"Go Get a Fish Bowl"

I got a phone call the other day from my friend Michael Levine telling me about a conversation he had with a mutual friend (and my very first paying client). She was looking for some marketing help and he said, "What about Craig?"

She said, "Does Craig do [this type of] marketing?"

Michael gave a brief description of what I do and said, "Why don't you call him?"

She said, "I don't have his contact information."

So, the important question Michael asked me was, "Craig, how can someone you've known for so many years not have your contact information?"

Good question. 

The better question he posed was, "How do we let someone who has done business with us in the past go uncontacted for so long as to not have our contact information readily available to them when they need it?"

It's a great question!

Michael gave me a very simple, but powerful suggestion on how to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again. 

He said,

"Craig, my dear and valued friend. I suggest you go down to your local Target or Walmart and buy a plastic fish bowl. The investment will cost you anywhere from $2 dollars to $8 dollars. Then, I want you to write down on some index cards the names of people you haven't heard from in a while and every day, just pick out two new names, pick up your phone and give them a call and say, "Hello. I was just thinking about you. How are you doing? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Now, if you know anything about Michael, he's a bit "old school." I like that about him. His suggested methods are tried and true. The fundamentals of staying in touch with people are the same as they were 30 years ago. 

How many people that you used to do business with have gone lost or uncommunicated with over the past year (or ten)?

I suggest WE take Michael's advice together. Go look at your list, pick out a few names each week, and pick up the phone and check in to see how they're doing and ask, "How can I be of help to you?"

I am positive: They'll thank you for the call. 

By the way, email works to do this. But, it's not as powerful and as personal as hearing a friendly voice on the other side of the phone.

Make it personal. Show them you really care.

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Craig Valine is a Marketing Performance Strategist from Pasadena, CA. For over 25 years, he's helped LA area owner-operated entrepreneurial businesses and professional practices, who are already doing well, but just want to do better, reduce the stress and overwhelm that's associated with running a successful business. 

He does that through his EMP Alliance VIP Community, Advanced Marketing Mastermind Group, and Private Client relationships. 

To learn more about Craig, visit CraigValineMarketing.com