The Million-Dollar Chiropractor
I launched Flooring Success Systems in October of 2007—right before the U.S. economy tanked. I had the task of somehow helping my floor dealer clients survive what was to become the worst economy since the Great Depression. A key marketing approach I taught (and still teach) follows the example of a chiropractor from Arizona who built three practices which grossed over a million dollars annually. He began to give seminars to teach other chiropractors how to duplicate what he’d done. Attendees would often approach him and say, “I need a strategy to get fifty new patients a month.” To which the million-dollar chiropractor would reply, “I don’t know one strategy to get fifty new patients a month. I know fifty strategies to get one new patient a month, and I do all fifty.” This is the kind of strategic thinking you need to apply to your dealership, especially during a recession.
Let’s look at some examples.
Market to your past customers.
This is the foundation to recession-proofing your business. I covered this in depth in the last installment.
Market to your sphere of influence.
This includes not only past customers, but past prospects (who didn’t buy), friends, family, acquaintances, club members, members of your church, etc. It also includes anyone with whom you do business: health club owner, doctor, hair stylist, veterinarian, yard care, pest control, etc. Subscribe them all to your newsletter.
Generate referrals.
Marketing to your past customers, as described in the last installment, will automatically generate more referrals. But you should also train your sales team to ask for referrals after every completed installation. Publicly reward and thank your customers for referrals. Develop a culture of referrals.
Sales system.
You need to have a step-by-step sales process that can be taught to your team, and for which they can be held accountable for using. It should create differentiation, position your team as trusted advisors, help you to command full margin, and close more sales. (I’ve covered selling systems in previous columns.)
Online reviews.
Reviews are simply online testimonials posted on a third-party platform. (Google, Facebook, Angie’s List, etc.) Everyone reads reviews. If you don’t have an ongoing stream of positive reviews, you’re hurting your business. These can also be repurposed for use in other marketing: website, printed materials, social media, in your showroom, etc.
Five around.
After every installation, market to the two homes on either side of your customer, and the three across the street. Have your installer leave door hangars with a special offer.
Market to your business neighbors.
Subscribe every business owner within a three-block radius of your business to your newsletter.
Neighborhood testimonial drip campaign.
When you complete an installation, take a photo of your customer and get a testimonial. Create a postcard which includes their photo and testimonial, and a “special offer for neighbors of _______.” Send it out to everyone in their neighborhood.
Ambassador strategy.
Have each of your employees bring in 25-50 (or more) names and addresses from their sphere of influence. Subscribe them to your newsletter. The employee gets a commission for anyone on their list that purchase from you.
Referral partnerships.
Develop referral partnerships with Realtors, designers, remodelers, etc. Make it a goal to develop one or two relationships per month.
Phone etiquette.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve called a dealership, and the person who answered sounded disinterested or even grumpy. Train your team how to answer the phones. Use a script. Everyone answers the same way. They should sound friendly and welcoming.
How many more strategies can you come up with? Send them to me at Support@FlooringSuccessSystems.com and I may feature it in an upcoming column.
To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”
Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
See what real, live dealers are saying!