Would you be surprised if I told you a second-time buyer is at least twice as likely to buy from you again when compared to a first-time buyer.
Why?
Because the second time client will usually buy again because you have proved that you added value to his/her life. The customer who has had his/her wants and needs fulfilled comes back for more.
That said, it’s also critical to know where your profits will be made.
They are either made on the “front end,” at the time of the first sale, or they are made on additional, “backend” sales.
Are your products/services the type that will result in repeat business? If so, your initial sale could be small, but be designed to lead to
If so, your initial sale could be small, but be designed to lead to quite a few larger and more profitable sales.
Most businesses profit more from additional sales than they do from first sales.
For that simple reason, it’s important to know whether you want a customer for the long term or if you’re making a “oneshot” sale.
Now, is your marketing designed to generate additional sales, or is your focus more “single sale” oriented?
Although “backend” sales are vital to the survival of most businesses, one of the biggest mistakes that many businesses make is NOT capturing valuable client information so that they know which customers are returning to buy again.
Don’t keep track of your client information… And you’ll never know which customers are coming back to you.
If that’s the case then how will you ever stay in contact with them and sell them more products/services. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it.”
– David Starr Jordan
I recently been to a local hobby store several times during the last three weeks looking for parts for my son’s HO cars. Do you think they have ever asked me for any of my contact information? Do you think they are keeping track of the cars or supplies that I have been purchasing?
Over the course of these three weeks, I have easily spent at least $400.00 on various products/services for my son. You would think that they would want to make sure I had a good reason to come back.
If they had asked for my info and tracked the types of things I had purchased, they could then mail (or email or text) or call me with marketing offers relating to what I had been buying. If they had my contact information, then they could let me know about upcoming sales or special offers.
And if they haven’t got my information, then they probably don’t have information on other customers either.
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.”
– Albert Camus
The point I’m making here is that by not asking for my information, they are leaving a lot of money on the table. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Did you know many businesses are not overly worried about making a profit on the first sale to a new client.
Why… you ask?
Because they have calculated that their profits will come from future sales. In other words, they know that they will profit from repeat sales to existing clients. And they also know the lifetime value of a new customer.
In other words, they know what the average profit will be from repeat sales to existing clients.
If you know that one out of every three customers who makes a purchase from your business will purchase again and again and again, you can take a reasonable loss on your first sale.
The key is getting them in the door the first time. If you can do that and you add value to their lives, then you know they will return and you will profit in the future. So some of your marketing efforts should be designed to “hook” the first time buyer.
But it is equally important that some of your marketing efforts are designed to bring repeat customers back to you.
Does your marketing strategy include efforts to both bring in new customers and keep your clients come back again?