Shoppers call or come in to the store and say, “Hey I had a friend buy from here. They just installed it last weekend; it looks great!” And right away half your job is done for you. You’re authenticated, set up in their mind as a reliable, solid business that won’t let them down. But you don’t have to wait for this target group to come into the store. Go out and find them!
Every satisfied customer is an advertisement immeasurably more effective then your best Day-Glo orange banner. Their friends and relatives are your new potential customers. You’d be crazy not to build on that foundation. For example, simpleFLOORS Seattle recently sent out thank-you notes to some chosen customers, enclosing discount cards to be handed out when their new floors inspired compliments.
In today’s market, everyone’s a little proud of their coupon-clipping skills. Give your customer a little more push to brag about theirs; reach out to them with a reminder of just how successful their flooring purchase was. simpleFLOORS Bay Area emails previous customers noting several websites where store reviews are welcomed, so that others can benefit from their positive experience. This builds an online supply of personal recommendations, and also helps customers refine in their own mind what makes simpleFLOORS such a great company to work with.
simpleFLOORS Georgia suggested thanking the referring customer with a small gift card, and the referred with a 10% off (or similar) discount – which then encourages the new customer to spread the word likewise. Reach out to your existing customers and you’ll be an active participant in design conversations all over town!
