fulfilling unmet needs before others learn to do that too.”
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Innovating with the Fractional CMO Model & Emphasizing Customer-Centric Flexibility
Neal Schaffer, President of PDCA Social, outlines his top strategies for client retention: “The best strategies are 1) delivering the highest quality product possible, 2) being flexible when their needs change, and 3) staying in constant communication, which provides a lot of intel both on how to improve as well as opportunities for new business.”
These tactics ensure that clients receive optimal service while opening avenues for continuous improvement and new business opportunities.
Developing the Fractional CMO Business Model
In early 2020, Schaffer innovated his business model based on a deep analysis of his skills and client needs, creating what he calls the Fractional CMO.
He describes the process: “I developed a new business model at the time called Fractional CMO back in early 2020. Basically, I looked at my current marketing consultant clients, my skillsets, my passions, and the types of projects and clients that I liked to serve the most, and developed a business model around it. When new client calls came my way, I introduced it as the only way of doing business with me. This strategy of pivoting product to market needs but aligning it with my own needs is what has helped me sustain growth since then.”
This approach has allowed him to streamline his offerings and grow sustainably by aligning market demands with his personal strengths and preferences.
Advice for Flexibility and Customer-Centric Solutions
Schaffer emphasizes the importance of understanding and empathizing with the target customer: “Put yourself in the shoes of your target customer. Read their mind. Understand their pain points. Then develop solutions to serve them. Approach your business with flexibility and the ability to pivot is crucial for success in today’s world.”
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Enhancing Sales through Helpful Engagement and Targeted Marketing
Tom Pick of Webbiquity LLC emphasizes the value of responsiveness and ease in client interactions: “Being highly responsive and easy to work with. Clients have so much to do, lots of stress—service and actions that help subtract from those issues rather than add to them is greatly appreciated. Clients value a consulting relationship that’s pleasant, productive, and never problematic.”
Engaging Prospects with Helpfulness
Pick describes his approach to engaging with prospects: “Not sure how innovative or unconventional it is, but I always try to help prospects in any way I can. I focus on helping, not on sales. At the very least, being helpful expands my network. At most, it helps sales just sort of happen; prospects ASK for a proposal because they appreciate the sincere effort to help.”
This strategy creates genuine relationships and leads to more organic sales opportunities.
Importance of Focused Marketing
On targeting the right clients, Pick advises: “FOCUS. Focusing marketing efforts on one specific type of client or customer is always hard for new business owners. The temptation is to cast a wide net, to try to sell to everyone. That doesn’t work. When it comes to client focus, less really is more. Customers want to work with business owners who understand and focus on addressing their specific needs. No one can be an ‘expert’ with every type of prospective customer.”
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Wrap Up
The insights shared by seasoned business leaders offer valuable lessons that can help you nurture and grow your business effectively. Whether you’re refining your customer retention strategies, trying new marketing ideas, or just getting better at what you do, use this spring to push forward!
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