Search Results for ‘customer relationships’
They both have their own days!
February 28th is Floral Design Day - If you are a florist you could host a design day at your shop and invite your customers to participate. Or invite your local elementary, middle and/or high school to take a field trip to your shop and show them how to make something simple like a corsage or a bud vase. If you are not a florist, you could partner with one and cross promote the day – by sponsoring the event, to help offset the cost of the supplies and refreshments. Be sure to send a media release announcing your plans. Who knows, the media could show up – it’s a nice story for your local paper.
February 28th is also Romance on a Budget Day – save money on romance today – check out the book “Romance on a Budget- 199 Cheap Thrills, Romantic Antics and Love Changing Experiences” then Host a Romance Sucks Contest – we asked our customers to “Tell us why Romance Sucks! In 250 words or less, tell us your Valentine Horror Story!, And we offered prizes including a dozen roses a month for a year, the Romance on a Budget Book, and dinners for two… and more.
One of my clients is a financial advisor and for Valentine’s Day she ordered 50 copies and gave them to her top clients as a thank you with a little note to help them keep their relationships strong in these economic times. GREAT IDEA!
February 28th, 2009
November 18 – 24 is National Cookie Week – When Debbie Fields opened up a new cookie store in any city, the first thing she did was give away cookies. People liked them, began to talk about them (and the experience) and ultimately returned to buy more cookies. She was not the only cookie store in town. She was not the only bakery in town. But she ended up being the most successful in town. There are two things you need to do: 1) Bring testimonials from existing customers in video format to your new city. Testimonials are proof that your product is great, that your service is great, and that you deliver what you promise. 2) Find one or two great prospective customers and give your product away in exchange for local testimonials. Most companies make the foolish mistake of trying to make sales before they make friends or build relationships.
Once you have developed a few loyal customers, begin a testimonial advertising campaign — letting your customers speak for you. (source: Jeffrey Gitomer – Sales Caffeine)
Note: What was once a small business grown in her home town soon became a nationally recognized brand that withstood years of peaks and valleys. They still have an online store and are in the process of reorganizing after filing Chapter 11 (bankruptcy).
November 21st, 2008
personalized postcards and greeting cards have been our number one stay in touch method. We have found them to be a great “buzz generator.” The system we use is called SendOutCards and since I have been using it, have had thank you notes for our thank you notes, phone calls thanking me for thinking of them in such a personalized way and everyone so far has said they are “keepers.”
Continue Reading November 7th, 2008
Staying in touch with your clients and customers should be an integral part of your marketing plan. In fact, it should be one most important activities that you do. In fact, there are several ways you can touch your customers from phone calls, to emails to snail mail campaigns.
Here are the ways we stay in touch with our retail floral customers:
1. We use postcards for those we have not heard from in 6 months or more.
2. We call those we have not heard from in a year.
3. We send bi weekly emails with specials.
4. We have a quarterly newsletter – Ramblin’ Rose which we send with specials, tips, flowers trivia and more.
5. And we send flowers to those customers who are the most frequent purchasers.
6. We also have a “weekly drawing” of our customer database and send them flowers to say HI.
7. Once a year we send a holiday CD filled with our specials (late November).
8. And I randomly go through our list and send thank you notes for our customers’ business once a month.
Here’s what we do to stay in touch with the members of the Women’s eCommerce Association:
1. We host monthly events which are both educational, informational events that our members attend. At the same time, have the opportunity to stick around after the sessions and chat among themselves and very often with the guests we invite to share their success stories.
2. We publish and distribute a bi-weekly ezine called eMonday News.
3. We also publish a digital magazine ~ WE Magazine for Women – for the Total Woman – filled with excellent articles about wealth, travel, business, women, balance and relationships… and much more.
4. We have a network on LinkedIn that we just started where our members can post questions, answer questions, share expertise, and get to know one another.
5. We also host bi-annual summits on a variety of topics which is a great way to reach out to our members – the most recent was “How to Grow a Million Dollar Business” Summit.
How do you stay in touch? Feel free to leave your comments and share your story.
October 14th, 2008
In keeping with the theme started yesterday, I thought I’d share some excerpts from an interview I participated in.
Recently I was interviewed by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners (during the Product Sellers Seminar) and she asked several great questions about how to market in a slow economy. Over the next few days I am going to post my replies here.
Q. What is the biggest challenge for product sellers in a slow economy?
A. Cash flow… or lack of… when we have little income coming in we panic and try to think of quick fixes and ways to get “easy money such as offering discounts on our products. Which may be okay short term but could backfire on us down the road. Because when you discount people start expecting it and then demanding it. call it the flea market mentality. Nothing wrong with it as long as you recognize it for what it is and that you also know it WILL change the perception of your company.
Q. What are some tips you have for staying a float in a slow economy?
A. Focus on the long term…. Things that are important today….may not be a year or six months from now. Look at the news as an example. See what interests you today and if you can look into your crystal ball see what will even have an affect on you in six months. The same is true for business. While we need to market quickly in a down economy we need to think strategically about how our marketing today will affect our business in the future. Discounting is a perfect example. I suggest that instead of discounting your services you offer a “gift certificate” to your to clients as a thank you for their business and or a thank you for referring others to you. Or send them your product as a thank you. When they get a “gift” they will feel a stronger need to repay the favor. Its quid pro quo – something for something.
In business today it’s all about relationships. I recently reconnected with a customer who made a nice sized purchase and when I was finished taking her order said “Please tell your friends about Eden Florist.” 15 minutes later the phone rang and a friend of hers called to place a floral order too….
Ask for the Business – I was invited by a Local Newspaper to an event they were hosting and called and asked for the event planner. I offered her my services. She said “send me a bid” and I did. We ended up doing the décor for that event and two more events they hosted over the next 6 weeks.
BTW, you can also listen to the full interview live at SpeakingWithSpirit.com.
September 30th, 2008
How Cause-related marketing can grow your company and do good.
According to a report published by onPhilanthropy, cause marketing sponsorship by American businesses has been steadily rising over the years.
The potential benefits of cause marketing for nonprofit organizations include a wider audience in which to promote the nonprofit organization’s cause, increased accessibility of potential donors and supporters through a company’s customer base.
The potential benefits of cause marketing for businesses big or small include promoting your company in a positive way, improving your relationships with your current customer base, and attract your target audience. Cause-related marketing can make your company stand out from your competitors and heighten your company’s reputation within your target market.
In the ook Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands by Hamish Pringle and Marjorie Thompson the authors say: “Nothing builds brand loyalty among today’s increasingly skeptical, hard-to-please consumers like a proven commitment to a worthy cause on the part of a company.”
Some ways you can implement a cause marketing campaign include giving a portion of the profits of sales of a product to the cause. Companies have created programs to donate a percentage of their sales to a nonprofit organization through the use of auctions. You can align your company with a cause to brand your business as the official (name of industry) of (name of cause). You can adopt a program and get your staff involved to help implement your marketing efforts such as participating in an event hosted by the cause as a TEAM effort, donating time to mentor youth in the schools or community, giving blood, to name a few.
Think BIG ~ The Let’s say Thanks Campaign by Zerox created a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through the LetsSayThanks website you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.
Arrow, The Authentic American Brand created the “We are Ellis Island” campaign which ito raise money to restore dilapidated buildings on the south side of Ellis Island. Through association with Save Ellis Island, the Arrow brand is committed to preserving Ellis Island with the help of the National Park Service. Arrow launched the website www.WeAreEllisIsland.com for visitors to post their family stories, share inspiring stories of hope, courage and perseverance, all in the name of living out the great American dream. When you visit We Are Ellis Island you can read thes stories and donate money to the causes Arrow has committed to donate 1% of its 2008 wholesale sales to the project. To learn more about Arrow, visit www.arrowshirts.com.
Start small ~ You don’t have to be a BIG company to adopt a cause. Just look around your community to see what the needs are, what is missing, lacking or could use a little (or big) boost in support. Check with non-profits you believe in, with local chambers of commerce, business groups, niche groups, your trade associations, ask your vendors and customers for ideas. Find out who your target audience supports and see if it meshes with your values and your company’s mission. If so, you are on your way to getting out and doing good. And it is a great way to raise your profile in the eyes of the media. A local retailer could run a promotion donating a portion of the sales goes to support a local school project that is underfunded or donating your products to bring joy to less fortunate families in your communities during the holiday season.
One success leads to others and you can build upon those to get more creative and grandiose in your ideas and strategies. After all, America’s economy is fueled by small business and the companies we keep.
September 10th, 2008
“Communities can extend the edge of the corporation in truly transformative ways — tapping into new talent, helping design products and services, providing customer support and, most importantly, building the brand with the customer.” Ed Moran
What if your website could be THE place where people connect online? Where they could meet one another, exchange ideas and leads, keep up with current trends, learn about new opportunities and develop relationships?
I’m not talking the traditional Social Networking Sites that are made exclusively for meeting, mingling and networking. Not another Facebook, Myspace or LinkedIn. Although that is not a bad idea ~ and a topic for another post.
I am talking about a website that sells something and offers their visitors a place to share ideas and discuss items of interest to them along the theme of what you are selling. Add a forum to your website to increase your prospects! Forums can generate traffic, provide valuable customer feedback and build loyalty to the brand. Forums can give your customers a voice, a place to express their opinions about the product.
But online forums are not for everyone. It all depends on what you sell and if the product has enough diversity to lend itself to forum topics that would interest enough customers/clients to make the effort worthwhile. Lawn and Garden sites, Network marketing companies, sports fans and sites that sell products for pets are likely highly successful because the visitors have a PASSION for the product or the topic. If you sell detergent or mailboxes or office supplies your site might not be the ideal site to create a community forum. In my opinion a blog might be a more ideal option, a place where you can share your expertise with your customers about how to use the products as well as place to offer advice on ancillary topics that would interest them. Also another topic for discussion.
So why have an online forum for your business site? According to Bobybuilding.com CEO Ryan DeLuca “It’s about becoming the place where people come to talk and learn and meet.”
Consulting companies like the David Allen Company have a growing number of followers and active participants to their forums. According to their site, they have 10,761 Members. And their forum activity looks robust. Why? I am sure it’s because the topics are things their visitors are interested in learning more about or sharing.
I also found GAMING sites with active forums. Sites like GameReplays.org have forums that allow their fans to discuss the Company of Heros game at http://www.gamereplays.org/community/-CoH-Section.html. According to their site they have 90,736 registered members.
And then there’s sites like Bodybuilding.com which espouses more than 1.1 million users!
The drawbacks to forums are many. And you should be aware of them as well. Spam is perhaps the biggest issue. People posting stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. I was on a forum the other day about how to turn an audio file into a podcast and one of the forum “members” posted the following: “I am searching for a partner to walk around the globe in support of our troups.” Well that may be a worthwhile post but had absolutely nothing to do with the topic. Of course everyone just ignored the poster. But I still find that sort of thing annoying and rude.
Other drawbacks include the cost of implementing a forum, the costs to monitor the forums, lack of participation, inappropriate participation and staying on topic (even for those who know and follow the rules this can sometimes be a challenge), marketing the forums so your target audience knows its available and also really expressing the benefits of participating so people want to be there. And let’s not forget the negative feedback that could occur from a dissatisfied customer. Too many of these can do more harm than good and be the downfall of a company. But then again, what’s wrong with that? If the company sells an inferior product then perhaps it shouldn’t be allowed to sell to unsuspecting buyers!
Building online forums is relatively inexpensive. If you’d like to try a do-it-yourself platform, try the Forum Co where you can set up a free forum at http://www.forumco.com/. vBulletin http://www.vbulletin.com/ is a professional, affordable community forum solution which according to their site has “Thousands of clients, including many industry leading blue chip companies, have chosen vBulletin – It’s the ideal choice for any size of community Or just ask your webmaster or webmistress to design it for you.”
The Wall Street Journal wrote a great article “Why Most Online Communities Fail. According to the article Ed Moran, a Deloitte consultant who just completed a study of more than 100 businesses with online communities said: “Not surprisingly, these sites failed to gain traction with customers. Thirty-five percent of the online communities studied have less than 100 members; less than 25% have more than 1,000 members … The article said one of the reasons for failure was that “Businesses are focusing on the value an online community can provide to themselves, not the community.” You can read the rest of the article here: http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/07/16/why-most-online-communities-fail/
Before you do consider adding a forum, think about your goals for the forum. What is the aim or purpose of the forum? What do you want your forum to look like? Who would you like to participate? How will you market the forum? And the big question: WHY? Why do you want a forum in the first place?
Forums are one of the original social networking platforms for building communities online. Once you have done your due dilligent, answered the questons above and studied your target audience for receptivity, you will be able to make a better decision about marketing your online business with a forum. Your forum can help you build word of mouth referrals for your small business, help you develop and perfect your brand, your business operations and your business offerings and more than that you will be able to help your targe market have, do or be better at something.
August 25th, 2008
Finding your niche and sticking to it is the way to success on the net. But not just any niche. You want one that will make you a profit. Finding a solution to a specific customer need or want will earn you more money. Think specialist. Doctors who specialize typically earn more money than those with a general practice. Why? They can charge more for their specialized knowledge. They may have a small but loyal following. They have a patient base that goes to them because of their expertise – and likely because they were referred by their general doctor.
Think lawyers. If you were involved in a criminal case, it is highly unlikely that you would go to an attorney that did not have some specific experience with trials. Niches then translate to expertise.
Think Network Marketing. In the network marketing industry the successful leaders tell their down-lines to go deep before you go wide. Why? When you build a strong down-line, each of those people has the potential to “branch out” and go wide for you.
Take the floral industry. I have been in business for 27+ years and have 3 distinct niches. They are education, healthcare and construction. Do I have customers outside those niches? Yes – but the majority of my customer base falls into one of those 3 categories. Why? Because I market to them. I woo them and earn their business. And because these are tightly knit communities, they tell their friends, colleagues and circle. And the customer base expands.
So let’s talk Niche Markets on the Net. According to Excellence Magazine, the top 10 most profitable Niche Markets are as follows:
- Relationships Sell – social networking sites like Friendster or dating sites like eHarmony and Match.com are just two of thousands of examples online.
- Internet Marketing – If you sell on the internet you are an internet marketer. Think eBay or Amazon or Ten Golden Rules or Linkshare – the list is endless.
- Parenting – products and services to make a parents job easier are a booming market – iVillage and Parenting.com are just two to check out.
- Craft/hobby sites sell – two examples: food and scrapbooking – iChef and Scrapbooking.com are two sites doing BIG Business on the Net.
- Health – people are going in droves to sites that “sell” good health. eDiets is an industry leader. Smaller sites that sell information products, nutritional supplements and workout equipment are going strong too like The Complete Running Network.
- Sports are BIG Business – Think auto gaming or golf. Everyone wants to improve his or her handicap.
- Real Estate is still hot even if certain markets have tapered off or gone flat. Think real estate turnover (often referred to as flipping) buy low, sell high and reinvest wisely. The Naked Investor is one sight worth investigating.
- Travel is hot – especially if you can provide a client base with a different experience that those of typical travel agents. Think African Safaris or Space exploration. Pure Galactic (for all your outer space travel needs) and Escape Artist (a portal for anything you are looking for travel related) are not your typical travel sites.
- Investments – money still sells. And if you can establish a track record of helping others make money, people will flock to your site by the hundreds (or more). Charles Schwab and eTrade are two industry leaders.
- Business Success – sites that do well are those that provide real proven solutions to business owners such as time management, financial management, and more. Selling software to help the business owner do their job better, more efficiently, less expensively can bring in big rewards. Think Microsoft or Intuit.
Why would you want to be all things to all people in business? Unless you are the only game in town or have a product no one else can offer, finding a niche market is essential to your success. You will find your business grow quicker and deeper.
August 12th, 2008
