Do you want to grow your business beyond your current customer base? How can you find and attract new customers without wasting your marketing budget?
Jay Abraham offers practical strategies for expanding your customer reach in his book Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got. He provides a three-step process for finding new customers: calculating their value, marketing across multiple channels, and creating a referral system.
Read on to discover how to reach new customers efficiently and build sustainable growth for your business.
How to Reach New Customers
Once you’re clear on who your existing customers are and why you’re valuable to them, plan effective ways to appeal to new, potential customers. Abraham explains that, even if you already have profitable customers, it’s important to continually acquire new ones because relying on a fixed customer base limits your business’s growth potential.
Abraham shares practical advice for how to reach new customers, recommending a three-step process: calculate customer value, implement multi-channel marketing, and establish a referral program.
(Shortform note: While acquiring new customers is important for growth, research shows that focusing solely on acquiring new customers can be an expensive strategy. Research reveals that it can cost five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, and the success rate for selling to new customers (5% to 20%) is far lower than for existing ones (60% to 70%). Further, just a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%. These statistics suggest that balancing acquisition with retention efforts can support business growth and be more profitable than focusing on acquisition alone.)
#1: Calculate Customer Value
Work out exactly how much revenue each customer brings to your business. According to Abraham, knowing the total profit a customer generates over their entire relationship with your business helps you determine how much to invest in acquiring and retaining new customers. Without this knowledge, you risk either spending too much on customer acquisition and losing money, or spending too little and missing growth opportunities.
(Shortform note: Business experts clarify that to be profitable, the total revenue you earn from a customer over time must exceed what you spend to acquire them. They recommend investing no more than 30% of a customer’s overall revenue on acquisition.)
Abraham suggests that you can calculate overall customer value by first determining the average length of time customers stay with your business, and then multiplying this by their typical spending during that period. Additionally, factor in any extra revenue these customers generate through referrals. For example, say your average customer maintains their subscription for two years at $20 per month and typically refers one new customer during that time. Their total value would be $960 when you include both their direct spending ($480) and the value of their referral ($480).
(Shortform note: Business experts suggest that calculating overall customer value is more complex than Abraham describes, as the specific factors businesses need to consider vary based on their business model. For example, if you frequently offer discounts, you’d need to factor in the average discount rate when calculating customer value, as this impacts the actual revenue generated per customer. Similarly, if customers often return products, you’d also need to factor in the average return rate when calculating customer value.)
#2: Implement Multi-Channel Marketing
Once you know how much money you can afford to invest in acquiring new customers, coordinate your marketing efforts across multiple channels. Abraham explains that different people prefer different ways of learning about and engaging with businesses—therefore, marketing through various channels increases your chances of connecting with potential customers.
Abraham suggests you can reach more potential customers by sharing your unique value through channels they already use, while maintaining a consistent message across all these channels. This consistency ensures potential customers understand what makes your business valuable, regardless of how they find you. For example, if your unique value is helping users master new skills, emphasize this message consistently—from social media posts showcasing success stories to marketing emails highlighting how trial users are applying their new skills.
(Shortform note: Marketing experts offer two tips for completing this step: First, once you know what channels customers use, find out when they use them—even if they’re interested in your offer, they’ll only pay attention to your content when it suits them. Second, in addition to using the same message about your unique value in your marketing, use the same logo, colors, and fonts to create a consistent brand image. This will make it easier for potential customers to recognize and remember your brand across different platforms, reinforcing the unique value you offer.)
#3: Establish a Referral Program
In addition to multi-channel marketing, encourage existing customers to recommend your business to others. Abraham explains that referred customers are more valuable than those acquired through other methods—they tend to spend more, buy more frequently, and stay loyal to your business longer. Therefore, creating a systematic approach to generating referrals provides a reliable source of profitable customers.
Abraham suggests that you can build an effective referral system by making it easy for satisfied customers to recommend you and offering incentives for successful referrals. For example, add a prominent “share with colleagues” button in your app that lets users send a free trial link, then reward them with a free month of service when their referrals subscribe.
(Shortform note: Research supports the idea that referred customers are more valuable. Customers referred to a company are 16% to 24% more loyal than customers who found the company through other means. These referrals are effective because they come from a trusted source, usually family members or friends. Despite this, some marketing experts caution against structured referral programs, explaining that customers who feel pressured to make referrals for rewards are less likely to share genuine enthusiasm about your business. Instead, these experts argue that the only way to encourage referrals is to provide a great service that inspires customers to recommend your business without external pressure.)
