Free Articles On IT Marketing and Increasing IT Sales

3 Ways To Double Or Triple
The Revenue From Every
Customer You Have

By: Robin Robins,
Author and Founder of the Technology Marketing Toolkit System

At the time of writing this, the economy is tanking and everyone is looking for fast, easy ways to drive revenue. However, most IT businesses make the mistake of trying to find NEW customers and completely overlook the acres of diamonds in their own backyard. As Ron LeGrand says, they are “stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.”

In most cases, IT businesses make the mistake of thinking that if they provide really great service, it will make their customers want to spend more with them. While great service IS important, it isn’t a ‘cure-all’ to getting them to pay more. Here’s why:

Customers forget to come back. How many times have you been overdue on an oil change or going to the dentist for a cleaning? If you’re being honest, it’s probably more often than not. Is that because you got bad service? Maybe, but the real reason is simply because you get busy and without someone nagging and reminding you, it goes on the backburner UNTIL it becomes urgent.
They don’t understand everything you can do for them. This is a HUGE oversight of many IT firms; they assume their customers understand everything they provide because they’ve “told them once before.” Look, people are busy. They have the attention span of a gnat. Not only do you have to tell them, but you have to constantly REMIND them over and over again of how you can help them. Many of my clients have LOST customers because they went somewhere else for printing problems, software support (usually line of business software), telephone systems, etc., and ended up letting their competition in the door. Plus, just because someone says “no” right now doesn’t mean their situation won’t change in 3 to 6 months. Keep promoting!
They don’t really understand the core value proposition of an offering, and therefore think they don’t need what you’re selling. This is purely poor salesmanship.

So how do you fix these things and secure more revenue from every customer you have?

#1. Add a subscription income element to everything you sell. Remember this: break-fix is a good way to go broke-fast. EVERYTHING you sell should have some kind of ongoing subscription to it. Not only will that keep your customers more loyal, but you’ll double or triple the lifetime value of every one you have. Some of the ways my clients are doing this is through managed services (of course) but also, spam filtering, web hosting services, hardware as a service, software as a service, leasing, managed backup, managed security services, telephone service and VoIP to name a few. Try to add as many ‘subscription income’ services as possible.

#2. Communicate with your customers on a MONTHLY basis, using both online and offline media. One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter that is full of fun to read articles, photos, and personal stories about you, your staff and your customers. Every month, pick one client and write about their business and what you’ve done to help them run faster, better, and cheaper. Include photos of you and your staff going to conferences, promoting at a trade show, hanging out with clients, helping out a local charity, showing off your new company van, etc. This will endear your readers to you and make people actually look forward to receiving your newsletter. And of course, take one product or service every month and write a promotion for it. Repetition is key!
All of this content can be posted on your blog, but it’s also very important to MAIL a copy to your clients because you will get a better overall response than just doing online and e-mail communications. Here’s another little money-saving tip: many manufacturers and vendors will pay you cash to sponsor a section of your newsletter! Just offer to include a flyer or an article about their solution and you can use the money to pay for the printing and mailing.

#3. Put a formal referral system in place and actively promote it every chance you get. To make it really effective, integrate it into your monthly invoices and into your sales process. Offer a discount or a bonus if your client gives you the names of 3 or more of their friends and business colleagues, PLUS an additional gift or bonus if the people they refer actually buy. By offering a reward simply for giving the referral, you’ll capture more. Also, make sure you THANK people for sending you a referral and round back with them later on to let them know what happened with the person they referred. This is not only good manners, but it will make the person want to refer more people to you.

To learn more strategies for marketing your IT business and to claim a FREE audio training CD that will give you easy, proven, low-cost marketing strategies for selling more IT services, go to: www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com Supplies are limited.

Dedicated to your success,

Robin