Want to grow your business? Think beyond the sale

Posted by Michael Harvey on March 18, 2008, 7:30 PM EDT

The other day I was speaking to a small business owner. They told me that using Concourse Suite was helping them manage sales leads, and I was asking them about the steps beyond the sale and how they were using the CRM and other capabilities, and what processes they had introduced.

"Beyond the sale? We're just looking to grow," was the response. I was stunned.

I'm not undermining the importance of the sale. Nothing happens until someone sells something, that's business. But good businesses looks beyond the sale and to a longer-term relationship. Relationships should be a top concern for any business that wants to grow. It doesn't matter if you have 10 employees or 10,000.

It's about knowing your customers. After you've sold them something, get working on the relationship. Talk to them, ask them what they like about your product or service, and what brought them to you. Get feedback. Listen.

Here are several great questions for small business owners to ask themselves, courtesy of a great post at Duct Tape Marketing from earlier this week, which is all about making sure you are attracting the right type of customer.

Relationships are key: when a company opens a two-way conversation, they learn a great deal not just about that customer but also about their own company. We call this 'Get and Grow'.

Technology plays its role in this strategy. It ensures that you have the right processes, allowing the consistent tracking of what customers have bought, all contact they have had with the company and any actions required. It's all about knowledge: knowing who your customers are and how/when they want to be reached - but tracking these things on Post-Its, spreadsheets and desktops is not the way to share this vital knowledge.

If you're not thinking beyond the sale, you're not thinking abut long-term business - no matter how much you sell.