Dear
Friends,
After the great results from
'Pillars of Business
Success' book, we have now
released the 'Marketing
Success' book.
Do you collect the names of
your customers? If not, this
extract may entice you to
start building a database
now!
Regards
Tony Gattari
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Available Now!
Marketing Success
Read an extract from
the Book
Collect Names
There is a sporting
goods retailer that has been in operation for almost 30 years. It
started from humble beginnings in a small shop on a main road in a
suburb that had a large amount of families who were keen on their sport.
As time went on, the store started to attract a loyal following, and the
owner had to expand the store, by taking more space next door, as well
as using the space above the shops, and also across the road. As word
got out about this retailer, people started to travel far and wide to
shop there and because during this time a lot of the famous sportspeople
were not given sponsorships, they also came to purchase their sporting
goods from this suburban retailer.
Every time a person
came to the cash register to purchase their goods, they were asked if
they would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive a catalogue.
This retailer would normally send out 2 catalogues each year, and people
young and old would wait anxiously for it, as it would show the latest
range of sporting goods for the start of each season. Once it arrived at
the person’s house, the customer would remove the protective plastic
covering, and start to circle all of the products that they wished to
buy. Then they would make the pilgrimage to the store, to not only
purchase the new sporting equipment, but also to marvel at the extensive
range of products.
During the recession,
whilst a lot of businesses closed down, this retailer went to the bank
for a loan, and moved to larger premises. Now this retailer could really
make a statement to the consumer, by showing off their amazing range of
product. From what had started from humble beginnings, was now an
institution, whose following could not be wavered. The mail order
department would ship goods to the USA, Pacific region, South-East Asia,
Africa, UK, and Europe. The mailing list, which started up by signing
locals from the area, became a subscription of 80,000 people. This
retailer spent most of its advertising on this catalogue, opened 5 more
stores, and became the largest in its category in the world. All because
the owner built a database, and taught his register operators to ask
people they would like to be on the mailing list.
Whilst searching for
new customers is important, when they are in the door, and have
purchased from you, why not work on keeping them for life. In a highly
competitive market place, being consistent and treating people like
family may need extra support, through developing a mechanism whereby
you can continuously inform and keep in touch with your customers on a
regular basis. Collecting your customer names, and measuring there
transactions on a database, is a great tool to start the process of
communicating with your customer, and testing the effectiveness of this
communication, by measuring:
-
The number of times
the customer purchases from you
-
The average spend
of your loyal customers versus your other transactions
-
What your loyal
customers buy from you, so that you can focus your energies on these
areas of the business that produces the most fruit
Also by keeping a
database, and effectively communicating to your loyal customers, you can
reduce your cost of customer acquisition over time, as you can move your
more costly spending on blanketed marketing efforts, to a more refined
campaign that is targeted at people who you know will buy from you.
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