CIWD

Meet the Perfect Customer Lifecycle Series – Step 7

Once you’ve established a clear process for funneling leads from their first contact to after-purchase communications, you’re in a great position for the final step in the Perfect Customer Lifecycle: growing even more through customer referrals and affiliates.

Get Customer Referrals

People are more likely to do business with someone when they’re introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Based on that idea, customer referral programs are a fantastic way to generate highly qualified leads. The key to getting referrals from happy customers is simple—just ask. And don’t forget to reward customers for their referrals with a thank you gift, account credit or heartfelt thank you card.

Leverage Affiliates

Affiliates are third parties who market your product on their website and through email and social media. They are an excellent way to drive traffic to your website and generate
leads. The best thing about affiliate programs is the ROI—you pay only for performance. You simply make a small investment in marketing resources and then pay affiliates for any leads or sales they generate. Because your investment is minimal, these programs can yield amazing returns.

Motivate Partners to Act

When developing referral and affiliate programs, it’s important to clearly outline what you hope to achieve and provide the right incentives to encourage participation. A partner’s
reason for participating is not always all about money. Take time to understand those motivations and develop incentives that best suit those needs—and your own. Think back to Step 5: Deliver and Satisfy. The same principles we outlined for making customers happy should be applied to your partners—always deliver as promised.

Blog Series Bottomline – Achieve Your Goals

Small business owners dream of striking the perfect balance between running a successful business and spending time doing the things they love. The steps in the Perfect Customer Lifecycle are designed specifically to help small business owners realize this dream. Implementing a marketing plan based on this platform will help you rediscover the joy of running your own business AND give you more time to tackle other important items on your life’s to-do list. Launch a new product. Start an online store. Coach a full season of Little League. Whatever you hope to accomplish, it will be well within your reach.

Ready to act?  Contact us today!

[Credits: InfusionSoft]