On all of my websites, you will find my phone number and address. Good customer service applies to your on-line business just as much as any off-line business. In fact, I have heard time and again customers say that they don't do business with someone on line unless their contact information - preferably with a phone number - is posted on their site.

Here's another axiom about customers that you should remember:

It's easier to GET a customer than it is to KEEP one.

Any customer that's in market for your type of service is as likely to hire your company as anyone's. After all, it's really a matter of having a better sales presentation, better prices - or whatever strikes that customer on that day.

So, wonderful - you're now in door. You have your shot. This is when your new customer REALLY gets to know you - and your quality of service. The stuff you can't "sales pitch" away.

Never EVER take your current customer base for granted. Do that and watch how fast door slams in your face.

You may remember some years back a television commercial that was (I believe) for an Airline. The boss was talking to his staff about customer relations because they had just lost one of their oldest clients. So he gave all of his staff plane tickest to pay personal, face-to-face visits to ALL of their customers.

While that commercial provides a good lesson about customer service it should also be a reminder to you to keep lines of communication between you and your customers open.

Personal visits to your clients should be on-going. Never stay away long enough to give them a chance to look elsewhere for service they need. They need to feel that you're connected with them.

In 15 years of servicing customers, I have never lost one. Not once.

And - this is probably biggest business benefit to all of this - they recommend my services before they recommend anyone else. I have gotten more new customers through recommendations from my satisfied customers (friends) then from ANY for of paid advertisement.

And in end, isn't that what it's all about?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Copyright 2003 Michael Ambrosio - Webmaster/Owner http://www.getprofitsnow.com Subscribe - mailto:gpn@inmarkon.com Get Profits Now. Newsletter and tools for your web success. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Then I simply go door-knocking and ask people if I can place a small directional sign in their yard. I intentionally do this during day to miss folks because I'd rather not get involved in lengthy discussions about property and I've got many doors to get to. Once I'm sure no one's home, I leave a letter in screen door or someplace where it will be easily seen. I drop this letter at all four houses on each corner on route.

What Does Letter Say?

I've found it's important to NOT come across as a real estate investor or a company. I use an informal style and simply ask for help in finding someone to buy or lease my property. Points that I include in letter are:

 It's just a small directional arrow sign  I'll put it right by corner and not really in their yard  I'll make sure I don't damage any sprinkler systems  They get a $20 gift certificate once process is done  They get to choose store, restaurant, etc.  Please call me to replace sign if it gets removed  The first person who calls me wins  This technique has never failed. Frequently, I'll have two or more people from each corner call me, but I've always had at least one person call to agree to arrangement. Some of them have even taken serious offense to do-gooder neighbors who remove signs as property owner is concerned they might not get their gift certificate. I'll describe signs in more detail below, but I started adding "Placed With Permission of Owner" on top of signs and this reduced my losses.

The end result of this effort is that perhaps I pay out $160 to $200 in referral fees, but I have to run my $50 to $150 worth of weekly newspaper ads many, many fewer weeks. It definitely pays off from a monetary standpoint. The other benefit is that I now have a list of folks near each property (whom I've never even met) who think I'm great. Every single person will call me back after receiving their gift to thank me and large majority volunteer that I'm more than welcome to do this anytime I need.

What Do Signs Look Like?

The signs I use are basically standard bandit signs cut in half. A normal size bandit sign is 18" x 24" and I use 9" x 12" signs for my directional arrows. I have a red directional arrow that takes up about 5 inches of sign, leaving bottom 4 inches blank. Within red arrow I ask sign company to put my message which could be "Owner Finance" or "Lease Purchase" or whatever you prefer. The message is easy to read.

In blank space I use a large marker to write property address. It's important to leave enough blank space below arrow to write address in large numbers and letters. Also, as I mentioned above, I include "owner permission" tag line on top of arrow. I buy 36" wooden stakes from Home Depot and attach an arrow sign to each side of stake so information can be seen coming and going.

If you don't have a source for these signs, please contact BanditSigns.com to get some. They're inexpensive and well worth cost.

I hope you'll add this tool to your marketing techniques and discover same success I've had in using it. You may find that you abandon many other advertising tools you've been using in past.

Sincerely, Tim Randle

http://TexasRealEstateClub.com

(c) Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved.