Page 23 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

hang that sign around their neck and do something to make
them feel important.

Gayle is a regional vice president for a major insurance
company. She has grasped the M-M-F-I principle and turned
it into one of her tools to gain and retain customers. When
she’s attempting to get a prospect to represent her insur-
ance company in a particular area, or when she wants to get an
existing customer to do something special to benefit her other
customers, one of her techniques is to put them on a pedestal
by reminding them that they are the best of the best. When she
asks them to do something, she makes it clear that she selects
the most outstanding people. Rarely does anyone say no, and
those who do work with her often develop into loyal custom-
ers. Gayle has been able to convert many skeptical prospects
into delighted customers by understanding their needs and mak-
ing them feel important.

Epilogue
Make yourself a note, sign, or poster. Put it on your mirror
at home, on your dashboard in the car, or near your phone in
the office. Write out M-M-F-I, and remember it every time you
contact a customer!

9

Strategic Partnerships

Most companies talk about wanting a relationship with their
prospects as they turn them into customers. Unfortunately, many
companies often exploit that relationship, taking as much as
they can get, even making sales that the customer doesn’t need.

22