9 E E R F! T R O REP Appreciation Marketing Tips Designed to Help Keep Customers FOR LIFE Marketing Services for Small Businesses
Before you go any further reading this report, let me ask you these 3 questions. Be honest and let s hope the answer is Yes to all of them. If you could grow your business and sales volume with little effort, would you do it? Have you wondered why past clients forget about you and go elsewhere? Do you make efforts to keep your company s name in front of your past clients after the sale? My name is Jane Fogelson the owner and President of the Fogelson Group, which specializes in helping businesses grow by developing and implementing appreciation marketing strategies. Having worked with numerous companies throughout the years and helping them grow their business, they all have one thing in common. That is, How do I keep my customers coming back and get referrals? This is where I come into play to help them do just that. I wrote, 9 Appreciation Marketing Tips, to help you grow your business without spinning your wheels. This report could be just what you are looking for to increase customer loyalty while building lasting relationships. Many businesses are scrambling and looking for ways to increase their business and client base by spending thousands of dollars marketing in various venues. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn t. Believe it or not, businesses that have a client base of past customers that they have worked with are sitting on a gold mine. Remember: These were your customers who were satisfied with your service and great relationships were built with your company. 1
The Gartner Group did a study for businesses that showed 80% of your client s revenue will come from just 20% of your existing clients. Of course that is if they were happy with your service and you continued to stay connected to them. By implementing an Appreciation Marketing system in your company, you will show your customers that you care and have a special interest in them. This in turn will build customer loyalty with repeat business, and also referrals to their friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. By following the suggestions in this report, you will be able to elevate your business to the next level. You will have taken the right step in learning how you can retain customer loyalty and increase your revenue. YOU ARE LOSING MONEY if you are not going back to your happy customers and making them feel good and appreciated. The amazing thing about Appreciation Marketing is how surprised business owners are when they realize what an impact it will have on their sales. If you don t have the time to do it yourself, hire a company who specializes in Appreciation Marketing and watch your sales increase. Benefits of Appreciation Marketing Let s face the facts. It is human instinct that people want to feel appreciated. If they are treated well and a level of trust has been established in their business dealings with your company, they are more prone to come back to you in the future. They will take a personal interest in what you have to offer and how you can help them. Your customer has already said, I like you and wants to continue to do business with you. Businesses today are spending so much money and time into marketing for new business that they forget to cultivate their existing client base with their past and current customers. Those customers are already feeling good about you and your company. So why let them slip away by not extending your appreciation throughout the year through an Appreciation Marketing system? The Benefits of Appreciation Marketing from your customer base will: Increase customer loyalty Increase repeat business Increase customer referrals Increase sales for new products or services Decrease the money spent on generating new business Build relationships that will last a lifetime 2
9 Appreciation Marketing Tips that Work TIP #1 Say Thank-You with A Handwritten Note or Card There are several different ways to say, thank you for your business or referral. A personalized hand-written note or card mailed to your customer is a great start. This simple handwritten note is telling the customer that you care about them and took the time to thank them from your heart. Just that little note can brighten their day and make them feel like they are part of your business family. TIP #2 Say Thank-You by Sending Food or Goodie Baskets When thanking your customer for their business or referral, a food or goodie basket along with a note from you goes along way. Obviously you may not have the budget to do this with all of your customers, but you definitely want to do something for the customer that has made you a lot of money by either a referral or their own purchase. A food or goodie basket shows your customers that they are special and that you appreciate doing business with them now and in the future. 3
APPRECIATION MARKETING TIPS 9 Designed to Help Keep Customers for Life Restaurant Gift Cards TIP #3 Everyone loves to eat out and with a special thank-you note or card and a restaurant gift card inside, your customer is going remember you. Not only will your customer remember you, but the person who has joined them will remember you too. Your customer may even spread the word to the restaurant attendant about you and how great your company is. TIP #4 Tickets to Events The customer who has purchased a big ticket item or service that you provide is one that you should consider getting tickets to a special event. It can be the theater, ball game, upcoming concert, etc. If you enclose a thank-you gift with your handwritten note, you won t be forgotten and your customer will likely be bragging about you and your company. TIP #5 Keep in Touch with Special Dates Special dates such as birthdays, anniversaries or any special event in your customer s life should be recognized with a card or a special premium offer. 4
APPRECIATION MARKETING TIPS 9 Designed to Help Keep Customers for Life Keep in Touch TIP #6 Send Notes and Cards Throughout the Year Be C re at ive! Take your Appreciation Marketing a step further and be creative. Many businesses think that the holidays are the best time to send cards to customers. The problem is the customer is bombarded with cards and notes from many other businesses too. Go ahead and send your holiday card with a special note, BUT don t stop there. Implement other creative marketing strategies by sending something via card or gift on National Cookie Day, National Hat Day, National Chocolate Day or whatever creative day you can find. You will be well remembered and talked about with your customers friends and family and whoever else will listen. Creativity will be appreciated and remembered. TIP #7 Customer Appreciation Days Designate one or more days each year to celebrate with your past and current customers a special customer appreciation day. Offer special sales or giveaways. Have a special drawing where the winning ticket wins a special gift. 5
APPRECIATION MARKETING TIPS 9 Designed to Help Keep Customers for Life Host Special Events TIP #8 Host a special thank you event with your top customers by hosting a lunch, cocktails or dinner at a restaurant. If you have the space, consider holding the event at your place of business and make it an open house with food and drinks. Outings will provide a way for you and your customer to get to know each other and develop a bond by sharing common interests and building the relationship. Make the event fun and not just about business. Let the customer see the personal side of you and your company. Keep in Touch with Newsletters TIP #9 Newsletters work. A newsletter can be monthly, quarterly or annually. It is really up to you and your budget on how you would want to handle them. You can send your newsletter via email or through the mail. If you make the newsletter interesting your customers will look forward to receiving them. The newsletter can include: Highlights of Your Business News in the Industry Upcoming Promotions or Sales Community Events Recipes Question and Answer Section Tidbits on an Employee Employee of the Month Use your imagination and envision what you would like to read when putting your newsletter together. By reaching out to your clients, it gives you the opportunity to remind them of your business while keeping them informed on the things your company is doing. It also reminds them that you are still in business and that they can come to you and your company for services. 6
Wrapping Up After reading the many ways to set up an Appreciation Marketing system within your company from this report you may need to take a deep breath. It may seem like a lot of work and time, but it is not if you do little bits at a time. Building relationships and friendships with your customers is the best way they will return to you in the future. People are quick to forget who that helping hand was as time goes by without direct communication from you. You might be telling yourself, It all sounds great, but I don t have the time or personnel to follow through with this personalized marketing. Ask yourself these questions: Can I Afford to Lose Repeat Business from Past Customers? Am I Willing to Fore-go Referrals from Previous Customers? Are You Satisfied with the Growth of Your Company? If you answered NO to each of these questions, it s time to get started. You don t need to do Appreciation Marketing yourself. If you don t have someone in your organization or feel you just don t have the time, you can hire an expert in the field who can help you grow your business. When searching for an Appreciation Marketing company, you will want to work with a company that understands your goals and works within your budget as well as evaluate your current marketing campaign and most importantly show you ways to improve it and reap the benefits. Working with a reputable Appreciation Marketing company should give you the peace of mind that you can actually turn over your customers for them to handle by sending gifts and other things from you directly to your customer. With a little help and back-up from the marketing group you hire, you will be the one who will be the HERO and in the forefront of your customers mind when it comes time to re-visit your company and to refer their friends and family to. 7
Special Offer CALL TODAY 914-602-3863! GET A FREE CONSULTATION with one of our APPRECIATION MARKETING EXPERTS to Evaluate Your Current Marketing Appreciation Campaigns and Goals. About Jane Jane Fogelson is the Founder and President of the Fogelson Group. After 25 years of sales, marketing and event planning she has brought her expertise and experience to the community to help businesses grow and increase their revenue. Jane has designed numerous marketing campaigns and an Appreciation Marketing system that works. Appreciation Marketing is an extension of Jane s marketing skills that she is passionate about. Jane knows and understands that the bottom line is how you treat others whether in your personal or business life is a must to succeed. Her goal for the business person is to help them establish and keep a customer for life through Appreciation Marketing. With years of experience in Appreciation Marketing and a genuine passion in helping businesses build relationships and grow, Jane knows what it takes. Her number one goal is to treat people how she would like to be treated and a genuine commitment to make her customers business a success. Marketing Services for Small Businesses 8