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August 2015

Strategy #1: Customer Retention

by Barbara Wold

Customer retention is the activity that a selling organization undertakes in order to reduce customer defections. Successful customer retention starts with the first contact an organization has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a relationship

Whatever you do, make sure you do whatever you can to keep your current customers. Customer retention is absolutely critical. This economy makes customer retention strategies even more important because customer loyalty has weakened.

You need a customer retention plan. Keep in mind that it doesn't need to be costly, time-consuming or difficult. You just need a few simple steps and always make it a priority:

Retaining happy customers doesn't happen automatically, but isn't difficult.
  1. Contact your top customers or clients regularly. Make a list of your top customers, at least 10-25. Call them each at least quarterly. Call, send notes, send articles and information that may be of interest.
  2. Keep your name in front of all your customers. Use social media regularly. Advertise regularly. Network regularly. Send e-mail newsletters regularly. The key is doing this regularly.
  3. Give your current customers good deals. We're all used to come-on deals to attract new customers, but we then fail to offer similar discounts to current customers. Remember, your competitors are targeting your customers with deals.
  4. Surprise them! Do something special and unexpected for some of your best customers. Send them a small gift. Add something extra to their order.
  5. Keep track. Start a database, update your database, contact manager, digital address book. I'm always surprised by the number of businesses - especially small businesses - that do not have a good database of their past customers. Find a way to keep track of all your clients - past and present - so that you can easily and quickly contact them. Your database is GOLD.
  6. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Don't take your customers for granted. As a result, we get so focused on doing our work, that we don't take enough time out to meet with, talk to, and more importantly, listen to, our customers. Stay in touch. Ask them what they need and want. Be part of their lives and business.

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"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." -- H. Jackson Brown Jr.
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Copyright 2015. Reprinted with permission from Wold's Retail & Consumer Tips, bwold@ix.netcom.com. To occasionally reprint portions of this newsletter, permission is not required. To reprint more than one article, please contact us at 720.542.3055 or bwold@ix.netcom.com.


Quick Industry News

NEW WHOLESALE WEBSITES

Unwined CandlesUnwined Candles has a brand new CAMEO EZ© wholesale website. "We love candles," the company says, "so a few years ago, we started Unwined Candle Company. We handcraft our candles from start to finish with a lot of love and attention to detail. We know you'll see the difference." The company handcrafts its candles using reclaimed and repurposed wine bottles and all natural soy wax infused with relaxing scents.


Beaucoup DesignsBeaucoup Designs recently opened a new wholesale website. Beaucoup Designs offers a broad spectrum jewelry line that includes charms to go with necklaces and bracelets, earrings, rings, cuff bracelets, hair accessories, and necklaces. The company holds a very unique place in the market because the founder started out in the industry as a retailer and now is a manufacturer who still has retail locations for test marketing.


CAMEO EZ© is the B2B e-commerce system developed by OmegaNet Inc., publisher of this newsletter, for use by retailers in ordering inventory for their stores. A partial list of CAMEO EZ sites can be found at the company's portals such as www.giftswholesale.com, www.accessorieswholesale.com, www.apparelwholesale.biz, www.decorwholesale.com, www.usmadewholesale.com, www.toyswholesale.com and www.usmadewholesale.com. A complete list of sites is available in the "Directory" on www.CAMEOEZ.com.