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You've made the first sale. Now how do you turn that
customer into a Loyal Customer?
Customer Loyalty: Getting people to become regular
customers
Question: I started my food business in September of
last year. What has been hard for me is that everyone
loves the products. I just need to get them in the mood
to buy. I mailed out flyers and
have sent e-mails but I did not get a huge response. I
want to advertise and keep in touch with my clients but I
do not want to be spending
all my money on that with little to no return. I have
some clients that use the products everyday and have
made it part of their grocery
lists, and some that only use them on special occasions.
I need to get more of the first clients....
Response:
The key to this is creating customer loyalty. We all
strive for customer satisfaction, but do we create
loyalty? We want our customers
to come back to us again and again and remember us, our
business and our names when they need a product or
service. Remember, it is much easier to keep a customer
rather than find new ones.
Here are some tips. These are based on a
gourmet food business, but can be tailored for any
direct sales business.
-
Follow up with your customers 2 - 5 days after the
initial sale. Ask them if they have any questions or
need suggestions on how to use the products.
-
Ask for an email address so you can put them in your
email club. Email club members should get specials,
discounts, recipes, and more. Tell them to expect this
newsletter once a month around the 15th. Now make sure
you do this! If they are expecting it, they will look
for it.
-
Follow up again via phone 30 - 45 days after the sale.
By now they have used the product up or have fallen in
love with it and will want more. A quick phone call
saying "Hi, this is Louann with Megan's Pantry. I wanted
to see if you needed any more products. I'm offering a
special today...with any $50 order you can get a free
spinach dip (or something like this)
-
Follow up via phone before major holidays. You'd be
amazed at how many people want/need products before
Memorial Day, Mother's Day, 4th of July, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter etc
-
Let your customers know where you will be. Are you doing
a craft fair or an expo. Tell them this. Pick up the
phone and let everyone know you will be at the XYZ expo
on Saturday June 1st. Be sure to leave your phone number
in case they have questions
-
Create a buyers club. As a member, they can get free
shipping with any order over $50 or for every $200 spent
they'll receive a full size product of their choice. Be
creative. See what works in your area, but remember to
keep it simple.
You'll notice I recommend using the phone rather than
mailings. You will have a much better success rate
spending time on the phone rather than via mail. Think
about all the things you get in the mail and TOSS. Or
they end up in a pile of things to do later. A quick
phone call develops a personal relationship that will
take your business to the next level! Plus phone calls
are practically free, where sending things in the mail
gets pretty expensive very quickly.
Spend 5 hours a month (That's only 1.25 hours a week) on
the phone making these calls and you will see your
customer loyalty SOAR.
Louann Cormier
Spice up your life with Megan's Pantry Gourmet Foods
Fundraising - Gift Boxes - Business Opportunities
http://www.mymeganspantry.com
603-485-4559
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