How much information should you collect?

Hi Everyone,

How much information do you get from your customer's when they contact you? Do you know the best information to get and how readily they will give it to you?

But more importantly, precisely how to use it to get the most use out of it? If you don't, then you have likely spent a heap of money on advertising only to leave the largest proportion of it 'on the table'.

OK, so you have just done an advertising campaign and you have had heaps of new customers arrive at your business. Some of them have just made contact by phone and quotes and others have been straight-up jobs. Every new customer who contacts you, is one you need to get some information from.

If it's a phone call for a quote, then you need to collect: Name, address, phone numbers (landline and mobile) and ask them if they have an email address.

If the customer wants a job done then you need to collect all the above, and then make sure they go into a customer database along with their job number, the price they paid and how they paid, see if you can get a birthday (or their favourite pets birthday) from them because you are running a monthly competition and the birthdates are drawn at the beginning of every month and they will receive the winners name via their email address. This birthday competition comes with free movie tickets (hey, for the long-term customer they are about to become, these movie tickets are cheap at the price! ~ just remember how much you paid in advertising to get them to you)

This then gives you the opportunity and a legitimate reason to send them a newsletter every month. And because you are still in contact with them your name is at the forefront of their mind. When someone asks them "Do you know...." they say yes and recommend you to their friends. People talk so you may as well give them a good reason to talk about your great service!

But this means of advertising is far cheaper and longer lasting than any Newspaper Ad, isn't it? I mean for the price of 2 movie tickets per month ($40 X 12 = $480:00 per year) and for all the opportunities you have to offer them new products along the way, you are now on your way to having a very successful business with a lot of friendly customers recommending your services.

Life can be very sweet indeed!

Warmly,
Jan-ConstructingProfits