Ask and ye shall receive

I'm not turning Biblical for you in this blog. (Not that being Biblical is a bad idea.)

No, this is about asking for business, based upon the deeply held and often proven knowledge of any good salesman that, despite whatever you do to build relationships and such, you still, at some point, need to actually ask for the sale. And the same is true of referrals.

The start of a new year can be the start of a lot of new, positive relationships for your company, relationships that are just one step away from someone whom you already have as a client.

I always encounter private investigators who are justifiably proud of the fact that they get virtually all of their clients from referrals. But you don't have to sit around waiting for your current customers to happen to bump into someone they know who may need help at that minute before they ever even think of referring someone to you. You can foster and nurture that relationship throughout the year, and there is probably no better time to begin implementing such a strategy than at the beginning of the year.

So write a letter - - yes, an actual letter in the mail with a first class stamp on it - - to your current clients, simply suggesting that the start of the year is the time when you always want to take that extra effort to strengthen your relationships with your clients, and to let them know that you are also available to help their family, friends and business associates with a wide (or narrowly specific) range of problem solving services.