Regular Account Reviews – Part One

A regular account review is a good way to keep in touch with regular customers and let them know you are interested in their well-being. If you do any repeat business at all, it’s a great way to find new business of which you might not have been aware. Some of your competition just might be trying to take a little business away from you. If you aren’t keeping in touch, you won’t know it’s happened.

For this, any good CRM (contact relationship manager) software will do the job. Every time you call someone, set a new call for when you should call the next time. Make notes about personal information that you may find out as you talk, as well as any business that you know you need to review.

Three months is a good time to call back if you really have no particular reason to call except to follow-up, but if there is a company event, personal event such as a birthday, make the day you schedule your call a few days earlier.

I believe there are two kinds of calls to be made. The first are tickler type calls. These calls need to be made somewhere around the time that you have the call scheduled, but it really doesn’t matter when. Most software provides an area called “Action Items” which is just a database of calls to be made linked to the company and person that need to be called.

The other kind is the call that must be made at a certain time or the sale will be lost. A tool like Microsoft Outlook or some other scheduler can schedule these kinds of calls. Outlook can be used to beep you 30 minutes in advance for example. Outlook can also be used to build a schedule that can be printed for your boss. If you are on the road and have to submit a travel schedule to your boss on a periodic basis, this is most useful.

Here are some reasons to call if you can’t think of any – Review the original reason your companies started doing business?

– What was the original experience they had either using your product?

– How did they perceive the first time process in delivering and setup?

– What were their experiences after they had the product for a while?

– How was the service, and response to questions?

Do a new analysis of the clients current needs. What direction are they heading and what’s next. Make notes. Write a new prescription. Determine how you can meet their needs in the future.

If you do this on a regular basis, you’ll also find referrals you don’t expect and new business coming from old clients that you didn’t expect.