Aug 22, 2018
In today’s world, we have the ability to communicate with each other in a myriad of ways. Text messaging, emailing and social media messaging have all become incredibly popular modes of staying in touch. However, all of them combined can’t replicate the experience of conversing with someone face to face. Without the use of hand gestures, facial expressions and other forms of body language, communication is much harder.
This is especially true for relationships between business owners and their customers. With so many different people making up your customer base, it’s neither easy nor practical to get to know each and every one of them personally. That is, of course, unless you’re seeing them in person on a regular basis. Reaching out through text, email or social media doesn’t quite allow you to develop the same kinds of bonds you’d have if you interacted more often in person.
“Facial expressions often communicate so much more than words.”
This from Rene Shimada Siegel on Inc.com: “We host consultant coffees and invite a handful of independent consultants to our office in order to better understand the nuances of each professional in a relaxed setting. We need to know what isn’t on the resume that makes each person unique. In their eyes and in their body language, we can see confidence, empathy, fear, friendliness or sincerity. That ability to ‘read’ a candidate beyond their keywords is a huge competitive advantage for us.”
For all of the above listed reasons, the TK Enterprises Inc. team advocates quite strongly for the in-person meeting. This is why we take such great pride in specializing in a one-of-a-kind service that brings jewelry store owners and their customers together. With the help of our Event Marketing services, jewelers all across North America have been able to enjoy increased growth in their customer relationships.
We call your customers directly.
Our experienced team of phone agents calls customers directly to offer them personal and exclusive invites to in-store events. The team also teaches about upcoming promotions and follows up on recent sales. The in-person interactions that are created as a result of our Event Marketing services have enabled our clients to not only grow their customer relationships, but significantly boost their sales as well.
One of the reasons for the higher sales numbers is the fact that happy customers result in more customers. When a happy customer promotes a company he/she has done business with, it counts for a lot more than a television commercial ever could. On Wistia.com, Margot Da Cunha references word of mouth promotion as an inevitable benefit of meeting customers in person.
There’s nothing quite like word of mouth promotion.
“Think about that individual who changes jobs and brings your software to each and every company she works for,” she writes, “Or the fellow who is so delighted by your line of kitchen appliances that every gift he gives is from that product line. This can lead to a lifetime of word-of-mouth marketing, and a superfan club of customers who will stay loyal with you until the end of time.”
For more information about our 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 or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Jun 13, 2018
It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. This is an idiom we’ve all likely heard several times over. It’s one of those sayings that is absolutely true. Tone and inflection means a lot to just about everyone. There’s a way to say “Have a nice day!” that conveys a sincere wish for a person’s enjoyable experience and a way to say that exact same phrase to convey a desire to see that person live a miserable existence.
Most of us know exactly what sarcasm sounds like.
We also know what boredom, indifference and agitation sound like as well. When you’re conducting business over the phone, it couldn’t be more important for you to master the ability to convey friendliness, interest and enthusiasm through your inflections and tone of voice.
“There are ways to say things so that a customer never forgets you and your pitch — they are called hooks and tone control,” says Grant Cardone on Entrepreneur.com, “No matter what you do for a living, at some point in your career you will rely on a phone to either introduce yourself or get an appointment. Other than your commitment and attitude about success, the telephone itself will be one of the single most important tools you use in building your brand, your company, and your revenues.”
Wording plays a major role in your ability to please customers.
Sometimes, the simplest change in your wording can mean the difference between keeping a customer and losing him/her forever. For example, you’re not always going to be able to provide your customers with exactly what they’re looking for. In many cases, you’ll need to provide alternative solutions.
The go-to thing to say, for most people, falls along the lines of “I’m sorry, I can’t do that for you”. Immediately, this communicates a negative response. Although it’s not untrue, it’s just not a statement that’s going to promote the growth of your customer relationships. Instead of responding solely in the negative, try responses that provide positive outcomes such as “While I may not be able to get that item to you by tomorrow, what I can do is ship a replacement free of charge.”
Keeping it positive is a key to strong customer relationships.
CallCentreHelper.com is a big proponent for using positive words and phrases. The website champions such responses as “That’s true, Sir/Madam, but…” in order to acknowledge a customer’s concerns. “The next stage would then be to demonstrate why there is no need to be concerned,” says the site.
“We can certainly do that for you, Sir/Madam” is another suggested over-the-phone phrase from CallCentreHelper.com. “Again, this statement is assertive and ‘certainly’ is a good positive word to use,” the website notes, “This is because using words with an ‘-LY’ ending is a little-known persuasion technique that many marketing agencies have recognized. Just think of the slogans to some of your favourite brands.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., we’ve mastered the friendly phone call!
With our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services, you can have our experienced and highly motivated callers make personal phone calls directly to your customers to invite them to your businesses events, teach them about your promotions or follow up on a recent sale.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
May 9, 2018
In today’s world, consumers want so much more than to simply find what they’re looking for in stores. Most shoppers are looking to develop genuine connections with the brands they do business with so that they can enjoy lifelong dependencies on their favourite stores to fulfill their needs.
Many consumers also enjoy bragging about stores they’ve “discovered” and they’re only too happy to recommend them to friends. As a jewelry store owner, it is vital that you take advantage of this. Know that it’s not enough to simply please the individuals who enter the front doors of your store. You need to work to build the relationships you have with those individuals once they exit those doors.
Make the phone your friend.
Back in the 1970s, Bell System used the motto “Reach Out And Touch Someone” to promote their services. This slogan came into even greater prominence in the 1980s when it was famously used as AT&T’s tagline. And, in 2018, while those advertisements are long gone, the phrase is still entirely true. When you put in efforts to reach out and make connections with individuals who have supported your business, you stand a much greater chance of securing long-term loyalty.
On Medium.com, Ahmad Iqbal explains that there are numerous benefits to calling your customers to show them your appreciation for their business. He insists that you offer your thanks, but also use the opportunities to provide your customers with exclusive information about your store’s offerings. That way, your phone calls of thanks will double as upselling opportunities.
“When you’re on the phone with a customer and you’re just broken the ice by thanking them for their trust in your business, you’ve opened a conversation with someone who falls within your customer base,” writes Iqbal, “If they have bought once, they are likely to buy again. By using the call to build report and get to know your customer better you will have a better idea of their needs and can suggest another product they might like.”
Calling your customers will generate positive reviews.
Let it be known that, these days, online reviews count for a lot. Most customers are quick to jump online in order to read customer reviews that will help them to make their buying decisions. By making genuine connections with your customers, you will encourage very positive reviews of your brand online. Studies show that this will help to boost sales.
“In a recent study, it was found that 70% of buyers consult reviews before making a purchase,” reports ConnectWithScout.com, “If you find the customer loves your product, make sure you send them a link to leave a review. It’s common knowledge that positive reviews act as social proof and lead to increased sales.”
Let TK Enterprises Inc. do the calling for you!
Our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services put our experienced and highly motivated callers on the phone for you. They will make personal phone calls directly to your customers to invite them to your businesses events, teach them about your promotions, or follow up on a recent sale.
For more information about our 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 or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Apr 11, 2018
Texting, emailing and using social media – these are all incredibly popular ways of communicating these days. We live in a world where nearly everyone has a smartphone and, as a result, find ways to get in touch with family, friends, colleagues and co-workers without ever uttering a single word.
It’s probably a good idea to utilize the myriad of social media platforms that are out there to promote your brand. However, it would be a bad idea if you neglect the always-dependable telephone call as a chief source of communication between you and your customers. Believe it or not, your customers would still prefer that you call them.
Here are three reasons why:
1. It offers a more personal approach.
In today’s world, consumers want so much more than high-quality products and services. They value the relationships they develop with the businesses they support. This is why getting to know regular visitors by name and offering pleasant in-store shopping experiences is more important today than it ever was. Similarly, friendly conversations over the phone help to add a personality to your business that can’t be matched by texts and emails.
On MyCallFinder.com, Jeanne Landau explains that phone calls help to keep companies accountable. “When using a channel like email, chat, or social media to contact a company, the customer might not know who exactly is on the other end of the conversation,” she writes, “During a phone call, the agent will provide their name, which holds them accountable for the conversation that ensues.”
2. Information is received much quicker.
With the written word, only so much can be said so quickly. Texting and emailing requires the physical typing of words that simply can’t replicate the speed of a normal spoken conversation. For this reason, it automatically slows down communication. Customers who want immediate answers would much rather receive those answers in real-time than have to sit and wait for the words to be typed out.
“Humans generally speak at 125-175 words per minute and can listen at a rate of up to 450 words per minute,” explains Gregg Johnson of the Harvard Business Review, “In contrast, the average typist does 38-40 words per minute — and that’s on a full-fledged keyboard, not on a mobile phone. A consumer may prefer to make plans with friends over text message, or to order a pizza online, but when faced with a complex purchase, these preferences often change. “
3. Not everyone is a tech wizard.
With mobile devices and social media apps being so popular today, it’s easy to forget that there are many people who either don’t know how to use them or have no interest in trying. Going “old school” is just fine for a large number of people who feel a lot more comfortable speaking on phones than using modern gadgets.
“Though it may be hard to believe, there are plenty of people who still aren’t completely comfortable using modern technology,” says Landau, “They either don’t understand it and have no desire to learn or don’t trust it. Either way, they are completely content using only their phone to communicate with family, friends, and businesses that they patronize.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services put our experienced and highly-motivated callers to work for your jewelry store, making personal phone calls directly to your customers to invite them to your upcoming in-store events.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Mar 7, 2018
It is often said that communication is the most important element of any strong relationship. As a jewelry business owner, it’s vitally important that you remember that each and every new individual who visits your store isn’t simply a potential customer – he/she is a new relationship waiting to happen. How do you spark that new relationship? By communicating, of course! It cannot be stressed enough that talking to your customers is integral to your store’s success.
Talking to your customers will help you to serve them better.
All too often, business owners see themselves as experts in their fields (no problem with that, at all) and forget that they can always learn more (that’s the problem). Because you can never stop learning, it’s wise to attain as much information about the members of your customer base as possible. And getting that information straight from the proverbial horses’ mouths is the best way to learn how to continually satisfy the needs of your customers.
“Brutal honesty from your customers will highlight what is preventing you from building something that delights your customers,” says C Todd Lombardo on Medium.com, “Many struggle with this type of customer interaction because you learn that you’re wrong. Who wants to be wrong? Learning where and how you’re off the mark just might allow you to discover what’s right for your customers. It’s okay to be wrong, just learn from it and move on.”
Getting to know your customers will diminish their hesitancy to spend money.
Developing relationships with the people who support your brand will go long way in generating revenue for your business. Although it’s important to express genuine kindness, your main objective is to form bonds that translate into repeat business. Simply stated, the more people trust you, the more likely they will be to spend money in your direction. As Peep Laja puts it on Kissmetrics.com, talking to your customers will lessen customer hesitations.
“You get to learn two very important things (among other stuff): the hesitations and questions they had before buying/signing up, and what matters to them about the product,” he writes, “The first bit helps you understand the friction in the buying process…The second bit helps you figure out how your customers use the product, and what matters to them when they’re shopping for it. This again helps you improve the way you sell, and improve the product/offer itself.”
Get us to do the talking for you!
At TK Enterprises Inc., we believe that we’ve mastered the concept of strengthening customer relationships via the good old telephone conversation. Our talented team of phone agents has many years of experience under its collective belt, calling customers on behalf of jewelry store owners to invite them to upcoming events, introduce them to new promotions or follow up on recent sales.
We’re elated to tell you that our Event Marketing services have worked wonders in growing relationships and inevitably sales numbers, as a result. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Feb 7, 2018
It’s the year 2018. It’s a secret to no one that we live in an era where social media and the devices that connect us to them are all the rage. People have become very tech-savvy and internet-reliant. Information can easily be Googled within seconds using smartphones. And who doesn’t have a smartphone these days? The temptation for business owners, therefore, is to invest in social media marketing.
And while it’s not at all unreasonable to consider strengthening the online presence of your brand, there is a business rule of thumb that should never be forgotten. Nothing beats the traditional phone call. There is no substitute for connecting one live human to another. During real live conversations, consumers are able to ask questions, have them answered and develop genuine connections with their callers.
“Conversations help us decide who to do business with.”
“Speaking to actual people helps to reassure us in business situations that the company is real,” affirms Zal Dastur on Lucep.com, “Conversations help us decide who to do business with. Conversations are so important that according to this study by Hubspot 35-50% of sales go to the company that calls back the customer first. Conversations are a tipping point for businesses, and help customers make the decision of who to go with.”
People still want to talk. Emails, text messages and tweets are great ways to deliver information. But they aren’t necessarily the best conversation starters. Quite obviously, conversations are two-way streets. They require participation from both parties. Those other forms of communication may be effective in delivering messages. But they fail to guarantee responses. Customers, it should be noted, much prefer calling the businesses they wish to work with over any other form of communication.
“Annual calls to businesses from smartphones will reach 162 billion by 2019.”
Mike Boland of BIA/Kelsey reports that their latest study in call monetization found that annual calls that customers make to businesses from smartphones will reach 162 billion by 2019. “This is more than double the roughly 77 billion calls generated last year from mobile devices,” he writes, “This is made up of search (paid and organic), traditional display ads, native social (in-feed) ads, and mobile landing pages. Our measurements include the iterations of these formats as they appear in both mobile web and in apps.”
It’s all about building personal connections. Doing so isn’t quite possible when you rely solely on Facebook posts, tweets or requests for customers to visit the “Contact Us” page of your company website. Phone calls help for your company to make legitimate connections with the individuals who are most likely to support your business. As Scott Resnick of Today’s Telecommunications Industries makes clear, text-based communications often come off as impersonal.
Calling your customers shows you’re willing to go the extra mile.
“Plus, there’s lots of room for misunderstanding,” Resnick explains, “For instance, tone can easily be lost. If a customer is confused or upset, a calm, empathetic voice on the phone is often enough to soothe their worries. Even when a client contacts you over email, don’t hesitate to call them. It shows that your company is willing to go that extra mile to serve them better.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., we’ve mastered the art of making personal connections between jewelry stores and their customers. Get us working for you using a tried-and-true marketing strategy! For more information about our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195.
Jan 10, 2018
Throughout the holiday season, people everywhere go out of their ways to make their loved ones feel special. The act of gift-giving is one of the most popular holiday activities. One way of looking at it is that it’s a sign that we care about those who are closest to us and that we want to celebrate those relationships. As a jewelry store owner, this sentiment should never be lost on you. Making people who are important to you feel special is a year-round job.
Which people are most important to your business?
It would be hard to argue that they aren’t your customers. After all, if you had no one to sell your items to, you wouldn’t have a business to run. In 2018, consumers look for a lot more than a place to buy items. And, as such, they’re looking for a lot more from your jewelry store. To your customers, being able to find beautiful pieces is one thing. Enjoying their experiences while visiting your store is another.
What are you doing to ensure customers enjoy their experiences with your store?
On Forbes.com, Alana Muller, who is the president of the very-interestingly-named Kauffman Foundation, poses a few other questions to get you thinking about how your company is viewed by its supporters. “What does your company stand for? What brand image do you project? Are you providing unprecedented service? What problems do you solve for your customer? How do you make your customers feel?”
“People like doing business with companies they connect with personally, with companies they trust,” she continues, “Sure, price is a factor, and your company must demonstrate its value and be competitive, but, believe me, that is the easy part.” To connect with your customers on personal levels, it’s important to take steps to develop genuine relationships with them. This involves active listening to find out what they truly want.
Customers like to feel appreciated.
Listening is just the first step to showing your customers that you value them. However, it also takes some gratitude. It’s important to let your customers know that their business matters to you. Offering a show of thanks can go a long way in securing long-term loyalty. On MyCustomer.com, Margarita Hakobyan lists the simple act of saying “thank you” as a top strategy for making your customers feel valued.
“Businesses sometimes act as if they are owed customers and clients,” she writes, “In fact, businesses exist to serve their clients and customers, and would often do a better job conveying value to their audience if they said thank you. From tangible items, like gifts with purchase, to less tangible ones, like an email thanking the customer for shopping with the company or a coupon for their next purchase, customers like acknowledgements.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., we confidently feel that we have cornered the market in the “making customers feel special” business! Our one-of-a-kind Retail Event Marketing services go to work for your business by calling its customers and offering them exclusive invites to your upcoming in-store events. This unique marketing strategy has proven to make customers feel valued, helping to secure their loyalty for the long haul.
For more information about our 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 or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
