The people that your organization encounters are valuable for multiple reasons. In the not-for-profit space, the people you serve and the people who interact with your organization are all potential donors, service evangelist, and future connections to the next level of client. In the corporate space, your customers, vendors, and contractors are all instruments for expanding your brand awareness strategy.
One significant step an organization can take to optimize this resource is to have a strategy to collect information. You cannot cultivate a relationship with people you cannot connect with. Rewards programs, newsletters, and lead generators are all tools designed to identify and gather names, phone numbers, and email addresses for future outreach and relationship management. The most successful organizations have mastered this art and collect this information without fail.
The partner to gathering information is to have a plan for what to do with it. Whether you offer coupons, updates, special offers, or even to request donations, having a plan is vital to using this information. One company I worked with had a database of over 20K past client's information, but no strategy for how to use it. Once the company determined that they could provide discount services for returning customers, this list became an avenue for a fresh revenue stream. Having the information is not enough, but having the information and combining it with a plan allows you to create a fresh path to your goal.
Is your organization optimizing its most important resource? If not, reach out and let's create a plan together.
