How to Generate More Work From Your Existing Customers

I love to watch what businesses in other in industries do. Although their businesses don’t necessarily have anything to do with computers there are so many things that I can copy and adapt for my own business. One type of business I particularly like to watch are dentists because they aren’t entirely unlike the computer business. Dentists sell a product such as the cost of the filling composite or teeth whitener, and they sell a service such as the dentists time and expertise. Their customers visit them for “new installations” such as veneers and implants. They do repair work such as filling cavities and they also do preventative maintenance such “scale and cleans”. Sound familiar to any other industry?

Dentists and other businesses such as lawyers and mechanics can generate more work for themselves using little tricks. Here are some tips that we can adapt from other industries to generate some work.

Reminder Notices:

Many dentists will send you a friendly reminder when its time for your next checkup which is typically every 6 months. People generally don’t think about going to the dentist until something hurts. A reminder notice puts the dentist back into the front of the clients mind and reminds them that they should probably go back for a checkup.
Im not sure who created the rule that a dental checkup should be done every 6 months, but perhaps we in the computer business could do the same and say a computer should be checked up every 6 months for adware, spyware and other nasties.

You could send your existing clients a letter that looks something like this:

“Its been 6 months since we last checked your computer for viruses, spyware and other nasties and gave it a good tune-up. If your computer is starting to slow down again since we last worked on it, perhaps its time for another tune-up and virus check.
For this week only, we are offering a $79 tune-up and virus check package.”

By adding the “for this week only” part, it also generates a sense of urgency because I know when the dentist sends me a letter, I don’t always get around to booking an appointment straight away.

Ask For Referrals:

Sometimes to generate more business all you have to do is ask your existing clients to recommend you to their friends. When I finish any computer job I always give my clients a few of my business cards instead of just one and say “Here is my business card if you need me again, and a few more in case you know anyone who could use my services”. This is how I subtly tell them that I want them to refer me to their friends.

It is also a good idea to set up a rewards system for anyone who sends you a referral. A member from our forums says that he puts a coupon on the bottom of all his work orders and writes the clients ID from his client management system on it. When a new customer presents one of those coupons later down the track, he knows who referred them to him and gives the referrer a 10% discount on their next computer service.

Are there any similar tricks that you use? As always, comments are open and you don’t have to signup to leave a comment. You can even post anonymously if you like.