Maximizing Customer “Touches”

In our fast paced, high-tech world, we are constantly bombarded with information. From a marketing perspective, the average person is bombarded by approximately 3500 marketing messages per day. As a small business owner, you are lucky if one of those is yours. You are even luckier if your message is processed and your prospect takes action. So how can you increase the effectiveness of your marketing, and increase the chance that your potential prospects will take action?

One solution to this dilemma is maximizing your customer "touches". You need a marketing system that ensures that you get in front of your potential customers on a consistent and long-term basis. Does your system do this?

Evaluate your marketing system by counting the number of times in a year that you "touch" your customers. For example, if you have a monthly newsletter, that equals 12 "touches" per year. If you meet face-to-face on a quarterly basis, that counts for 4. Determine what you are currently doing, and see how many times you are actually "touching" your customers.

A good benchmark for success is a study that IBM did. They found that it takes an average of 26 "touches" to move a prospect from apathy to ready to buy. How does your marketing system compare? Your minimum goal should be to get in front of your customers and prospects with some sort of marketing at least on a monthly basis. Doing this will greatly increase your chances for success!