Customer Mailing Lists
Customer mailing lists are the gold mine of an established business. Keeping an existing customer (and increasing your business with him) is far easier and much less expensive than finding a new customer. Yet very few businesses spend enough time selling to their existing customer base. Start your customer mailing list the day you open and never stop collecting names.
SEVEN WAYS TO GENERATE MAILING LISTS
1) Whenever you deal with someone who calls your business, take her phone number number right at the start. If you offer to send the person a brochure or free coupon, you've got her address.
2) When a customer leaves something (shoes for repair or dry cleaning) or special orders something make sure you get her address and phone number.
3) Run frequent contests or sweepstakes that require customers to fill out a form with their address and phone number.
4) Install a prominent SUGGESTIONS box. This is good business anyway, but also gives you a way to collect addresses. In addition to placing them on your mailing list, personally respond to each suggestion.
5) Create a free newsletter or catalog and offer it to anyone who gives you their address and phone.
6) Find a good list broker in your local yellow pages. They will be able to create a targeted mailing list based on the specific demographic information you provide.
7) Put a fishbowl on your counter and invite your customers to throw in their business cards to win something from your store.
Adapted from The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook by Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin
