How to use your billing process to introduce your customers to new products and services
If you invoice your customers, and those who receive your invoice are purchasing decision makers, you can promote your business at the same time for little or no cost. Furthermore, you are promoting to people who already trust you, and with whom you have an existing relationship.
This works well when your customers include small business owners, consultants and individual purchasers. These people are highly likely to review all invoices themselves. They also makes the purchasing decisions, unlike the accounting assistants in larger business who process the bills independently of the people who decide what products and services get purchased.
Why not tell your customers about the other products or services you offer? It can be as simple as placing a photocopy of an article into the same envelope as your invoice. Articles or how-to information works better than overt advertisements. You could include a simple note on a business card or Post-it that says something like: "Interesting article. We should discuss." or "This may be if interest to you or a friend - enjoy."
Here are some examples:
- A legal firm could include an article on labor contracts or intellectual property issues when they bill a client for reviewing a purchase agreement. The articles or notes let the client know that there are other areas that may need legal attention.
- An accounting firm could remind clients about changes in the tax law that their client might take advantage of if they act soon enough. They can also remind clients that they offer personal finance advice as well as corporate advice.
- A gardening service might include tips on landscaping to give their clients ideas. The gardener could offer to install the new irrigation. Similarly, they could remind customers that their trees should be pruned at certain times and that they offer this service for an additional fee.
These types of promotions do not have to be elaborate. If fact, they often work best when the customer feels you are including the information just for them. If your material was too fancy, they would know it was mass produced. If you bill monthly, you just need 12 articles -- $1.20 per client per year, assuming you pay 10-cents per photocopied page. It is not much or a burden to add an extra page to the envelope along with the invoice.
You should also take the opportunity to ask for referrals. Include some extra business cards. You might also offer an incentive, but it is often not necessary.
You can widen your promotions beyond your own customer base by partnering with another business that offers complementary products or services. You mention them to your clients and they mention you to theirs.
