Dec 28, 2016
With 2017 set to begin in a few days, many of us have our New Year’s Resolutions all ready to go. As a business owner, your resolutions likely include a number of “improve my business” ideas. At TK Enterprises Inc., we are firm believers that topping that list of ideas should be to use your phone more often. To be more specific, we strongly believe in the concept of calling your customers to make personal invitations to your in-store events.
Through our many years of providing one-of-a-kind Retail Event Marketing services, we’ve discovered that it simply doesn’t get much better than the traditional phone call in order to make a strong connection with a customer. No matter how many advances there have been in modern technology, people still relate to people better than they do machines. As Mary Nestor-Harper points out on Chron.com, phone calls provide that much-wanted personal and immediate assistance to customers.
“Short of talking with someone face-to-face, a phone call is the best way to get a personal response,” she writes, “If the person you called is available, you can take care of business on the spot. With other forms of communication, such as texting or email, you leave a message and hope for a quick response. Phone calls have a vocal backup in the form of voice mail. The caller can leave a detailed voice message, without the restriction of a certain number of characters or typing a text message on a tiny cell-phone keypad.”
Although it really goes without saying, it bears reiterating that people like speaking to live human voices. It gives them opportunities to ask questions and have them answered on the spot. Real voices also allow people to make personal connections to the brands those voices represent. This leaves much better impressions on the people you want support from. This is because people genuinely like when they are provided with undivided attention.
“There is an appreciation or an increase in our self-esteem, when someone gives us their attention,” writes Dateme Tamuno on CustomerThink.com, “It is an emotional gratification that makes us feel we have much worth to secure someone’s attention. Customers are sometimes like babies, they want your attention not that of a machine or automated response software. It shows you value them and appreciate their patronage.”
At the end of the day, a live voice is simply more impactful than a recorded one. An email can’t provide attention, show signs of empathy or immediately answer questions that a customer might have. Especially when you’re inviting someone to a live event, you want to be able to encourage that person to attend by displaying your vibrant and approachable personality. As Nestor-Harper points out, taking the time to make a phone call creates a deeper emotional connection than an impersonal text or email.
“Without the opportunity for two-way communication, sensitive issues may be misinterpreted,” she explains, “Text messages and emails become legal documents and can be retrieved as evidence long after deletion. Some businesses monitor and record phone conversations between employees and customers for training purposes. Deleted voice-mail messages may not be retrieved and do not leave a record of the conversation.”
In 2017, using the phone more will simply help your business to earn a greater reputation. And the unique Retail Event Marketing services provided by TK Enterprises Inc. can do that for you! For more information about how our talented and experienced phone agents can help to make your next in-store event a resounding success, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com.
Happy New Year!
Dec 21, 2016
With 2017 right around the corner, it is quite likely that you’re thinking of ways to improve business in the new year. Not many of us are immune to making New Year’s Resolutions. And as a jewelry shop owner, you certainly shouldn’t be. While you have likely enjoyed a successful holiday shopping season – jewelry tops many holiday shopping lists – the new year will present numerous opportunities for you to boost sales.
Valentine’s Day is the next special occasion when jewelry becomes an even hotter commodity than usual. But, there’s truly no reason to simply assume that foot traffic will pick up in your store in the weeks following Christmas. In fact, most consumers will likely be considering a reduction in spending considering the increased number of purchases they’ve made in December. This is one of the reasons it would be a great idea to host an in-store event in January.
Here are five more:
1. It will allow you to interact with your customers in person. Face-to-face encounters are hard to beat. It enables you to develop genuine connections with other people. This is pretty important in the world of jewelry sales. Because they are such important purchases, consumers like to feel confident that they are making the right choices. Being able to learn more about your customers will help you to guide them towards making purchases they will be happy with. This will encourage them not just to buy from you once, but to remain loyal to your brand.
2. It gives you the opportunity to express your appreciation. What would your store be without its customers? No business can operate without support. And this is why your in-store event should have an “exclusive” feel to it. By personally inviting people who have made purchases from you before, you are offering your show of gratitude for their support. Of course, it’s wise to verbally communicate your appreciation to everyone who attends.
3. It will encourage impulse buys. Your in-store event is meant to allow people to mix, mingle and browse your items. Naturally, it sets the table for you to begin conversations. And, of course, these conversations can lead toward impulse purchases. You may even wish to offer a small discount or free gift with a purchase during your event to provide your customers with incentives to take immediate action.
4. It will enable you to better understand your customer base. Great conversations are made up of a lot of questions and answers. Take opportunities during your in-store event to find out what makes your customers tick. This will help you to not only plan even better events in future, but discover various ways to meet your customers’ needs throughout the year.
5. It will grow your social networking reach. In-store events get people talking. And, in today’s world, people do a lot of talking online. By making personal invites to your in-store event, you will develop a reputation that most consumers will enjoy telling others about. It’s wise, of course, to make mention of your event using social media, but don’t forget to reach out to those who have attended after the event is over. Word will quickly spread about how enjoyable it was. This will encourage more visitors in future.
At TK Enterprises Inc., we specialize in making personal invites for in-store events. Our one-of-a-kind Retail Event Marketing division is made up of individuals with over 30 years of experience working on the phone. They each make more than 250 phone calls per day, reaching out to your existing customers to make friendly, personal connections with them. This, we have found, is the best way to make each of your in-store events a huge success.
For more information about how we can help make your next in-store event a great success, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com.
Happy holidays!
Dec 14, 2016
As a jeweler, it will come as no surprise to you that people love to buy jewelry during the holiday season. Bracelets, rings, watches and necklaces as Christmas presents? Who would have ever thought it? While it’s obvious that your store has more than likely had business pick up over the past several weeks, it should be noted that this is a trend that will continue to rise in popularity.
Earlier this week, Thomas C. Frohlich of 24/7 Wall St. published an article that detailed the amounts that Americans have spent on Christmas shopping dating all the way back to 1940. He notes that while the population of the United States has obviously increased over the years, so has the spending on holiday gifts. It should go without saying that the end-of-year holiday season is one that sees a big economic boost for most U.S. businesses.
Obviously, the jewelry industry is no exception. “For over a decade, U.S. jewelry stores have relied on the holiday season for between 25% and 30% of their annual revenue,” writes Frohlich, “Last year, 27.4% of jewelry sales occurred in November and December, the highest percentage of all industries. For reference, with no seasonality whatsoever, the average two months of sales would amount to 16.7% of annual revenue.”
He goes on to note that in the jewelry industry, an average two-month period outside of the holiday season would generally bring in approximately 15% or less of a company’s annual revenue. Holiday gift shopping, quite obviously, is something that jewelers all over the United States greatly benefit from. And, as previously mentioned, Americans seem to spend more and more on their holiday shopping with each passing year.
“According to a Gallup poll conducted from November 9-13, 2016 the average American plans to spend approximately $750 on just gifts this holiday season,” reveals Frohlich. Compare that to the just $205 in average holiday spending per American back in 1940. Of course, much as changed with both the population and the economy over the decades. And much has changed in the world of advertising as well.
No longer are American retailers sticking only to the age-old methods of flyers, billboards and even television commercials to advertise their products. With the advent of social media, many business owners are also making direct connections with the members of their customer bases. In today’s world, this works wonders. And it’s the reason that the Retail Event Marketing services provided by TK Enterprises Inc. have brought so many jewelers such great success.
Our unique service is specifically designed for high-end jewelry retailers who are looking to increase traffic for their in-store events. We make phone calls to existing customers to personally invite them to a variety of events that can be held at your store location. We’ve found that phone calls are undoubtedly the best way to send out invites because they are the most effective methods of making personal connections with the people most likely to support your business.
For more information about our Retail Event Marketing services, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com.
Dec 7, 2016
In today’s world, making personal connections is often a huge part of any company’s advertising strategy. With the advent and massive popularity of social media, businesses have taken to getting into regular conversations with the members of their customer bases in ways they never thought of before. Arguably, there is no better way to know what makes a customer tick than to find out directly from the source. This is why making phone calls is so important.
Have you noticed that people tend to call each other less these days? Advances in technology have given us the smartphone. It enables us to surf the internet, watch videos, update our social media profiles and text message our friends. Oh, and it also allows to make phone calls. The way we see it, smartphones help to remind us about how traditional phone calls are harder to come by these days. Texting, for example, has grown as a major communication source.
At TK Enterprises Inc., we’re also regularly reminded about the power of the phone call because of the success of our Retail Event Marketing services. We offer a unique service like no other – and it works to build the relationships between the jewelry stores we represent and their customers. Whenever our clients plan in-store events, our talented team of phone agents call customers on their behalf to send out the invites.
Does it make a huge difference to deliver those invites over the phone? There are so many facets of a phone call that make the personal connection stronger than any other source of communication – perhaps, other than a face-to-face meeting. Let’s discuss first, the fact that phone invites help to significantly outshine your competition. These days, most businesses are used to relying so heavily on social media that they forget the “social” part of their interactions.
An invite made over the phone is less an invite than it is a genuine conversation. When your competitors aren’t connecting with your clients, they give you open opportunities to reconnect with customers in ways that other businesses are forgetting about. A phone call connects one live voice to another. With a real person – and not a voice recording – members of your customer base get to interact with someone who is friendly, knowledgeable and inviting – literally!
How do phone calls add the “wow” factor to your company’s reputation? As mentioned earlier, people aren’t calling each other as much as they used to. And we’re talking about friends and close family members here. As mentioned, people are a lot more likely to send texts than to dial numbers. That’s why when our team calls your customers to invite them to your in-store event, we’re already making great impressions on your behalf!
Direct interactions over the phone also allow your customers to ask questions that can be answered immediately. This often marks the difference between whether or not an invited guest will actually attend your event. People like to have their questions answered quickly – and by a real person! It’s the personal connection, above all else, that generally endears a customer to support a brand several times over.
Our Retail Event Marketing services involve a very experienced team of phone agents that make more than 250 calls per person, per day. They each specialize in making friendly, personal connections with your customers on behalf of your business, making each of your in-store events a major success.
For more information about our Retail Event Marketing services, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com.
