Going Above The Standard With Customer Appreciation
In my 5 plus years in business, there's something I have undoubtedly learned, appreciate your customers and they'll appreciate you back. This goes for anyone who plays a role in supporting your business. It's not always about whatyou gift, as long as you're doing something to show them that you care and – you're doing it often! I'm not just talking about delivering your average tokens of customer service or the standard corporate programs. These are things that you, as a business owner can do above and beyond the standards.
Take my friend Cassi Furderer, for example. She's my go-to for all things promotional products and true expert in her industry. If I'm looking for business cards or to have branding done, she's my girl. And let me tell you how impressed I was when a “Thankful Box” was personally delivered on my door step in November. It contained some of my favorite things, a distressed KC branded t-shirt, locally flavored hot chocolate, a KC branded beanie hat, and a Source Point branded phone charger. What a thoughtful and amazing way to appreciate her clients, tastefully marketing her company with on-trend gift items, fitting perfectly with a time of year when people are giving thanks.
I found this so clever that it actually inspired this latest blog post. And let me say, it wasn't just the gift box that I found lovely, it was the fact she took the time to personally deliver it to my door. It's her above-and-beyond approach to business relationships, that got me thinking...what are the simple things I do to really go above and beyond for my customers?
Over the years, there are a few stand-out methods that have become my favorites for appreciating my customers and business partners. Whether you're an independent business owner like myself, or a larger corporation, these ideas can be easily be applied in some fashion.
1. Send a personal holiday card. I like to show my customers and team members I'm thinking about them during the holiday season so they get a personalized Christmas card. I always enjoy and appreciate getting cards this time of year from people. It makes me feel special that others take the time to remember me and my family so I want others to feel the same way. The people I do business with get the exact same cards that I would send out to my friends and family – one with our family photo on it whenever possible (a photo is a photo, it doesn't have to be perfect so don't over think it!) – because I want to extend that extra personalized touch that makes me relate-able. It's important to me that people see when they do business with me they are supporting my family and not just a corporation.
2. Gift your product/service free to reward loyal, long-standing customers. As a small business owner, this is not something I can afford to do often or on a large scale but I do love to gift out product because it's often something new to the customer, or rewarding them with single items from my line that they love. Those who receive product gifts are the ones who order regularly, have been long-standing customers and/or have been great referral sources for me. But you can choose to do this based on whatever criteria you'd like!
An alternative, that I enjoy doing during the holiday season specifically, is gifting all my customers a dollar off virtual coupon, allowing them to spend it on any product of their choosing. They enjoy shopping with me already, so I know they love their products. This is budget-friendly, is something I can do for all my customers and allows me to extend them savings on their products. Plus, it's a nice sales driver which helps return on investment.
3. Send appreciation gifts. Whether it's a holiday gift or a once-a-year appreciation gift, I love this idea! I'm such a big proponent of hand-written thank you notes whenever possible. Again, it's all about the personal touch. So why not pass on the gift of allowing others to spread their thankfulness? One year, I gifted out “thank-you” cards. While this doesn't apply directly to my customers, it's still one of my favorite gifts I have given, and appreciating a team of hard-working people is worth mentioning! I had branded "thank- you" post cards with envelopes created in bulk and then separated them out in stacks, tied with the most beautiful matching chiffon ribbon. I then finished off their gifts by tying initial ornaments to the stacks. They were gorgeous and very affordable. My team really seemed to enjoy them because, not only were the gifts thoughtful, they were branded and useful to their businesses!
Another favorite was signed copies of Rachel Hollis' book,Girl Wash Your Face. It's topped the New York Time's Best Seller's list and has been one of my favorite reads.
Rachel was getting ready to speak at my company's National Convention so I awarded signed books to my top business builders earlier this year and it was amazing to not only gift one of my current "favorite things" but to gift signed copies. Again, not customer focused - more of a team appreciation gift - but could go either way!
4. Host customer events. I regularly do online events to reach my global customer base and host smaller, local events in my home a few times throughout the year to introduce new product, offer sampling opportunities and simply love on my customers. Customers are usually rewarded with product drawings, event-only product discounts and wonderful refreshments and swag bags when we're all together in person. It's such a great opportunity to get that face-to-face interaction, even virtually, that you don't normally experience by email, phone, or text. Plus it's a fun excuse to socialize! These events area also great for potential new clients or customers because they can hear from others who have experienced working with you and your company first hand. Win-win all around.
5. Leverage Social Media to have an online community group for your VIP customers. Host drawings/giveaways 3-4 times a year. For my loyal customers, I have an online community group where I can engage and interact, as well as offer an additional personal touch by doing LIVE product demos, or simply sharing personal messages via LIVE video, in a social media setting. And again, as mentioned above, this is a great opportunity for others to hear/see what products people like and why customers enjoy working with me.
If you're like me and have a team of business partners under you, a similar concept can be applied. I have a group page I leverage to pour into my team as a place to offer encouragement, engagement, team incentives, bonuses, and more.
6. Reward referrals. We would be silly not to do something special for those who are sending us business. Whether you're a small business like me, or a large corporation, not having some way to reward our customers or clients for sharing about our products/services would simply drive them into the hands of a company who does. I personally like to gift dollars off a future purchase to a current customer for every referral who shops with me. “Referral credit” is becoming more popular. I shopped using Shipt for the first time last week and was instantly given the chance to share a referral link in exchange for a $50 credit. You better believe I found this amazing! I had already had an excellent service experience with my shopper, Ashley, and now they were going to gift me $50 for sharing about my experience and referring others? Yes, please!
7. Sample out new products. When new products hit the market, I'm the first to look for ways to get samples in the hands of my customers. Depending on the product I'm shopping for, I like to see it up close so I can experience it first as a part of my buying process. Not everyone is like this, but sampling can be a huge bonus for some! It's not only a great way to drive sales but it's going the extra mile your customers, letting them experience something first before making an investment. Again, it's also a great way to get something new into the hands of your customers, allowing them to experience a product they haven't tried yet. And it's a nice opportunity for you to include a personal note, which I mentioned I'm a huge fan of.
These are ideas I have adopted and consistently implement in my business. I would love to tell you I'm good at remembering the birthdays of everyone I work with, but I try to stick with things that are both impactful and attainable. When it comes to nurturing customer and business relationships, think about the things that you can implement that will be successful for you long-term. Don't set yourself up with a program or a process that you cannot keep up with. Ask yourself these questions – Is it easily scalable? Can I do this within my budget? Does it fit within the time I have allotted? Is this something I can be consistent with?
I would love to hear your thoughts! Drop them in the comments below.
