Group buying sites can get your business exposure. If your business is new, you’re struggling to get fresh customers or have branched out on the products and services you provide, group buying sites might be a short term way to get more business. As a business advisor, I’m not particularly a fan of group buying sites, but I can see that they have merit as a quick way to get an influx of new customers, and cash, into your business. As a customer, I love those sites. Not only do I love a bargain, but I love the fun of trying somewhere new and the adventure of trying something new. From hiking to hair cuts, museums to massages, I’ve tried a lot of group buying offers, and here are the top 5 mistakes I see businesses make, when they use this channel/ The biggest one is on boarding me as a new customer. I call this a pre-welcome, that’s a made up term of mine, so don’t bother googling it. A pre-welcome could also be a “what to expect”. It doesn’t matter if you’re a restaurant or a gym, a health spa or a cooking class, let me know what to expect. What is parking like in the area, do I need to wear anything special, do I need to do something, or refrain from doing something before hand. When I arrive, what will happen. And, what happens afterwards. You could even put the suggestion of upselling into the document. In today’s download, I’m going to give you an example of what a pre welcome should look like, and the steps you should be taking, to make the most of group buying sites. The number 2 mistake I see businesses making, is that they don’t upsell. When you upsell, it should always be for the benefit of the customer, not for your cash register, so when a new customer is brought into your business, you should be looking to maximise THEIR return on investment. If they’ve taken the time to come into your business, make sure they get the most out of it, and be ready to identify how you could help them. In turn, you’ll end up with more money in your cash register The number 3 mistake, is no after care. On the very rare occasion that I get ANY follow up from a business, it’s usually one of those stock standard “hey, tell us what you think” emails. It’s all about the business. It’s never about me. If those businesses had sent me an email with some tips on how to get the most out of my hair cut, or a fun quiz that my kid could do after going to the museum, they’d have a much better chance of engaging me as a customer. So number three is to always have an after care nurture sequence in place, and make it focus on the customer, not your business, and it must have purpose. If you get feedback, what are you going to do with it? Next on my list, at number 4, is that these businesses NEVER ask me to become a customer. I’ve yet to have a hairdresser, massage or beauty therapist or restaurant, ask me to book my next appointment. And of course, with no after-care in place, I generally never hear from those businesses again, so even if I did like the service, there’s no prompting to make me come back again. Number 5 is being treated differently And I’ll admit this one doesn’t always happen. I’ve had great customer service, and terrible customer service, as a result of using group buying vouchers. Maybe those businesses that come to mind always had poor customer service, which is why they Re turned to sites like these to get a quick influx, but I can say, from experience, that I’ve been treated differently to other customers, when I’ve used vouchers. Your business service level should be consistent right across the board, regardless of whether someone is a new or returning customer. If you want these new people to become repeat customers, you need to treat them the same way that you would an existing customer. If you want to take advantage of group buying sites, make sure that you have a goal. Know how many people you want to take up the offer, and how many do you want to retain as retuning customers. Have a system in place to take advantage of the