Today, I’ve got a story of how recency and consistency are two of the most effective tools you can use to grow your business.
But before we delve into that, let’s define recency.
Most companies who sell products define recency as how long ago a customer made a purchase.
The idea being that the more recent the purchase, the more likely the customer will still have the product and brand on their minds…which increases the likelihood that they’ll make a repeat purchase.
But recency for you…since you don’t sell products, is the last time prospective and existing customers interacted with you, and how great that experience was.
Now, back to our story…
I had a hard time when I was just starting out in business.
Initially, I made inroads with many of the repair shops and dealerships…but after a while, the number of calls began trailing off.
Some of them had gone to using different towing companies.
Which was frustrating, to say the least.
But instead of giving up and going deeper into motor clubs or going down some other rabbit hole, I decided to see what the other guys were up to.
And all it was…was they were visiting the shops and befriending the owners/managers/service writers/mechanics & collision techs…etc.
Same thing I did.
Only difference was they were doing it more often.
So, of course, I doubled down, and in a short time, our numbers were up again.
Now, I don’t want you thinking that this was effortless.
It was hard.
Developing rapport, much less talking to people I considered to be successful business owners, was not easy for me.
I fully respected these people and, in many cases, was intimidated by them.
I understood that they had options…
And at times…I doubted myself.
I questioned why they would want to do business with me over other towing company owners.
But then I scheduled an appointment with Mike and learned something I hadn’t considered before.
Mike was the owner of one of the largest dealerships in town.
And my intent of the meeting was to develop a partnership with his company where we did all his towing.
We already towed some of their customers’ vehicles.
We bought some of our trucks from them.
And we had some of our trucks repaired there.
But I was still nervous.
I was nervous because, in my opinion, this guy was a heavy hitter (He really is, as he’ll probably become Missouri’s next Governor)
And…I felt like I needed his business more than he needed mine.
Anyway, the meeting couldn’t have gone any better.
He expressed gratitude for our business and the services we provide, and we formed a partnership right there on the spot.
That meeting gave me the boost of confidence I needed to continue growing my business.
But it wasn’t until a few months later that I was finally able to answer the question that always caused me to doubt myself.
“Why would someone want to do business with me over other towing company owners?”
You see, in the meeting, Mike said something that hadn’t fully sunk in yet.
He said that he appreciated the fact that we were always available, took care of his customers, worked with them when things weren’t cut and dried, and got along well with his service writers.
To me, the things he mentioned were Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
But Mike placed tremendous value on them.
Once I realized that our consistent insistence on taking care of our customers was what attracted people to us, I got over my doubt.
When you have something to bring to the table and can demonstrate it with anecdotal stories, you’ll have no problem developing rapport and talking to folks.
Recency and consistency are the best tools for forming alliances, making friends, and growing your business.
Don Archer
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