Focus on the “C” for Customer Care

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day” you know that Bill Murray relives the same day over and over again. It is not until he has truly changed his ways that he can move on in his life. In the business world, we don’t get to keep repeating our mistakes until we finally get it right. One of the most common mistakes many companies make is not focusing on their customers. Here are a few tips to become more customer-centric:

Ensure everything your company does, from the products or services you offer to the staff who serves customers, is centered on customers , customer care and their experience at your business or website. Look at what you offer as if you were the customer. Would you buy from your business?

Create marketing materials that sell a solution to your customer’s problems. A brochure or manual will be more effective if it is focused on the benefits of the product to the customer. I know you have read about selling benefit over features before, but creating marketing material that is focused on benefits to the customer seems to be very difficult; this judging from the content of the art provided to us for printing. Focus on the customer’s needs and not your product. That full color brochure or postcard that you had printed and direct mailed will not generate the response you want if it is not focused on the benefits of the product you are selling.

Create marketing tools for a specific public. The term public is a public relations term, which simply means a specific group of people with common interests and characteristics. For example, young women with children are a public. Homeowners with older homes are another example of a public. The day of one size fits all marketing and promotion is long gone. If you look at who your company services you will find that you service different groups of people with common interests and needs. Do a survey of your existing customers to identify whom you are servicing. These different groups may be buying the same products or services from you, but may buy for different reasons. The reasons they buy are the benefits of the product or service to them.

Open the lines of communication between your marketing team and sales force to ensure customer requests are being heard and appear in your promotions. Encourage your customers to give you feedback and suggestions. Offer options such as email surveys, chat forums or toll-free numbers as a way for your customers to communicate back to you. Most importantly, use the feedback you get. Often a complaint can open the door to a new service or product.

Keep an eye on your competitors and develop creative promotions that offer an extra incentive for customers to select your business over your competitor. For example, “Receive 10 bonus bucks with any $50 purchase.” There is an art to the buy now as it is called. Every piece of promotion you send out should have a buy now offer giving customers a reason to buy from you now.

Develop a customer loyalty program that offers special promotions and incentives for returning customers. Loyalty rewards programs are also a way to get more information about lifestyle and interests from your customers. The more information about your customers’ needs and interests you have the more targeted and the more successful your marketing will be.

Offer a guarantee. Offer a guarantee that not only demonstrates confidence in your products, but also gives customers a compelling reason to buy today without the fear of tomorrow. Give customers a printed certificate guaranteeing the product or service.

All of your marketing and promotion should have a common design theme or look cohesive, even if the message is different. This will help you build your brand.

Our team can help you with the marketing materials that will generate sales for your business.

Mark Hale

CEO