The KiT System of Marketing:

Step 2:  Refining Your Database.

Marketing is different from advertising.  Advertising is a blanket approach that can often be expensive and ineffective.  Marketing focuses on your target to draw out the best from within.

Market to Your Best Clients First

How do you know who your best clients are?  Use the A, B, C’s on your database:

A Clients: 

1.  You’ve enjoyed doing business with in the past.

2.  They’ve been a repeat customer more than once

3.  They’ve duplicated themselves through referrals of others on more than 1 occasion.

B Clients:

1.  You’ve enjoyed doing business with in the past.

2.  They’ve been a repeat customer at least once.

3.  They may not have referred you to others or if they have, it’s been an unreliable referral source for some reason but has potential to grow.

C Clients:

1.  You’ve done business together and might consider doing so again

2.  You don’t know if they’ll refer others or not.

D Clients

1.  D stands for ‘delete.’  These are clients you either don’t want to work with again, or have chosen not to work with you for an extended period of time.  Tip:  pick a time frame such as 6 months or 1 year and stay consistent through out your database.  If a person hasn’t done further business or referred someone, within that time period, it’s time to delete them from your database (although you may choose to keep them on your newsletter list if it’s not costing you any extra).

Once you know who your best clients are, you can offer them special rewards or incentives that will encourage them to continue to work with you as well as refer others to you.  For the B and C Clients, you can stay in touch with them, offer them slightly different ways to either work with you again or to refer business to you, thus turning them into A Clients over the life of your relationship. 

Many people are afraid to delete clients.  Don’t be.  If they’re not referring you and not likely to do business with you again, marketing to them will only cost additional time and money.  Keep in mind that on average it will be 20% of your clients who create 80% of your income.  Focus on that 20% to keep your business growing and thriving.