At TK Enterprises Inc., we have long championed the concept of making personal connections with your customers. Having done business with numerous jewelry store owners throughout North America for so many years, we have become accustomed to hearing stories about how their face-to-face interactions with customers truly help them to develop better sales strategies. Knowing the importance of establishing long-lasting relationships with customers, we strongly advocate for clienteling.
What is clienteling exactly? Clienteling is a marketing technique that is utilized by the retail industry in order to learn more about customers’ personal preferences that may influence their buying decisions. The purpose of clienteling, as you may have guessed, is to accumulate data about consumers so that businesses can enhance their approach to customer service, catering to their client base in more personal and exclusive ways.
When you get a handle on what makes your customers tick, you put yourself in a better position to influence their willingness to make purchases in your store. Adding that personal touch to your interactions with your customers – thanks to your attention to detail via clienteling – helps to not only increase sales, but to grow customer bases with loyal long-term members.
What makes clienteling so effective? Research has shown that it’s much easier (and less expensive) to market your brand to individuals who have already supported it than it is to advertise to people who have never heard of your business. In other words, placing your focus on those who are already your customers is a proven key to boosting sales. Through clienteling, you’ll be able to better recognize the likes and dislikes of the customers you already have.
“For most retailers, 80% of sales are derived from their top 20% (often less than 20%) of customers,” explains Mi9Retail.com, “This 80/20 rule demonstrates the value of a dedicated focus on the top tier customer, as a 5% gain in sales from these customers represents a much greater benefit than a 10% gain with all other customers combined. It is often much easier to influence the loyal customer than the customer who is not yet loyal to the brand.”
What are the best ways to clientele? There are a variety of ways that you can strengthen the relationships you have with your customers while attaining more information about their preferences and buying habits. Among them are direct mail, e-mail newsletters, special sales and in-store events. These methods all encourage direct interactions with the people who have supported your business. Exclusive in-store events are especially beneficial as they demonstrate the value you place on your relationships with their invitees.
“Clients want to feel special — like they’re insiders and that you appreciate them more than any other customer,” informs Mike Kraus on AllBusiness.com, “They know they’re one of your best customers, so why aren’t you treating them like one? Running a promotion on a particular brand? If you just received some new items from a particular brand, search your database and find out who has purchased that brand from you in the past year. Then call them and let them know you just received those items and you wanted to let them know before everyone else.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., we understand that not every business owner is particularly comfortable reaching out to their customers in order to grow their connections. That’s where our one-of-a-kind Retail Event Marketing services come in very handy. Our team of knowledgeable and friendly phone agents have decades of experience contacting customers on behalf of jewelry stores in order to offer personal invites to their in-store events. The growth in success of our clients is proof that this form of clienteling is highly effective.
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.