The new business opportunities right in front of you

Do you spend too much time trying to get new customers, when you could use it more effectively winning it from existing ones?

Some years ago I was freelancing at a big, famous agency. I noticed they never seemed to pitch and I thought perhaps they’d lost their edge and were failing to get on pitch lists.

So I asked a full-timer about it.

“We don’t do pitches,” he said.

“What, not any?”

“None”

“Well then how can your agency grow?”

“We develop business with our existing clients.”

More recently, I met a guy whose agency had been thriving during the recession.

I asked him how they did it.

“We find out from our clients what services they’d like. Then we bring in the relevant expertise and open a new division.”

So now, in addition to offering clients the typical services you’d expect –  advertising, DM, PR, etc –  the agency also offers staff and management training.

And with those new services, the agency is winning more business from existing clients.

Then I thought of my own experience in direct marketing over the past 13 years.

The easiest gains were all made by cross-selling, up-selling and making special offers to existing customers.

So why make things difficult for yourself? Go for the easy sell – people who already buy from you.