Hi Everyone,
Just to follow up from the 1-2-1 meetings we had with those of you that couldn't take part.
This email will take about 2 minutes to read to the end. Any comments would be gratefully received and any help I can give anybody-Just call me on 0872368956. Remember you are our clients so we want you to grow.
Achieving Turnover
Firstly some of our clients are saying that they need turnover to rise for example by €2000 per week. However as soon as you chase turnover you will more than likely reduce margin and that particularly in the current climate is not an option.
What we say is that instead of chasing turnover you should be chasing customers. For example if you have an average spend of €15 per week (this varies between shopping centres and urban and rural locations) and your average customer is coming in 2.2 times per month (you can find this out by logging into your CMS panel and viewing your location activity summary) This means that you need roughly 260 new customers.
So now that you know you need 260 new customers it makes it easier achieve. You don't have to reduce prices or give stuff away instead you have to reach out to the public and give 260 of them a reason to shop with you…
Areas to Focus On;
1 In The Store
We've mentioned this before and it's been dismissed out of hand by some, but if you can't give and don't tell your customers the real valid reasons why they should shop with you then they will go elsewhere because others are giving them good reasons.
The best reason you can give your customers for shopping with you is 'A Story'. Your business needs a story not just a shop front. There has to be character and depth to the business where a story is always being told. Your staff should know the story and your customers should see it on the walls of the store and in the leaflets in their bags.
· Part of that story is the level of activity going on within the store, where customers have a real shopping experience when they go into the store, lots of choice, product information and handwritten advice cards (go to a good wine shop and they will have details of the wine on a collar label handwritten this gives the buyer confidence and assurance) this week's staff picks, sample tastings, something free, Weekly draw for loyalty members, loyalty offer of the week on a blackboard and anything else you can think of. Think of yourself as an artisan supplier and how would you expect your store to look?(even though you are a professional with a professional operation)
· Text out details for a kids competition. Run a referral competition for existing members.
2, In The Community…
Many of our clients tell me they don't have the money to match the opposition when it comes to marketing, I would say you don't need any money to be a great marketer of your store. Whether you have 20 shops or 1 shop, your business is still local and its by talking and interacting with that locality on a consistent and continuous and interesting way that will grow your business.
So how do I market locally ?
· Firstly you should plot the town lands that your business is coming from on an ordinance survey map, your loyalty reporting panel will give you this data, once you see where its coming from and where it's not then you know where to hit.
· Instead of writing cheques for schools and football clubs on an ongoing basis you should do the BBQ at the field day or sponsor the school table quiz. At these events you could recruit new members into the loyalty programme and then watch their spend. Also you should issue out €5 coupons for example as well. You may recruit 100 new members at this event and say 20 will become permanent customers and the other 80 will dip in and out. At least you will know via the loyalty. (by the way make sure the BBQ or whatever you are doing has nice banner and shop images)
· Direct Mail. I know this gets a bad press but I would really recommending that you send out each month to 100 of your loyalty members a €5 coupon or voucher with a brief note that says 'Thanks for all of your business in the past and we look forward to serving you into the future' Or you could send them out a voucher for 200 points. My point is that it needs to be done every single month i.e. it becomes a tradition. Also on direct mail I would send out every two months a prize for 25 lucky people of say a pair of oven gloves as a treat. As cheesy as this is it works.
3, Pulling it all Together.
Okay so I know that you don't have time to do any of this, I say, get someone in to do this-It's too important to not do it. By not doing all of these activities you are leaving the space open for Supervalu and others to take your ground.
Get someone for 4 hours per week on €10-€12 per hour and get them to organise and liaise with the local schools and football clubs re the Community events. This person as well could be charged with the touches in the shop that we mentioned in part 1.
You cannot market your own business as you are the owner and as such don't have time, you should be a figure head.
Golden Rules
1, Plan a calendar of events both in store and in the community for the next 6 months minimum
2, Don't take all of this on yourself as it probably won't happen
3, if you are doing say a BBQ, don't just donate the burgers-that's a waste of time and money, you've got to be there to cook and recruit and be seen.
Eventually you will get the extra 260 customers 10 or 20 customers at a time…
PS
Use the data in the loyalty system
Use the data to measure how many new customers you are getting
Use the data to measure how many customers you are losing through inactivity
Where are your customers from ?
How often are they coming in?
Who has dropped their spend ?
Who has gone missing?
How many customers do I have ?
What's there average spend?
1 Send them all a text each week, 2 Send customers who have dropped their spend by 50% a different text doubling their points, 3, text missing customers.
Get moving on talking to them, send a emailed newsletter to them (we can help) with recepies for BBQ tips.
Kind regards,
Finbarr
Finbarr Malone
Customer Connect Ireland
Address: Unit 6, ERIC Building, Institute of Technology Carlow, Kilkenny Road, Carlow.
Tel: +353 (0) 1 485 3203
Fax: +353 (0)1 5261012
Mobile: +353 (0) 87 2368956
Skype: finbarr25
E: finbarr@customerconnectireland.com
W: www.customerconnectireland.com
This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. Please note: the contents of this email are not to be taken as representing the views or opinions of Customer Connect Loyalty Ltd or its associated or subsidiary companies from time to time, save where the same are provided to you and evidenced in writing and duly signed by a current Director of Customer Connect Loyalty Ltd.
