Staying in touch with your entire network is one of the most powerful, yet consistently overlooked engagement practices. It is important adopt and stick to a communication plan to constantly engage your contacts and tell them what is new and exciting about you and your company. Sending newsletters or updates to your contacts will keep them informed, rekindle relationships, and most likely open the doors for new opportunities.

Keep in mind the purpose is to reconnect with your network by giving them information that is of value to them, not necessarily just advertising your product or service. There is no better way to generate immediate results than to get back in touch with your network through strategic, informative communications that will foster repeat sales and referrals.

Here is how you can kick-off your communication plan using a program like Chili Sales:

1. Build a strategic contact list of your personal network, business contacts, existing customers, and current prospects.
2. Write an email with an update what you and your business has been up to for the past 2 or 3 months.
3. Mention exciting news and developments, success stories, useful industry-related information, ongoing promotions, or any other tidbits that your audience would find of value.
4. For added impact, design an attractive yet simple HTML design using an email template editor (although plain text works well too).
5. After you send the communication, be sure to track who received the email, who opened the email, and who has clicked on your links.
6. Be sure to follow up appropriately with your contacts.

End Result: Doing this will position you as an information provider, progressively becoming a “go-to person” who understands their individual needs.

This video shows you how to create your contact list easily using Chili Sales (3-5 minutes):

Virtually all companies rely on selling to customers, whether they call it sales or business development or client acquisition. However, many people don’t know how to sell effectively and all fall into the same common pitfalls.

For example, we often see people take the ineffective route of giving the same pitch to every prospect. The purpose of your “pitch” is to exchange ideas on how you can help them meet their goals, overcome their challenges, or provide some other tangible benefit. However, not everyone has the same goals, challenges, wants, and needs. The key to getting people truly interested is using those crucial first moments to strike the right chord.

Here’s a recipe to train yourself how to strike the right chord with prospects:

1. Pick your top 5 current prospects.
2. Use the internet to read about their current activities.
3. Put yourself in the shoes of these prospects and think about what your needs and challenges might be.
4. Use this insight to strike up a conversation, and then ask more specific questions like, “What are your short-term goals for the next month, what are challenges you’ve seen in the past month?”
5. Don’t sell. Get prospects to talk about themselves. Learn about them. This builds a relationship between them and you.
6. Identify areas where your prospect needs help, and position yourself as the expert who can provide that help.
7. Be sure to track this information so that it is readily available when you re-engage them.

End Result: You started a trusting relationship that is more likely to result in a sale, but will also ensure the opportunity for more business deals in the future. Your next conversation should be a work-session to put together a plan of action that will deliver real results.

For a way to easily record your research and important bits of information, enter profile notes in Chili Sales. Here’s how to do it (3-5 minutes):

Knowing your clients’ interests, hobbies, and preferences is a great way to build stronger relationships and open doors to new opportunities. Having this knowledge allows you to add a personal touch to your interactions that will make your clients see that you think of them as more than just a sale.

Additionally, when you have the ability to identify contact groups who share common areas of interest, it would be a great idea to host a social outing or mixer to bring them together. For example, if you know that a large amount of your contacts is interested in basketball, schedule a night where you can all get together and watch a basketball game. Offer incentives to convert prospects into new customers, and also for existing customers to bring their friends.

Here is the recipe that you can follow to engage contacts based on interest:

1. Prioritize the specific interests that you will profile (hobbies, sports, food, music, etc.).
2. Tell your colleagues about the value of collecting this information and set weekly goals.
3. Gather the information, either in conversation or through questionnaires.
4. Track your progress at the end of each week.
5. Use this information to create personalized communications and events.
6. Build a community amongst your customers who share common interests.

End Result: Your customers will feel a stronger personal connection to your company, building their trust and loyalty.

This video teaches you how to track interests and hobbies using Chili Sales (1-2 minutes):