2. Paul Cline: Dave, thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us, I know you are very busy at Speaking Empire doing Power Days with clients and multiple speaking events. Dave VanHoose: No problem, Paul. I’m thrilled to be here and to share some tips and tools with your readers that can significantly improve their earnings this year.
3. Paul Cline: Dave, two of the biggest questions we get from our readers are “How can I increase my number of clients/customers?” and “How do I keep the customers I’ve got?” Can you share with us some tips on how to improve in these areas? Dave VanHoose: Sure Paul. Well, it all starts with philosophy. Our philosophy at Speaking Empire is to under-promise and over-deliver. Most companies try to give you as little as they can get away with and charge you the most they can – What kind of scam is that? You don’t make the big money by scamming people – You make it by Wowing people! Any business that wants to stay in business and grow needs to have an intense focus on Wowing their customers. When they hate the scam companies, and love you, that is when your company starts to soar!
4. Paul Cline: Tell me some more about how this works. Dave VanHoose: Like I said, it comes from your philosophy. Our company philosophy is not to make tons of money, it is to provide huge value to the customer. This giving philosophy creates customers that are not just happy, but raving fans! These people buy from us again and again, and they refer us a lot of customers. Every week we have fresh customers giving us testimonials about their success and positive experience with us. These testimonials and referrals lead to a constant flow of new customers that are pre-sold and want more of what you have to offer. Paul Cline: That sounds great Dave. So how do our readers apply that in their businesses. Dave VanHoose: Well Paul, the first thing to do is to build credibility. People are nervous about parting with their hard-earned money and have run into several scam companies or sales people who have run a scam on them. Our job therefore is to make them feel comfortable and secure. They need to know that we can, and will, deliver what we promise.
5. Paul Cline: That’s great advice. What else would you recommend? Dave VanHoose: Almost everyone has been hurt by some type of product or service in the past that either didn’t work out or was a scam of some sort. Fear of scams is one of the number one problems people need to overcome in business. So creating certainty is key! People only buy when they are sure that you CAN deliver what you offer and WILL deliver what you offer. We give a complete money-back guarantee, and that is what I would recommend for 99% of companies. We often call this “risk-reversal in the field – This means that if you as a company assume all the risk, the customer confidence (and buying) will increase significantly. Referrals will also jump! Wouldn’t you feel more confident referring someone to a business with a full money-back guarantee? There is NO way your friend or associate could get scammed, so you can refer with complete confidence.
6. Paul Cline: That is great advice! I never thought of a guarantee as a way to increase referrals. Dave VanHoose: Most people haven’t, so this will give you a great advantage. Referrals are HUGE when it comes to growing your business. Most business owners don’t ask for referrals … this is a HUGE mistake! You should ask every one of your clients for at least three referrals. If you gave them great service, shouldn’t they be willing to tell friends about it?
7. Paul Cline: What are some good ways to ask for referrals Dave? Dave VanHoose: I like to have them simply put a personal note on a sales letter that I can send to their friends. I have them sit down and write down three addresses and three personal notes, it only takes about 5 min. I save the addresses for my mailing list for promotions, then I mail out the letters.
8. Paul Cline: That is great advice! I never thought of a guarantee as a way to increase referrals. Dave VanHoose: Most people haven’t, so this will give you a great advantage. Referrals are HUGE when it comes to growing your business. Most business owners don’t ask for referrals … this is a HUGE mistake! You should ask every one of your clients for at least three referrals. If you gave them great service, shouldn’t they be willing to tell friends about it?
9. Paul Cline: What are some good ways to ask for referrals Dave? Dave VanHoose: I like to have them simply put a personal note on a sales letter that I can send to their friends. I have them sit down and write down three addresses and three personal notes, it only takes about 5 min. I save the addresses for my mailing list for promotions, then I mail out the letters.
10. Paul Cline: Cool strategy! It’s so simple too. Dave VanHoose: My customers are always happy to do it for me. Only one person in a hundred will turn you down. The other technique I use is to put a referral discount on the back of my business cards with a place for them to put their name on it. This way the person who refers a customer gets a referral fee or gift and the person that was referred gets a discount or free gift. Everybody is happy! The other thing I do is about twice a year I will run a referral contest … My customers always get a small reward, but get a chance to win an even bigger one! They love it and it works great!
11. To contact Dave VanHoose – Call the offices at 7 Figure Speaking Empire. (813) 938-2160 http://speakingempire.com http://davevanhoose.combr />http://internetmovement.com
