“What has this got to do with copywriting Marco?”
Well, nothing. Sort of. But trust me, you are not going to want to skip this.
For the purposes of this piece, let’s assume you run a physical storefront that operates on appointments via telephone and online booking systems.
Salons, car dealers, dentistries, travel agents, home improvement services; it doesn’t really matter.
What I’m about to share applies to all of it.
To state the obvious, some of these tips will need to be adjusted depending on the industry but the core principles are all shared.
Greet them out of the park
Sit down, don’t go to your nearest park. What I mean is that you need to give customers a greeting that oozes quality, secures a booking and goes beyond the norm.
This is all about standing apart from competitors by offering a customer experience like no other.
Without getting into every company’s unique process and whether it’s good, bad or indifferent I’m going to assume some general objectives that businesses have in common.
What most businesses are trying to do with their greetings is this:
- Come across as friendly, polite and professional
- Ascertain what they want
- Get the business or appointment
All normal, all fine.
Now, how about adding a couple of things to this list:
- Assess your marketing efficacy
- Open up the door for future communication
- Introduce prescribed information
Focussing on the latter 3 points, there’s a whole pandora’s box of opportunity and brand-building heavenliness just waiting to be had.
I’ll break them down in a second but what we’re aiming to do here is boost sales, enhance credibility and increase customer loyalty.
6 steps for customer success
- Ask how they found you. This is about tracking advertising spending and if it’s working. So was it a Google search, social media promotions, signs outside the building, local handouts, etc? Collecting this type of data allows you to measure the most effective routes for advertising and adjust budgets accordingly.
- Get their email address and mobile number. Without fail, every time. Yes, occasionally a technophobe shows up with neither but realistically 98% of people have one or both. This step is critical. All future promotions and communications are going to be sent digitally so you need that email address!
- Define the next steps. People like to know what they’re in for. So tell them. Explain what happens from this point onwards, this will put customers at ease, show professionalism and gives you the opportunity to present your next thing.
- Send over a welcome email. Booking confirmations are handy reminders but so much prime email estate is wasted. Use a welcome email or another follow-up email to give a brief summary of your business and while you’re at it, sprinkle in some clever sales tactics. For returning customers who already know who you are and what you do, have an alternative email ready to send that uses a different approach.
- Drop the hooks. Use your welcome email to talk about what services and/or products are available to the customer. This is an excellent way to signpost certain things you will likely be talking about when they actually come in for their appointment. This removes the element of surprise for the customer and builds value in both your brand and whatever it is you’re offering them.
- Automate it. Write it yourself or hire a pro (hi) and get it automated so that everybody receives it, all of the time. Consistency breeds success here. By all means, try some A/B testing to see which versions work better but once you have found your definitive copy; send it!
Hard stuff first, easy stuff later
If you take this consultative approach with your customers and treat every single one with the same level of enthusiasm and customer-centric focus, I guarantee you will see results.
Doing the hard stuff up front will make everything that follows much easier.
I hope you’ve found this useful and as always let me know with a cheeky like, comment and share!
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