Like last year, Robert Hruzek over at Middle Zone Musings is inviting us to submit 12 blog-post (one per month) of 2008. It’s becoming one of those traditions really. And a good tradition it is too. Nothing gets the mind focused forward than looking back I’ve learned.
2008 was truly an exciting year: the 5th Anniversary of Wood You Like, the end of the housing boom, the banking crash, the ‘credit crunch’, the tremendous drop of the stock-exchanges, the ‘banking rescue’ plans and at the end the free-fall of the pound.
Great tidings when you are in a business related to the housing market.
This year my selection of Kiss2 blog-post centres around keeping our business on track, one way or the other – which we did, although behind on last year’s great result our books also show a profit for this year. Main trick: we never wavered from our hedge-hog concept, simple but effective.
January: Team work, team building outside your company
Even when you run a one-man-and-one-woman business you need a team of experts to make the best of everything. ‘Our team’ of experts brought together one of our most talked about marketing efforts, The Acorn. So, thanks again Richard and Danny.
February: AWeber as conversation tool
I love AWeber – that’s by now a known fact – and even more so when I discovered that a simple submit form could do so much more to start a two-way conversation with a prospect.
March: Business Conversations, the new way
(Not a hard choice, turns out it was the only article I wrote that month! Must have been very busy with other things! - one sad fact happened that month too, my father-in-law passed away.)
Social media, progress in technology. Not always needed in business conversations.
April: The problem with “New Customers Only”
One of my pet-hates in regards of most business advice books: they all forget about one type of business. Still plan to write a book about it that does cover advice for these businesses – we’re one of them.
May: Common human reaction or common sense?
When the so-called "credit crunch" started to bite and a new media hype was born. Still no such thing as a free lunch in my book.
June: Kind request with a kiss gift from me
June seemed to be all about AWeber and my newest blog: “1 Plus 1 Makes 3, where combined expertise gives you triple value”. So I selected the post in which I give away my business novel (E-book version)
July: When the going gets tough...
Two reasons for selecting this post for July: it was Kiss2 200th post and a reflection on the first 6 months of troublesome 2008.
August: A month all about marketing efforts by others and us, not really sure which one to choose to be honest, but I go for the one that irked me most and was closest to home: Village Marketing
September: Book review: Content Rich by Jon Wuebben
Where last year I wrote plenty of book reviews, this year I seemed to have read only. Jon’s book stands out miles above most “copy-writing for SEO” books, getting the mix between the two of them precisely right – for any business.
October: Why don’t I hear from them?
My thoughts on spending a meagre 27 pence to gain more business and why most small businesses still seem to find that a too high a price – weird!
November: When wood turns digital
An example (true to the tag-line of my newest blog) of how combing various software programs can turn any product into a digital one. I’ve listed all the simple but very effective programs (or training courses) we used to turn wood digital.
December: The Principle of IST
Although December became a banking mystery month I decide to select this post because it is such a basic, simple and effective principle. Not just in business, in life too.
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2009 promises to be even more exiting! Over the Christmas period I’ve written our business plan for next year, just stay tuned here for all marketing projects we’re putting in the pipe-line.
Overall thought: I still have the best job in the world!
Wishing you a Happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year!
Thanks for reminding me of the 'New Customers Only' line I hate.
I think you were generous in saying it's a bad idea to ignore the life-time value of current customers.
With your 10% referral rate (well done by the way) you get the original sale - 3000 - the first referral 300 - but also the next referral 30 - then the next 3 etc, etc.
More importantly, referred customers are more likely than other customers to give you referrals. So a referred client might have a 15% referral rate whereas customers from advertising give you 5%. {This is also where an NCO offer could hurt you.)
And finally, you said you get 10% referring you, but within how many years of their original purchase? With your quality work and the way you follow up, people could give you many more referrals for decades to come!
I won't even get into the value created by not having to pay for advertising to get those clients.
Keep spreading the word Karin!
Posted by: Martin Russell | January 20, 2009 at 03:42 AM
Hi Martin
You're absolutely right about ongoing w-o-m 'profit, referred or referring clients have a higher long-time value then other types of clients.
And yes, once existing clients get the hang of referring us (and receiving our 'reward' for this) they tend to do it over and over again. Sometimes the first referral comes in a week after we finished installing the floor, sometimes it takes 3 - 4 years. But then we keep reminding them every six months of our existence, a very essential strategy for any business.
Thanks for dropping by and adding your wisdom to the conversation
Karin H
Posted by: Karin H. | January 20, 2009 at 10:53 AM