Why Relationship Marketing Generates more business than Traditional Marketing…
True Relationship Marketing is missing in today’s high-tech “digital world”. A genuine connection has become a lost art. With email and social media, we see what others are up to, but we don’t know how much they care. For the most part, people don’t seem to care. Different views, beliefs, and values seem to be tearing people apart. Even in business.
It appears that most companies seem to be in it for the instant dollar. Henceforth, customers don’t feel appreciated and they voice those frustrations on social media for the whole world to comment on. These comments are the driving force in today’s consumer decision-making process.
Because of this, marketing and advertising expenses are less and less effective. Most “Business to Business” (BtoB) and “Business to Customer” (BtoC) businesses have relied solely on digital communications to create a connection with their prospects and customers. These tactics are also becoming less effective. As an example, only 11% of emails today even get opened.
Today’s biggest challenge in all of this is that consumers will post 10 times more negative experiences than they will positive. And, in a lot of cases, those consumers will not see a business’s digital attempt to connect. So today’s business has to find a way to get through the clutter and make a genuine connection with their customers by showing that they really care about their user’s needs.
“In relationship marketing, people have a craving to feel appreciated and digital communication is not getting it done”
So as the whole business world goes digital focusing on what they can get from their customers, why not focus on tangible touches delivered in the mail. And while you’re at it, pay attention to what you can give to your customers. This is not rocket science. If you want to figure out how to implement relationship marketing, simply think about how you wish you were being treated by companies you give your hard earned money too. “People don’t want to be pitched, they want to feel appreciated”.
Hands down the single most effective appreciation touch is the “Thank You Card”. Less than 3% of people in business send thank you cards, yet it generates more referral business than any other single touch. Oh, and by the way, the email thank you letter that has a survey request on it or a referral request does not count. It doesn’t take an elaborate study to confirm this. Simply think of how those digital attempts you’ve received thanking you, land on you when you receive them. You don’t feel appreciated at all.
Let me share a story…
Andre Perdue, who helps manage a body shop in Arizona, believes there are 3 core things you must do to satisfy customers…
- Provide a quality service
- Communicate
- Appreciate
Andre’s body shop was doing the first 2 things but needed to improve on sharing genuine appreciation.
They started doing 2 things consistently.
- They sent a thank you card to every person that requested an estimate. (Even if they did not get their business, they still sent the thank you card).
- Next, they sent a thank you card with a before and after picture of their vehicle and a message thanking them for business. They also added gifts and additional cards to some customers based on the size of their orders.
Most exciting, within 12 months, their business grew by over 60% mostly from referral business.
I recently did a Facebook Live Zoom…You will want to watch this Video and Learn Exactly what they have done, and the results from it.
This is relationship marketing at its best. It works. Simply care about the people you do business with. Show them you care with a tangible touch in the mail. This way they will see it, feel it, touch it and show it to other people.
Thanks for taking a moment to learn how to increase referrals up to 60% with Relationship Marketing -vs- Traditional Marketing.
We would love to hear from you so don’t forget to leave me a comment below and pay it forward by sharing this with businesses you know.
Take Care,
Kody B
