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Strategy #1: Customer Retention
by Barbara Wold
Customer retention is the activity that a selling organization undertakes in order to reduce customer defections. Successful customer retention starts with the first contact an organization has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a relationship
Whatever you do, make sure you do whatever you can to keep your current customers. Customer retention is absolutely critical.
This economy makes customer retention strategies even more important because customer loyalty has weakened.
You need a customer retention plan. Keep in mind that it doesn't need to be costly, time-consuming or difficult. You just need a few simple steps and always make it a priority:
- Contact your top customers or clients regularly. Make a list of your top customers, at least 10-25. Call them each at least quarterly. Call, send notes, send articles and information that may be of interest.
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Keep your name in front of all your customers. Use social media regularly. Advertise regularly. Network regularly. Send e-mail newsletters regularly. The key is doing this regularly.
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Give your current customers good deals. We're all used to come-on deals to attract new customers, but we then fail to offer similar discounts to current customers. Remember, your competitors are targeting your customers with deals.
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Surprise them! Do something special and unexpected for some of your best customers. Send them a small gift. Add something extra to their order.
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Keep track. Start a database, update your database, contact manager, digital address book. I'm always surprised by the number of businesses - especially small businesses - that do not have a good database of their past customers. Find a way to keep track of all your clients - past and present - so that you can easily and quickly contact them. Your database is GOLD.
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Communicate, communicate, communicate. Don't take
your customers for granted. As a result, we get so focused on doing our work, that we don't take enough time out to meet with, talk to, and more importantly, listen to, our customers. Stay in touch. Ask them what they need and want. Be part of their lives and business.
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"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." -- H. Jackson Brown Jr.
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Copyright 2015. Reprinted with permission from Wold's Retail & Consumer Tips, bwold@ix.netcom.com. To occasionally reprint portions of this newsletter, permission is not required. To reprint more than one article, please contact us at 720.542.3055 or bwold@ix.netcom.com.
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Featured Vendors
indicates a CAMEO EZ© web site.
The Artisan Connection is a wholesale site that features three lines: Fly By South, Home Appétit, and Marilyn's. The lines feature gourmet sauces, oils crackers, fruitcake and gifts. All are Made in USA.
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Cameo Glass transforms your cherished photos into stunning translucent Glass Prints. Freestanding and visible from both sides, Cameo Glass makes unique gifts and awards that captures life’s special moments.
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Camille Beckman is known worldwide for the quality of their fine creams and lotions. For the past 18 years, this 'Made in America' product has been rated #1 in the personal care industry and continues to offer formulas based on rich and wholesome ingredients, blending small batches and using hand-crafted, old-fashioned methods that create a difference you can feel! Being that personal care products are an indispensable item for many gift shops, Camille Beckman is a natural choice because of their 27 years of service to the locally owned gift industry.
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Clarissa Tumblers: The Clarissa Tumblers' motto is: There's no order that's too big or too small - we do them all! Our customers are our priority and enjoy receiving our services to provide them with quality custom and personalized tumblers for their weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, golf tournaments, family reunions, custom brand marketing, and more. Clarissa Tumblers is passionate about tumblers, and knows that their tumblers are second to none, and pride themselves on their superior customer service.
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Coast Lamp Manufacturing was established and incorporated in the state of Florida in 1955. Now, a North Carolina Corporation since 1975, located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. We are a family owned and operated company. Our product is UL/ULC listed and approved and made in the USA. Customer satisfaction and a long lasting relationship are our goals. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
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C'Zire by Lamar Creations - "...your heart's desire" - provides turnkey jewelry programs featuring industry leading quality Cubic Zirconia jewelry. Our jewelry is produced at the same standards as fine jewelry. We cast our jewelry in jewelers bronze also known as brass, the most expensive and durable material used in costume jewelry. We hand polish every piece to a mirror like finish and then hand set high quality Cubic Zirconia stones. We use a double thick genuine rhodium or 18K gold electroplating for lasting wear.
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Diverse Woodworking specializes in producing wood cutouts to fit your every need. We stock an array of letters in various fonts and sizes, along with shapes, phrases, and words. We are able to produce any shape, including exclusive designs just for your store.
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Divinity Boutique is a gift company that is focused on trendy and fun gifts that feature inspirational verse and themes.
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Elegant Baby Elegant Baby® understands that babies deserve style just as fresh as they are! Our marvelous collection of baby products is full of bold colors and spectacular designs. From traditional to contemporary, today's baby gift is sure to become tomorrow's treasure. Products ranging from My First Rubber Ducky to My First Baby Bible, My First Baby Blankie, My First Baby Jeans to the iconic silver spoon, Elegant Baby is where style meets tradition.
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Gently Spoken: Our dream is to touch a million hearts with words of affirmation and encouragement. Thanks to YOU, our dream is becoming a reality. PEAS are changing hearts and lives! Turn the pages and you'll discover why. Featuring the "Eat Your Peas" books.
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GetSassy's has fun, colorful, cool, hip gifts that are sure to bring a smile to everyones face! From flour sack towels to baby and toddler t-shirts, koozies, wooden memo holders and linens, Get Sassys designs make shopping fun! |
Gina B. Designs is an award-winning greeting card, gift and stationery products company featuring exceptional art and design. With an array of styles, variety of products and outstanding customer service, Gina B. Designs has "something for everyone." All products are proudly made in the U.S.A. |
Goods 4 U Global is a sales rep agency "caring and sharing Artisan goods from around the globe," offering handmade, fair trade, socially responsible goods created by local artisans in many countries. |
Greenbriar Pottery: Our Ceramic products are made using custom clay and glaze formulas. Each piece is reduction fired to 2380 degrees making them highly functional. All of our products can be used decoratively and functionally. Each item has have been hi-fired to 2300+ degrees. This provides oven-safe stoneware for everyday. The clay and glaze formulas are custom and made from scratch. No commercial glazes used here. |
Invenio Enterprises: Easylight Glasses are without any doubt, the greatest eyewear innovation of the last decade. Easylight aren't just simple reading glasses. Thanks to two LED bulbs inserted in the glasses frame that can be turned on independenty, they can be used in any situation of poor illumination.
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Isa's Naturals is a forward thinking personal-care products company. Our products include therapeutic bath salts, body cleansers and moisturizers. At Isa's, we draw our inspiration from Ethnobotany - the relationship between people and plants.
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Jozie B: What is Jozie B? Or, rather, who is Jozie B? She's a friend, she's a sister, a mother, a daughter, a neighbor. She loves to give gifts that lift the spirit with words and a touch of style. She's you... she's me...she's Jozie B. Jozie B first entered the general wholesale gift market to retailers in 2012. She offers a variety of gift items, including wall plaques, wine accessories, mugs, pillowcases, jewelry, and much more! Jozie wants her gifts, which are at affordable, everyday prices, to celebrate and uplift a woman's friends and family members, through both the gift's inspirational wording and its stylish appearance.
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JTP Wholesale : JTP Wholesale is a wholesale website offering monogrammed bathroom tissue, coasters and a line of t-shirts for the young and old: Future Jock t-shirts and onesies and X-Jock adult t-shirts.
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Limelight Imports: Limelight Imports is a wholesale manufacturer and distributor of whimsical jewelry and key chains.Our pieces are designed to create smiles, spread laughter and offer fun, yet affordable jewelry and key chains with a twist. All of the products of Limelight Imports have a special connection to family, friends and cherished memories.
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For over 20 years, MikWright has set the pace for outlandish, provocative humor. Pairing images from bygone days with contemporary humor, the company's Birthday and All-Occasion greeting cards are sure to bring a laugh.
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Nicole Brayden Gifts : A bright and fun collection of stationery, mugs, party supplies, handbags and many other cute gifts.
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Pure Factory Naturals: With over a decade of experience in natural skin care, PUREfactory Naturals delivers a fresh and fun approach with a modern and sincere take on skin care. Our commitment speaks loud and clear: natural is best and simplicity is beautiful.
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Qwertylook is a Research and Development company based in Atlanta, Georgia. We are driven by passion, pride and commitment to create the most unique solutions to real challenges our society faces daily. QWERTYZ Mobile Readers – a mobile reading system attached to smartphones, tablets or laptops to promote the convenient reliable alternative to tethering or carrying traditional reading glasses.
Red Carpet Studios, Ltd.: All Jazzed Up™ Fashion Accessories for Fall & Spring. A wide range of Giftware for the Home & Garden. Visit our website for New Products & Specials.
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Richard E. Bishop Features Men's gifts like glass and mug sets, decanter sets, and "Tipsy Wine Glasses". Also the company features a variety of old-book-themed photo albums, binders and storage boxes.
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Seeds of Happiness started out as leftover lumps of clay Mark Borella made into little smiles to give out to friends who were going through hard times and need a little smile. That was in 2006. Since then Mark has given out thousands of smiles to folks, a handful at a time. In turn, they share them and the story with their friends in need of a smile. Those people then share with more friends and keep the story going. Seeds of Happiness are all over the planet by now.
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Shelley Kyle is among the most talented and innovative leaders in the fragrance industry today. When she began her company, The Shelley Kyle Collection, almost 17 years ago, it was an immediate success. The company evolved "one fragrance at a time" over the years and continues to amaze those who follow the Shelley Kyle wave.
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snoozies!® are not socks and they're not slippers - sort of a crossover between the two and that's why we call them "foot coverings"! snoozies!® are made with a brushed fleece exterior in colorful & fun printed patterns and then lined with a soft Sherpa fleece inside. |
Spiker Brands is the creator and wholesale distributor of the Spiker Lifestyle Holder, the original made-in-America holder for all your items at the beach, river, lake, lawn and more. Sand Spikes, Beach Spikers, Cup Holders, Beach Beverage Holder, American Made, Made in USA.
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Stephers Inc.: Greeting cards featuring 100% Dead Sea Bath salts, funny sea characters, and a little 'BE HAPPY' meditation to lift your spirits ~ LIFE CHANGING SEA SALTS right in your very own tub! SPA CARDS. "TRANSFORMING HUMANITY ONE BATH AT A TIME".
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Sunbelt Marketing Group, Inc. Licensed and non-licensed products tailored for the men's market. Items include both functional and decorative giftware for the home, i.e. wall décor, clocks, shelves, coat and key racks, etc. Licenses include Coca-Cola, General Motors, Ford, Carroll Shelby, Farmall, John Wayne and Elvis Presley. Product mediums include wood, resin, ceramic, glass and mixed mediums. Sunbeltgifts recently developed its own line of gifts for the aviation market and acts as a contract manufacturer. |
Sunburst, a USA manufacturer, leads the way in resort jewelry, gifts, souvenirs, name programs, customs, educational and trendy accessories. A variety of metals including sterling silver, 14kt gold, solid copper and natural metals is available. Sunburst's turnkey display programs are a shopper's delight and a retailer's best friend! Enjoy the convenience of upc priced merchandise delivered fully packaged and ready for sale. |
Sunday Greetings
is a greeting card company that started when Brenda Kellman made a homemade birthday card for her husband Alan. Brenda's photography is on the cover of the company's greeting cards for every occasion. |
Tripar International Inc.: Tripar International is your source for both displays and decorative accessories. Our extensive product line includes a wide assortment of easels, risers, ornament stands, plate racks, mirrors, jewelry displays, and unique display pieces. We are also an excellent source for wine accessories, wall decor, inspirational signs, and cookbook stands. We offer quality with style, low minimums and fast shipping. |
Unforgettaballs: "The finest collection of artwork printed on baseballs in the world" is our tagline. The products are baseballs with a variety of designs printed on them. Some are images of famous stadiums, and other baseball themes, but others are messages for special occasions or just "Cool Design Baseballs".
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Uniformed Collection: The Uniformed mission is simple, to provide a means for past, present and future service members and their families to strengthen and preserve their memories of serving our great nation. It is about more than just providing an album that looks great: we want our military community and its supporters to feel pride and secure their memories forever, laying the groundwork to inspire others to make a difference by serving. |
Unwined Candles: A glass of wine. Candlelight. The makers of Unwined Candles know that it's the little things in life that make it worthwhile. We handcraft our candles using elegantly rustic reused wine bottles and all natural soy wax infused with relaxing scents. You'll find the difference in the fine details of our candles. "Every day is a great day to Unwined". |
Wellspring makes functional products with fresh designs for companies that sell gifts. Great fun and cute personal accessories designed for the purse, stationery designed for organization and Flip Notes- the best-selling slim notepad consistently ranked by retailers as a top 10 in sell through. Perfect 4th quarter pick up gifts at under $10 retail- a sweet spot with today's consumer. Now with collegiate logos! |
White Mountain Puzzles is ahead of the pack when it comes to puzzles with educational content. Why not learn something while doing a puzzle? If you love to travel, why not put together an entertaining birds eye view of KEY WEST, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, BOSTON or NEW ENGLAND? Or work on a puzzle of states like MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS, OHIO, VIRGINIA, NORTH CAROLINA or GEORGIA? Or learn something about PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY or THE CIVIL WAR? These challenging projects take artists like DAVID HARRISON WRIGHT, DEB MARCONI, GARY TORISSI, and MAUREEN RUPPRECHT months to create.
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Quick Industry News
NEW WHOLESALE WEBSITES
Unwined Candles has a brand new CAMEO EZ© wholesale website. "We love candles," the company says, "so a few years ago, we started Unwined Candle Company. We handcraft our candles from start to finish with a lot of love and attention to detail. We know you'll see the difference." The company handcrafts its candles using reclaimed and repurposed wine bottles and all natural soy wax infused with relaxing scents.
Beaucoup Designs recently opened a new wholesale website. Beaucoup Designs offers a broad spectrum jewelry line that includes charms to go with necklaces and bracelets, earrings, rings, cuff bracelets, hair accessories, and necklaces. The company holds a very unique place in the market because the founder started out in the industry as a retailer and now is a manufacturer who still has retail locations for test marketing.
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