The List

There is tremendous value in your “list.” Hopefully, you even have several lists: current clients with whom you probably already do a good job in keeping in touch with; former clients; potential clients; and the A-list of people you want to be potential clients.

The most often missed opportunity is found in the former clients list. Too often we think they are long gone and of no value. After all, chances are very good that many of them have already moved or are no longer in business, so we would be wasting postage sending a letter to people who aren’t even there to receive it, right?

(Imagine, the horrible danger of losing 50 cents on someone no longer there versus the opportunity of making hundreds, even thousands of dollars from someone who is still there and whom we just think is a cold fish. On which side do you think you should error?)

There is no way you can know exactly why everyone on your “cold” list is not doing business with you unless you keep in touch with them. They may have had to deal with a dying parent, been in ill health themselves, been too busy with their own projects, moved to Australia but now are back, going to school....you know, busy with other aspects of their own life. But we all too quickly assume they simply have made some conscious decision to no longer do business with us, so we write them off without so much as a postcard to say “Hi. How ‘ya doing?”

Your list is your lifeblood. Who is on your list who is waiting to hear from - - and do business with - - you?