Posts tagged with “Loyalty”

Using Customer Loyalty Cards To Boost Business

Thursday, 11 March, 2010

It is becoming harder and harder to capture the millions of buyers who are shopping for products, goods, and services. The business world is becoming a competitive place and you have to take action to get your piece of the pie and keep it. Sometimes getting customers to walk through your doors can be easy, but keeping them coming back does take work. Do not take for granted they will come back. That is the benefit to using customer loyalty cards. This great marketing tool helps drive customer satisfaction and retention if launched right.

An important element that should be recognized is the need for a good sign up form. This should request details that will help you identify and understand who your customer is and what their interest or needs are. Your free sign up for should include name, address, telephone number, email address, age, income, gender and maybe a few check boxes where they can indicate activities and hobbies that they like. Understanding your customer better will help you market effective incentives to them that are more enticing and match their specific profile. This will lead to a successful campaign.

Knowing who your customers are can be a big advantage to your card incentives. This can either make the offer attractive or unnoticed. If they are not interested, then you are defeated with this campaign. If you can cater to a need then your offer will skyrocket. The right promotion can make a huge difference in shopper patronage and buying decision. It is a good idea to take the time and use the right pitch.

If you take a poll, many consumers will respond that the most beneficial rewards they can get for doing business with a merchant is points that add up to more merchandise. Many stores are offering cards that accumulate points towards cash back. Customer loyalty cards can open the doors to a lot of creativity. They can be used for travel rewards and points that can be redeemed at other participating sponsors.

Many people will not take advantage of the rewards where you have to make additional purchase. This would be similar to the buy two and get one free offer. Some stores offer a free product or food item after the purchase of ten is showing on your card. If the consumer visits an establishment frequently, this can be worthwhile.

Other industries that use customer loyalty cards successfully are bookstores, movie rental stores, hotel chains, and grocery stores. People love grocery store cards because they give you points for every dollar spend or product bought that can give you instant discounts off of your overall bill.

Introducing rewards of this caliber that area easy to redeem will develop a customer that wants to come back. The easier and understandable the reward achievement program is the better. They will also promote it to others.

Guaranteeing a customer gratification with exciting customer loyalty cards works with quick rewards and lucrative offers that will motivate them to shop with you, Take time to come up with valuable offers that will help you make the right connection.

Looking for retail marketing techniques to improve sales and customer loyalty?? Why not try using a proven reward program program?

Excellent Customer Service Equals Customer Loyalty

Tuesday, 12 January, 2010

In order for any business to flourish you need customers. There are different ways to keeps those customers coming back to buy your products or services. I am going to show you how to earn customer loyalty. I will go over some of the simple things to keep all of your customers knocking on your business doors. One of those things is an incentive program that benefits your customers, such as Loyalty cards.

Great customer service is the phrase of the day. Treat your client like a king or queen, give individual attention. Every time you do this you and your store will shine like a star. Clients like to be treated like this simply because you are going the extra mile for them, and that makes them feel special. They will then tell their friends and they will be your clients for the life of your business.

One of the most important things you can do for your customers is communicate, and listen. Answer you emails promptly and returns phone calls. Deal with complaints with professionalism and understanding. Make sure that your hired employees know how to take care of complaints as well. If you make yourself available to your customers they will know that you care about their needs.

If there are times that you will be out of your office you will need to have a manager act in your place if there is a problem, or a client just needs help with merchandise. One thing you can do after you have helped this person with finding something in the store or whatever the case may be is to give a small free gift. Just slide it in the back and later when the client opens the bag they will be surprised, and want to come back to shop at your shop again.

There are a few ways you can get those clients to come to your store. There are programs called incentive programs. These are things like you buy one product and get one product free or if your client buys twenty dollars worth of products they get five dollars of product for free. Along with that you could have quarterly sales, clearance sales to move old inventory. You just need to get creative with these programs and this will keep clients coming back time after time.

Learn the name of each of your clients. Understand what it is that your customer buys and keep it in stock. Keep adding products to your line that compliment what they are buying. For example if you sell organic body soap, then you can add organic body spray in the same fragrance to compliment the soap. Remember everything you do is to keep your clients coming back to buy from you.

To find other ways of enticing you customers to shop your store or use your services, the internet is a great place to start to look for ideas. It is all about excellent customer service, taking care of your customers every need while they are in your place of business. You must communicate and listen to them for a better understand of what those needs are.

Obviously getting clients to come in to your place of business and having them return is the name of the game. If you choose to use the incentive programs go with more than one. After you begin these programs you must market them letting the public know. As always having a customer service class to teach you employees is a wonderful idea. I am sure your customers will thank you for that.

Looking for retail marketing techniques to improve sales and customer loyalty?? Why not try using a proven reward program?

How Is Your Customer Loyalty?

Tuesday, 8 December, 2009

In a sales job there is nothing more important than customer loyalty. My job as a pharmaceutical sales rep, with primarily a nutritional company, was made all the easier because I took over a territory with great customer loyalty.

The rep before me had done a good job and was being promoted. And the manager of the district was good at building customer loyalty when he worked with his reps in his district. So I had a great advantage. I even had the same name as the rep I was replacing.

There was trouble with one of the hospitals I took over however. It had been covered by a rep who was recently fired for not working eight to five. He figured he could do his work when he wanted to and how he wanted to. His market share was good but the company did not appreciate him not working what they considered normal business hours. The problem was the company never had that in writing.

But the company fired him after giving him the chance to conform to regular business hours. In the meantime the company rewrote their policies manual and added the work hour requirement. The rep decided to sue the company over the firing. He lost because the court found that there was an implied work requirement even though it was not written out. The rep used his customer loyalty to try to start a boycott against his former employer.

It was my job to call on this hospital where the rep was trying to start a boycott. In my first week with the company one head nurse called me in and claimed our products were not fit for her patients that they were contaminated. I did not know if this was a common complaint so I relayed it to my manager. He had me revisit the nurse with the district trainer.

The nurse had now taken off her patients from our product and switched them to a competitor. Our district trainer confronted the nurse and basically called her crazy for thinking that our products were not safe to use. If that was the case he said all the hospitals in the country would be complaining. They were not. I am glad that she left that hospital for a job outside my territory.

Later we learned she was one of the fired reps favorite customers. We cannot say for sure whether she had gone along with the boycott but she sure did have customer loyalty to the rep who was fired.

The boycott did not last long. Such customer loyalty dies fast when the rep is not around anymore. But your job in sales is to build up your customer loyalty any way you can. I was winning sales awards for years after I replaced the rep in my territory because he had done a great job building it up. Start today building up customer loyalty and you will enjoy the results to come for years.

As one of the customer loyalty programs, reward program, is increasing in popularity, loyalty cards serve as an incentive for customers to shop at a specific store. When customers are offered bonus points, it will help businesses build customer loyalty.

Your Customer Loyalty Will Take Your Sales To New Heights

Tuesday, 8 December, 2009

One of the most important parts of a successful sales career is customer loyalty. When I took over my sales territory in pharmaceutical sales, the rep before me had done a great job building customer loyalty. All I had to do was keep it going. It was like keeping a rolling car going. I did not have to exert as much energy as I would have if I was trying to push the car from a dead stop.

He was being promoted because of his great work and I was taking over a plum territory. His manager was also good at building customer loyalty and instilled the idea in his reps.

I had trouble with one of the nurses at one of the hospitals I was taking over though. This hospital had been covered by a former rep. He had been fired by the company for not working 8 to 5. The thing was the company had no specific hours listed in the policies manual reps had to work.

But this guy flaunted it. He refused to work 8 to 5 and was bragging to other reps and customers alike that he could get his job done in half that time. His market share was good so he was bringing in money. But he simply did not want to work all day. The company fired him and soon after wrote the hour requirements in the new policies manual.

The rep actually sued the company over this. He lost. The court ruled that there was an implied expectation of work hours. But the rep did not stop there. He tried to get his former customers to boycott the company. I had the job of calling on one of his former hospitals.

One head nurse there claimed during my first week that our products were not fit for her patients claiming they were causing digestion problems. I knew no better. Perhaps this happened all the time. My district manager asked the district trainer to call on the nurse with me since I was new. We were primarily a nutritional company so it is not drugs we are talking about here.

The trainer practically yelled at the head nurse claiming she was crazy. If there was a problem with our product we would hear about it all over the country at other hospitals. We did not. Later the nurse told me and my district manager she never wanted to see the trainer in her unit again. I was glad that she took a job at another hospital soon after. She was we discovered a good friend of the rep who had been fired and might have been part of his boycott.

The boycott did not last long. Customer loyalty only lasts when you are with the company. But I rode the customer loyalty bandwagon that the rep before me built up to many sales awards. This is why today the best thing you can do is build customer loyalty. You can count on many sales awards for years to come with it.

As one of the retail marketing tactics, reward program, is increasing in popularity, loyalty cards serve as an incentive for customers to shop at a specific store. When customers are offered bonus points, it will help businesses build customer loyalty.

Customer Loyalty And Your Way To Sales Awards

Saturday, 28 November, 2009

Customer loyalty is the most important aspect of your job in sales. When I started my second company in pharmaceutical sales the representative before me was being promoted. He had done a good job in his territory and was being given new responsibilities.

I took over his territory where he had build up years of customer loyalty. And the manager who was the manager before my time with the company was good at establishing loyalty when he worked that territory with the rep I was replacing. So I was taking over a great territory.

I did have trouble with one of the hospitals I was taking over however because the representative that covered that hospital was fired by the company because he was deemed not to be working the required eight to five routine. His market share was good but he was not working the hours he was supposed to work.

The problem the company had was that there was nothing in the company procedures saying sales reps had to work a certain amount of hours. But the company fired him anyway. The rep chose to sue the company. He ended up losing in court because the court determined that the company had an implied work hour requirement. The company soon put one in place in writing. But the rep that was fired had such company loyalty that many customers agreed to boycott the company.

I had the unenviable job of calling on some of his former customers in my territory. One head nurse made accusations about the fitness of our products and removed her patients from our products and switched them to competitor’s products. We were mainly a nutritional company so we are not talking drugs here. I was new to the company and I did not know if such complaints were the norm. My manager asked the district trainer to go into the hospital to talk with the nurse since I was new to this.

The nurse made her claims and the district trainer lost his temper and basically called the nurse, our customer crazy because our products would pass any fitness test anyone could come up with. It did make going into the hospital the next time to see the nurse a little challenging. I was glad that within a week she took a job at another hospital outside my territory.

We later found out that she was good friends with the rep who had been fired. He had called on her for many years and had developed a good relationship with her. Her customer loyalty went so far as agreeing to the boycott of our company he had instigated.

The boycott did not last long. Customer loyalty can last only so long once you are no longer with the company. But if you can build up customer loyalty as a sales rep you will go a long way, all the way to many sales awards. Years after I took over the territory with a lot customer loyalty I was still winning sales awards. And all I had to do was keep the customer loyalty that was already there when I took over the territory.

Looking to build brand loyalty for your customers? We help retail marketing businesses develop customer loyalty based on your company’s unique needs. Let us provide your ideal customer reward program.

Why is Customer Loyalty Important to Your Business?

Friday, 6 November, 2009

Whether you own a mom and pop corner shop or a worldwide software consultancy, customer loyalty is very valuable to you. Customer loyalty can be loosely defined as the predisposition of any given customer to purchase your goods or services over comparable ones available in the marketplace. When speaking of products (rather than services or the broader classification which includes both) it is often referred to as “brand loyalty.” Investing time and energy in promoting customer loyalty should be an integral component of any business’ marketing strategy.

When business people think of “marketing” in general, they tend to focus on activities targeted at attracting new customers. While expanding your business’ customer base is a crucial undertaking which you must work towards with clearly defined goals, the importance of retaining existing customers mustn’t be overlooked. Working toward promoting customer loyalty (or brand loyalty) is critical to your goal for many reasons. A few of the most important reasons why customer loyalty is important to your business are outlined below.

Repeat Business

Loyal customers, almost by definition, will purchase your goods or services again and again over time. Depending on what type of business you have and what the sales cycle is like, you may end up selling more to one loyal customer in a year than you might to even 10 first time customers.

Greater Volume

As you build relationships with your loyalty customers, it will become increasingly easy to sell to them in higher volumes. This may happen naturally, or you may choose to incentivize the process for your customers. In any case, higher volumes mean greater sales, which translates to higher overall profits.

Cross-selling Opportunities

Customers who exhibit brand loyalty have a relationship with your business. They trust you to provide quality products and customer service. This creates a great opportunity to fulfill more of your customers’ needs than the traditional ones you currently meet. What does this mean? You can make sales to loyal customers across product lines and thus increase your overall sales volume without needing to focus so much on attracting new customers.

Protects You From the Competition

The more loyal your customers tend to be, the safer you will be from the draw of the competition. Establishing strong brand loyalty can make you practically immune to competitive forces. This is especially important in places where new players enter the marketplace often.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Loyal customers can also bring you new customers. Customers that have great relationships with businesses tend to talk about it. Happy and satisfied customers who keep coming back to you are very likely to refer others who may need your product and/or services.

Benefit of the Doubt

Let’s face it; things go awry sometimes – even in the best businesses. Sometimes we get an order wrong, don’t meet a deadline, or aren’t able to deliver on promises made to customers. In today’s economy, it’s even easier for little hiccups such as these an others to take place in business. These types of mistakes can damage your business’ reputation in the eyes of a new customer. A scheduling error can make your firm seem disorganized and unreliable. This is a very easy way to lose customers. The good news is, loyal customers are much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt and/or overlook errors. If you maintain the level of customer service and quality that it takes to achieve brand loyalty in the first place, your customers will be willing to forgive you when bad things happen.

Looking to build brand loyalty for your customers? We help developing customer reward program based on your company’s unique needs.

Brand Loyalty is one of a Company’s Most Important Assets

Thursday, 5 November, 2009

Brand Loyalty is when a customer becomes a loyal purchaser of a company’s product or service. The customer recognizes that the brand provides the best quality product or service at the best price. Brand loyalty is essential to the success of a product and service. Every business must create a marketing strategy that results in brand loyalty.

In order to create brand loyalty, a marketer must create messages that tells consumers that their products or services are of value and is something they will need at that moment and in the future. They basically want to influence the consumer’s buying habits. They do this by creating ideas, unique concepts, and messages, to make the product positive and memorable. They use creative marketing techniques to do this. When the consumer receives the messages, and is influenced to try the product, and then comes to the conclusion that this is a quality product that they can afford to continue buying, brand loyalty is achieved. Customer satisfaction is a key component of brand loyalty.

There are a number of techniques used in achieving brand loyalty. Creating a promotional marketing plan and strategy is one example. Marketers can give away free samples at various functions such as a supermarket or a large event where there are a lot of people such as a sporting event. Another promotional program that can be implemented is using loyalty reward programs such as loyalty cards. For instance, it could be a card to acquire so many points to earn a free reward, or buy so many items such as buy 10 items and get one item free.

Creating a brand line of promotional items is another way of creating brand loyalty. This can include putting the company’s logo on T-shits, hats, and other memorabilia. Using a mascot for the company’s brand is another way to gain brand recognition. Using a website to offer customers the ability to interact with the business is a way for the company to establish a personal relationship with their loyal customers. They can use a website for special promotions, keeping customers up dated on current events related to the product, sending out newsletters, and offering members special discounts on items. Using modern technology such as Facebook and Twitter also allows the company to spread their message, vision, and information about their product.

Displaying the brand logo anywhere and everywhere possible is essential to creating brand loyalty. Such places can include sporting events, charity events, on billboards, on digital signage, public transportation such as a bus, and more. It is important that the company not only establish a memorable logo with their product, but also a memorable message that can include using a special “catch phrase” that will be remembered.

Creating brand loyalty often makes the difference between having a successful product or service and having a product that falls short of consumer demand. Because the retail industry is highly competitive with so many businesses looking to acquire customers, it is important that a business comes up with a marketing strategy that creates brand loyalty. A positive and memorable brand image surrounding a company’s brand gives the business a competitive edge. Brand Loyalty is one of a company’s most important assets.

As one of the retail marketing tactics, reward program, is increasing in popularity, loyalty cards serve as an incentive for customers to shop at a specific store. When customers are offered bonus points, it will help businesses build customer loyalty.