photo credit: Idhren
It’s finally hitting us all. There are fewer jobs and less dollars circulating through the economy. But it’s not all doom and gloom. People are still spending. Businesses are still in business but have started looking for most saving-friendly ways of getting their message out there.
Why not try getting back to basics and nurturing existing client relationships?
Think of your customers the way you think of your significant other. It’s the little things that count. Work on personalizing your relationships by addressing people by name. If you don’t know their name – ask for it. Or implement a customer profile software system. Collect their information.
Start a GOOD loyalty program that gives value. If you’re a small business you can outshine the big corporations by giving more. Instead of points – give real dollars back. Make your program easy –without a lot of strings attached. (This is a whole other topic that we’ll blog about soon.)
Start a referral program. Either entice your loyal customers with a reward or simply acknowledge their referral/testimonial - a personal phone call or thank you card will likely go a long way.
Be spontaneous! A chocolate cafe that I hold client meetings at (called Mink) will sometimes bring over a scrumptious bite of chocolate to accompany our mochas. It’s unexpected, it’s memorable and I continue to choose their coffee shop over any of the big guys. (And look, here I am plugging them!) Look for ways to elicit this response in your own business.
Be kind. Volunteer and participate in your community. It will be both personally and professionally rewarding. You’ll meet new people, strengthen existing relationships all while helping out. And hey, you can advertise what you’re doing to lend a hand.
Go above and beyond (cliché, but true!). Show your customers that you truly care about them and your business by over-delivering and wowing them!
And the cost for doing all of these programs? Likely less than the cost of losing just one of your loyal customers.
Photo credit: Isaac Bowen
I’ll be honest, I lacked in printer knowledge. With a communication background, I didn’t spend time learning about printing – and when I first started Polished Promotions, I wanted to believe that people would reduce the amount of printing they did all together.
**sigh** printing continues. At least what we choose to print on can be consciously and thoughtfully chosen.
Here is a fragment of what I have learned – stay tuned for more
· Not all printers are created alike. Some have very genuine information and are shaping the world one small business at a time. En Masse Media, located here in Vancouver, is one such company. Richard Cooper, owner and printer extraordinaire, not only knows printing inside and out (he comes from a family of printers) but he knows GREEN printing! But his Green Print thumb isn’t why you’d choose to print with En Masse Media
…Here are 5 reasons why you WOULD choose En Masse (FYI – Richard has no idea I’m blogging about him! But I’ll tell him once I’m done!)
1. He knows how to use the most of the sheet of paper being printed and cut. Case in point –last week I had to figure out a way to fit a spa menu inside an envelope that would hold a gift card, business card and look like gift wrapping all at the same time so that my client, an environmentally friendly hair salon, (shameless plug) Salon Montage, wouldn’t have to add unnecessary packaging to their presentation. En Masse Media invited me over, sat down with me and together we crafted a great looking, cost effective* design. It’s with the designer right now getting gussied up!
2. The quality is superb – they use 13.5 pt stock for business card printing (which is thicker than most of the printers I have worked with). I am impressed with the types of output from their work. They just changed their website – you can request a sample kit here
3. It’s cost effective. We saved paper by creating a long slender envelope, making it possible to fit more on one sheet of printing paper (thus saving trees)
4. En Masse uses 100% Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) Content – a lot of printers say they have recycled fibre in their paper – but that doesn’t make it 100% recycled.
5. They’re reliable and fast. If you’ve ever been frustrated with printing schedules – you’ll understand the great feeling of getting printing on time! Because the printing is local, I can even pick it up and hand deliver it to my clients (saving them a few dollars and the courier an extra trip out to their businesses)
