Midtown Atlanta yesterday - the magic of a good reputation in business!

[turnermagic]

If you have run a small business for any amount of time, then you know that the work you do lives after you. This came home to me yesterday... in a good way.

 

The story...

 

Yesterday I met with a new client for an event I'm doing in a couple of weeks. We were sitting in a pub/cafe in midtown -- just next to the Fox Theatre -- talking about the details of the performance and what we were going to do.

As we discussed his event, I asked how he found me. I like to track how new clients find out about my services. As it happens, he had used a search engine looking for "Atlanta magicians." I show up on that search, but he had actually clicked on somebody else's site... one of the many sponsored ads. The person he called was unavailable on the date. As they talked, though, the other performer told him that he should call me and was very complimentary of my work. The client was really impressed, and we discussed how a good reputation is critical for developing new business no matter what your advertising approach is.

At that moment, a group of people walked in the front door of the pub and headed to the back of the room. Just as they had passed our table, I heard someone call my name. One of the men in the group had seen me perform at an event five years ago and had recognized me... right at the moment when I was talking to a new client!

It was a perfect moment! I wish I could say I had set it up, but it was a totally random moment... that someone who saw a performance years ago would happen along at that moment.

 

The moral...

 

Yesterday's experience has inspired me to go back through my records from a few years ago and re-connect with as many clients as possible. January is traditionally a pretty slow time for my business, so I'm going to spend some time getting back in touch with people I should have been contacting more regularly. Who knows? Maybe one of them is just as enthusiastic as the guy in the pub was... but didn't happen to walk by me in the right restaurant on the right day at the right time.

So... what can you do to help your own enthusiastic previous clients get back in touch with you, and become cheerleaders for you in front of new prospects?

[ladybug82525]

Great story!!

[EagleWings]

Great story "JMT". I hope others see the moral behind it and not get lost in the story itself.