I have a confession. I hate cold calling, door knocking and fear rejection.
But I overcame this through discipline because my desire for success was more powerful than living an average life.
Before starting Elite Digital Campaigns and moving to Berlin, I sold finance and insurance for 7 years and was awarded Business Manager of the Year five times.
I did deals without making 100 cold calls or 1 million cold emails like what an average salesperson would. I mean who wants to be average?
I learned to generate sales by working less and without losing my sanity or dignity.
My sales colleagues came and went but I remained on top of the game for 7 years.
So the big question is… how did I do it?
I discovered a secret that most businesses and salespeople neglect.
Repeat and referred business.
So simple yet overlooked.
Did you know that a 5% increase in customer retention correlates with at least a 25% increase in profit?
So how did I actually make customers remember who I am, and more importantly, come to see me?
How did I get appointments when others were begging not to be hung up on?
At the heart of it was human connection.
I started to send out hello, birthday, anniversary, and Christmas cards which were heartfelt, fun and 100% personalised.
On average, I would send 50 to 100 cards a month. By doing that, my repeat business grew by 20% in 2 years and by my 5th year, 60% of my income was purely repeat or referred.
Customers swarmed in like bees and all of a sudden, I found myself also doing business with their mother, uncle, cousin, and children.
So whilst I own a digital company, I remain resolute that we cannot eliminate humanity in customer service.
Because the truth is: I wasn’t selling finance or insurance. I was selling each client alongside their finance contract an intangible long-term, committed relationship. We became exclusive.
The lifetime value of a customer was worth $10,000 to me whilst a birthday card only cost $5 including postage.
You do the maths and calculate the ROI.
Just imagine receiving a card in a beautiful envelope delivered to your letterbox that you can see, touch, and feel.
Mark my words. Your customers won’t forget who you are.
One time, I had a client come into my office, look at me teary-eyed and expressed “thank you so much for the card. Nobody has treated me the way you did.” I signed another 2 contracts with him within 3 years and he brought in his best mate to do the same.
People never forget how you made them feel.
I developed a system that was automated and it was incredible.
And now, I help our clients to create this system too.
