| It's a fact that your customers are your best | | | | understand how you will need a little |
| leads. This means that the most likely people | | | | background information. |
| to purchase your products and/or services are | | | | |
| the ones who have paid for them before. It's | | | | Forté Systems is one of the current |
| also a fact that it costs far less money to | | | | leading companies in Medical Practice |
| keep a customer than it does to go out and | | | | Management and Billing Software. This means |
| get a new one. These are the two reasons that | | | | that their software that will essentially run |
| using direct mail postcards to keep in touch | | | | an entire medical office. The software can be |
| with your customer database is a must. There | | | | purchased in any one of four levels, |
| are a few rules to follow when marketing to | | | | depending on budget and number of doctors |
| contacts in your company database. | | | | working for the practice. |
| | | | |
| Rule #1: Collect all of their information. | | | | Once a medical practice becomes a customer of |
| | | | Forté Systems the marketing strategy is |
| It sounds like a no-brainer but you would be | | | | changed to reflect the rules above. They are |
| surprised. The more information that you have | | | | no longer trying to convince the doctor to |
| on your customers the more likely it is that | | | | become a customer, they are now educating |
| you will be able to get in touch with them to | | | | them on how better they can be served by |
| let them know about specials or to remind | | | | Forté Systems' products. Now the customer |
| them it's time for their next service. Also, | | | | receives direct mail pieces concerning: |
| don't neglect to ask for your customers' | | | | |
| email addresses, everybody has one and most | | | | - Updates on software upgrades (example 1), |
| will give it up pretty easily. | | | | |
| | | | - Notices when they are running specials |
| Rule #2: Don't treat your customers like | | | | (example 2) & information about Other |
| prospects. | | | | Forté Systems products, such as |
| | | | |
| Make sure when you collect the information in | | | | - Software training tutorials on CD (example |
| your database you differentiate between | | | | 3). |
| people who have placed an order in the past | | | | |
| and people who have not. Customers want to | | | | This enables them to continue to service |
| feel like you are paying attention to them | | | | their customers at the highest level and also |
| and when they have placed a few orders with | | | | helps to strengthen the customers loyalty to |
| you and are still getting your "10% for First | | | | Forté Systems. Sometimes you lose |
| Time Buyers" postcards they tend to feel | | | | customers because they either forgot who they |
| unappreciated. Bottom line, if they don't | | | | dealt with last time they made a purchase or |
| qualify for an offer you are sending out, | | | | they received some kind of promo from one of |
| don't send it to them. | | | | your competitors and decided to check it out. |
| | | | |
| Rule #3: Don't let your designs get stagnant. | | | | If the customer is constantly updated about |
| | | | what is available from your company they will |
| When you are mailing to databases of people | | | | not have to spend their valuable time doing |
| that you have never spoken to before it is OK | | | | research and will be less likely to "shop |
| to send them the same postcard multiple | | | | around." This will help to control the normal |
| times. It helps to increase recognition and | | | | attrition of your database to other |
| will eventually increase your response rate. | | | | companies. |
| Dealing with customers and prospects that you | | | | |
| have already spoken to (meaning they already | | | | The pieces are all designed with the Forté |
| know most or all of the details of your | | | | Systems logo prominently displayed on the |
| business) you need to mix things up a bit. | | | | front and back - the same general feel and |
| Your mailings should be attention getting and | | | | most importantly the same color scheme. |
| informative. If you have started offering a | | | | Picking a company color or group of colors |
| new service recently, a postcard designed to | | | | and sticking with it will help to increase |
| let your database know about it would be a | | | | recognition and readership of your promo. |
| smart move. The main point is to keep your | | | | Simply put, your customers will get to the |
| company in the front of their mind and to | | | | point that they read what you send them. They |
| keep them reading your postcards. | | | | need to know it is from your company before |
| | | | they read it because if it doesn't look like |
| If the promo that you send to your database | | | | what they are used to you sending it may go |
| gets too repetitive your customers will lose | | | | in the trash without a second look. |
| interest and at that point you are just | | | | |
| wasting your money on postage because your | | | | Being great at what you do is not always |
| postcards won't get the attention that you | | | | enough to keep the customers that you have |
| want. | | | | earned. With all of the competition out there |
| | | | today you need to be constantly reminding |
| One of your main goals should be to educate | | | | your customers that you are the best at what |
| your customers about how your product or | | | | you do. Direct mail postcards are the best |
| service works and this will in turn help them | | | | way to give them that reminder. |
| to get more use out of your entire line of | | | | |
| products and services. Many times it is as | | | | Always remember to keep mailings that you |
| simple as sending out mailings that make your | | | | send to your database informative, attractive |
| customers aware of all that you can do for | | | | and most of all current. Personalize |
| them. | | | | everything that you can and make sure that |
| | | | what you are sending to a past client |
| Take, for example, a California based | | | | actually pertains to them or their company. |
| software company called Forté Systems. Not | | | | Anything less and your customer may start to |
| only do they use direct mail postcards to | | | | drift, and the only people that are going to |
| acquire new business, they know how to use | | | | be happy when that happens are your |
| them to effectively market to their current | | | | competitors. |
| customer database as well. To fully | | | | |