Graham McGregor: Creating new profits with email

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Many businesses have loyal clients and customers who could be happy to spend more money on the products and services that you offer.

One thing that is worth testing is to regularly email these clients and customers with an attractive offer to spend more money. This can produce new sales in your business within a few days and is simple to do.

Here are the steps:
1: Make sure first of all that you have permission to contact your clients and customers by email so you don't get accused of spam. One strategy that I personally like to use is to vary what you send out by email. So you might send 2-3 emails that are helpful and have added value information. And then send one email that has an attractive offer.

2: Create an attractive offer for your existing clients and offer it to them in an interesting email. An attractive offer that works far better than a discount is an offer where someone buys something for the normal price of $X and get's other things worth $Y completely free.)

Here's an example for a pet shop:

Subject Line: Thank You
John I've been thinking for a few days how I can say thank you to our many loyal clients like you so here's what I've done. I'd like to give you a free dog grooming session worth $45. Just spend $100 on XYZ dog food in the next 5 days and I will give you completely free a dog grooming session worth $45 to ABC dog groomers. I only have 25 of these dog grooming sessions to give away so it is a case of first in first served. Thanks again for being a client. (And here you give very clear directions on how they can take advantage of this special offer.)

3: Make sure your special offer is limited in some way.

In this example there are only 25 free dog grooming sessions available and they only apply to sales made in the next five days of XYZ dog food worth $100.

This is an attractive offer to your clients because they are going to be spending $100 or more on XYZ dog food over the next few months or so anyway.

So why not spend this money right now and get a free dog grooming session worth $45?

It's attractive to the dog groomer because the pet store owner has probably said to them 'Give me 25 dog grooming certificates worth $45 and I will give you $10 for each one with full payment right now.' You will then have $250 cash and the opportunity to get 25 new people trying out your services. If you can convert say 5 into regular clients that could be several thousand dollars of new profits every year.

The pet shop has sold $2,500 of dog food at the normal price and has probably made a net profit around $500 to $750. Just from emailing an attractive offer to their existing clients.

4: Send at least one reminder emails about the same offer.

This is a little known secret.

Send a follow up email the second day that says "I wanted to make sure you got this". Then say "I sent you a special thank you offer yesterday and wanted to make sure you got it. It's only valid for five days so here it is again." Then have the first email repeated. This follow up email will increase your response rate by 25% to 35% and are well worthwhile doing.

Email marketing is well worth testing in many businesses. You'll be delighted at the brand new sales and profits you can often create with very little effort.

"Happiness is a positive cash flow" - Fred Adler

Action Exercise:
Create an attractive offer for your clients and then email it to them.

* Graham McGregor is a marketing consultant and the creator of the 396 page Unfair Business Advantage Report. (This is free and has now been read by business owners from 27 countries.)
You can email Graham on graham@twomac.co.nz