Friday, May 6, 2011

Is Your Phone Ringing?

Are you connecting with them on the way they communicate? If only it was a simple question. You want your customers to come back time and again because they enjoy doing business with you. However, if you are updating them with new offerings or services, they will not want to come back. There are a few things you need to think about before you can effectively communicate with your customers.

First, who are your customers? Do you have a specific demographic that does a lot with you or many different groups that do little bits here and there. Do you know who your key customers are?

Second, after you have identified your customer base you need to identify how they prefer to do business. Do they like fact to face interaction? Are they phone call or email buyers? Do they work 9-5 jobs and come by after work? What are your peak business hours, by not only dollars but total sales tickets?

Third, what are your customers buying? What are your biggest movers? What are your biggest profit makers? You probably have an idea, but do you have the stats to back that up?

So, now you have looked at three points of your business (and we could probably break it down even further). How do they all go together? Let's say your primary customers are 18-25 purchasing new accessory items between 9-10am. What can you do with that information? Well, the time frame and age they are buying is most likely on their way into work and the smaller ticket items tell you they do not have a large disposable income. Here are some ideas to help boost those sales even more!

- Send a weekly email with a deal of the week during that peak time.
- Send a monthly email with your NEW accessory offerings. That age range is always looking for the newest toy!
- Start a loyalty program. Buy 10 sets of strings or boxes of reeds and get one free. Create a small card for them to present and have initialed each time they purchase.
- Offer a Deal A Day type program on some of your stale inventory. Something that has been sitting around collecting dust is not putting any money in your pocket. Price it cheap, move it and put some money in the register. Here's the kicker, Tweet It!

There are many other things you can try, you just have to get creative. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt!