Building a marketing system is crucial for delivering consistent results, including new sales leads, referrals, and other key outcomes. While there are standard marketing actions every business must take to reach new people and upsell existing clients, most businesses must go above and beyond to capture the waning attention of a modern customer.
Adi Klevit, CEO of the Business Success Consulting Group, recently spoke with Phil Risher, President of Phlash Consulting, about how modern businesses are overcoming the challenge of marketing in an increasingly crowded digital world. Keep reading to find four offbeat but highly effective ways to use systems to elevate your marketing strategy.
Four Offbeat Marketing Systems That Drive Sales
1. Build a Referral Network System
One of the most underutilized but powerful marketing channels is referrals. Referral marketing is particularly underutilized in the B2B world, but it shouldn't be! B2B referrals are just as valuable as direct customer referrals.
Here are examples of natural B2B referral partners:
- Electricians and plumbers.
- Realtors with home inspectors and contractors.
- Property managers and landlords referring to cleaning companies.
- Chiropractors and massage therapists.
- Hair stylists and aestheticians.
Take these steps to systemize referrals within your industry ecosystem:
- Identify 5–10 local businesses with complementary services.
- Create a partnership outreach script and a follow-up cadence.
- Formalize referral incentives (e.g., a fee per lead, service trade, or a pledge to refer business back to them).
- Document the process so your team knows how to maintain and nurture the relationship.
When referrals are systematized, they become a consistent source of leads, rather than happy accidents.
2. Systemize Your Lead Conversion Funnel
It’s not enough to get leads through the door. If there’s no follow-up process in place, those leads quickly go cold as potential customers find other businesses to work with.
To systematize conversions:
- Set up auto-responses wherever people reach out. This could be on web forms, your phone answering line, on social media, or after a conference. Ensure the response includes both a text message and an email confirmation.
- Add an online scheduling feature to your website to allow prospects to book appointments immediately.
- Assign team members to follow up with all leads that don’t convert right away.
A lead conversion system ensures you're engaging prospects quickly, answering their questions, and reducing friction in the buying process.
3. Retarget Past Prospects and Customers
Many companies focus solely on acquiring new traffic, overlooking the goldmine in their own CRM. Systematized retargeting allows you to stay top-of-mind and win back prospects who weren’t ready the first time around.
Here’s how to create a retargeting system:
- Start with a monthly newsletter that features:
- A new blog, maintenance tip, or interesting social media post.
- A cross-sell opportunity (e.g., if they bought a closet, offer an organizational system).
- A client testimonial or review.
- Create themed content calendars to streamline your outreach efforts.
- Build automated email or text message campaigns triggered by customer behavior.
- Use your CRM to track responses and reengage leads with targeted offers.
Retargeting doesn’t need to be flashy or even tied to ads. The key is having a repeatable structure in place so that your customers hear from you at the right time.
4. Add Membership or Service Contract Options
Membership models aren't just for gyms and streaming services; they're also applicable to other industries. Service-based businesses can utilize them to secure recurring revenue and enhance customer retention.
Ideas to explore:
- Annual inspections.
- Monthly, quarterly, or seasonal services.
- Touch-up programs.
- Preferred scheduling or discounts for members.
To systematize this:
- Package the offer clearly and make it easy to sign up online or in person.
- Establish a recurring billing process and clearly define what is included.
- Create a calendar or CRM task list for service reminders and follow-ups.
Membership systems generate predictable income and enhance customer lifetime value, while also providing your clients with peace of mind.
Utilize Business Systems to Simplify Your Marketing
If your company is investing in marketing but not getting consistent results, the problem may not be your strategy; it may be the lack of systems behind it. By documenting and implementing repeatable processes for referrals, conversions, retargeting, and retention, you can generate more leads, close more business, and retain more customers with less stress.
At Business Success Consulting Group, we help business owners build systems that support every aspect of growth. If you’re ready to bring structure to your marketing efforts, reach out to schedule a free consultation.
