Ask yourself this question: How much do you appreciate your customer base?
Notice that I didn’t ask if you appreciate your sales. There is a huge difference between appreciating a customer and appreciating a sale. A sale will get you by temporarily for the week, but a customer will hopefully provide sales for many years to come. We all need and want loyal customers, not just one-time sales.
Today, you can easily lose customers because of a salesperson’s attitude, misunderstanding of details, poor workmanship, or price of the product offered. It’s very hard to turn this around, and sometimes you are never given the opportunity to get back a frustrated person that you may not even realize you lost.
No one wants to lose customers, but sometimes it happens if they don’t feel listened to or appreciated.
Some shed markets are very competitive, and many times competing companies are only minutes away from each other. Especially when this is the case, you’ll need to take advantage of all the tools in your marketing box, location, and product offerings.
Any new ways of retaining and growing your customer base should be considered and reviewed carefully. If a strategy shows any possibility of working and benefiting your company, it should be put into place immediately.
Using genuine appreciation is one such tool to transform a one-time deal into a repeat customer. You want them to leave with a sense of satisfaction, excitement about their new building, and the feeling that they are truly valued. Why? Not only because it promotes future business relationships, but it also makes for a great work environment. It is actually fun to make someone’s day, and it is far more enjoyable to work with a happy customer than an angry one.
If you want to set yourself apart from the competition, consider giving the customer a valuable gift instead of an inexpensive promotional product.
Start by considering your demographic. What are some of the general characteristics of the majority of your customer base over the last five years? Are many of them in similar occupations? Do they live in an area they are generally proud of? Are there a lot of gardeners, woodworkers? There could be any number of factors that could help you determine what might be a suitable and useful gift to give.
Look through the offerings from various promotional item companies. You’ll see a vast array of products to consider. If it seems overwhelming, you might want to consider getting in touch with a sales representative at the company who can recommend some gifts to you.
Take your time searching for an appropriate token of appreciation. You want one that has great quality, aesthetically appealing, and useful. Buying a well-known name brand certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Some structure sales can easily be over $10,000 or more, and it can be awkward handing them a plastic coin holder or ruler at the end of the sales as a sign of thanks. Doing so could actually work against your business, leaving the customer with the impression that you’re cheap and cut corners. It would be so much better to put time into a thoughtful gift that impresses them and makes them want to tell their friends about how they were treated.
While selecting the perfect thank-you gift, think about the customer’s possible reaction to it after spending a good chunk of change with you. Will they be amazed and pleasantly surprised or will they be annoyed at what seems like another cheap way to advertise to them?
The right gift can actually have people coming into the business requesting to buy one for themselves after seeing what their friend received.
The right gift can even turn into a collection. Year after year, you could have people stopping in for a visit just to see the new version of what you’ve been giving away with your large shed deals, excited to see the new design or upgrade. And when people start collecting, they often show their collections to friends and family while explaining where they get their prized items and how it all started.
Giving quality gifts not only shows gratitude to your customers, but it offers you an excellent marketing investment opportunity that makes everyone feel good. Make someone’s day, and make future sales.
It’s actually kind of funny how spending $20 or $30 on a gift can make such a huge difference in how people see your company. I mean, if someone can afford a $15,000 garage, they could probably buy a dozen of your thank-you gifts without blinking an eye at the expense, but it’s not about their ability to purchase such an item. It’s about receiving something really nice unexpectedly.
I would suggest that you make sure your logo looks great on the product but not to include contact information. No strings. No special offers. No in a roundabout or direct way asking for anything. Just a really attractive gift from you to them that they will always look at and remember how well they were treated at your establishment.
I’ve heard of companies sending gifts and thank yous to people at random times—nowhere near holidays—just to lift their spirits and cause them to think well of the company, and I think that’s a great idea.
It is advisable to set a minimum sale price to receive one of these gifts. In your generosity, you don’t want to be losing money. So, where that line is drawn should be thoughtfully determined and explained to your sales team, but I would not always hold out on everyone sticking to that rule.
If you are sure a customer is having a really hard time in life and could use a pick-me-up, don’t be against being a beacon of light that day by extending such a gift to them without any purchase at all. Some rewards in life are not monetary, and usually those are, by far, more rewarding. Besides, you never know what financial gains you may obtain down the road that could be traced back to that act of kindness.
How can you find an item everyone will want? The truth of the matter is you won’t, but don’t let that stop you. Some may say, “no thanks,” and give it back, but they will remember the offer. Some may immediately think of someone they can gift it to, and now you’ve been able to reach a potential new customer who’s heard a glowing review about you from someone they trust.
And then there are always those who will keep it, enjoy it, and have you in their mind the next time they have a storage or extra space need.
I hope you can see the long-term results of this investment to your customers. They have trusted you with their storage needs and for some of your customers with the money it took quite a while to save up. So thank them with an awesome gift they will not expect—a gift that leaves the distinct impression that they are truly valued and your business is outstanding.
The future benefits could be limitless. Let’s set a standard in the industry to have the happiest, most appreciated customers anywhere.