Why Are Existing Customers Your Best Place to Get New Business in 2012?

Posted by Jami Mullikin on Jan 9, 2012 in agency, B2B, Database Marketing, email marketing, Marketing, Social Media | 1 comment

Break out the Rolodex, as we kick off each year we often forget about our greatest and most affordable marketing opportunities – existing customers. As we start 2012, focus on your customers first for two reasons:

1. Statistically, professional services firms may lose up to 20% of their clients each year. This attrition alone means that you need to retain more clients and replace what you lose before you ever consider a growth plan.
2. Existing customers are the most affordable to reach. A common problem is that clients always view your offerings based on the services that you provided them when they hired you.  A regular marketing program to existing customers can expose clients to the leadership that you offer other clients and allow opportunities to cross-sell additional services that they may not currently lean to you for. A basic CRM program, email marketing and social media are three great ways to do this.

With some signs of economic recovery, it is important that your customers understand the full breadth of your services and that they see the wins that you provide your other clients on a regular basis.  This way, when they decide to come out of their shell and increase their marketing investments you are the first ones that they call.

What are the best strategies that you have found for retaining existing customers?

What is Marketing?

Posted by Jami Mullikin on Oct 27, 2011 in B2B, Marketing, Sales | 0 comments

I had a good discussion with a friend yesterday who is making a career change from education to marketing.  Afterwards, I started thinking about how to start a discussion about marketing at a foundational level.  So I started thinking about a conversation with Brad Majors back about 10 or 15 years ago where he gave me the simplest definition of marketing, and I adopted it as my own.

The Golden Rule of Value: Good, Fast, and Cheap.

Posted by Jami Mullikin on May 4, 2011 in B2B, branding, Entreprenuership, Marketing, value | 8 comments

You hear it referenced a lot, but the old adage of “Good. Fast. Cheap. You get two out of three”, is still my Golden Rule of Value. You can’t stand for anything if you try to stand for everything.
Pick two: