Ways to find out about your customers Once you have identified what you need to know about your customers you can start gathering the information together. There is a huge amount of market information available that you can tap into. Much of that information is available free of charge and is readily available. For example, your customer records will tell you which customers have purchased from you, what they purchased,… Read More »Ways to find out about your customers

Six tips for exhibiting at trade shows Exhibiting at a trade show can help you generate new leads and build business relationships. There can be substantial costs involved, so it is important to get things right. Follow these tips to make the most of exhibiting at trade shows. 1. Do your research – it’s important to pick a trade show that will attract your target market. Find out demographic information… Read More »Six tips for exhibiting at trade shows

Choosing a supplier for your customer database system The main decision when choosing a supplier depends on the type of solution you need. You have a number of options: general database software off-the-shelf customer databases consultants application service providers It’s a good idea to try to quantify the benefits you expect to receive by improving customer relationship management. It may help to calculate how it will affect revenues, profitability and… Read More »Choosing a supplier for your customer database system

Building your customer database You can use information already held about your customers to build a database. This information could come from manual or computerised systems. It is a good idea to check the accuracy of this data, before compiling your database. Think about how to find out who your best and worst customers are and what they buy from you. If building your database involves the processing of personal… Read More »Building your customer database

Improve customer relationships with your marketing database The better your business can manage its relationships with customers, the more successful it will become. What a database can do for your business An effective marketing database will enable you to communicate better with your customers. For example, it will let you: analyse sales data and individuals’ personal information focus your marketing activities more precisely and save you money reward regular, profitable… Read More »Improve customer relationships with your marketing database

How to deal with customer complaints Every business has to deal with situations in which things go wrong from a customer’s point of view. However you respond if this happens, don’t be dismissive of your customer’s problem – even if you’re convinced you’re not at fault. Although it might seem contradictory, a customer with a complaint represents a genuine opportunity for your business: if you handle the complaint successfully, your… Read More »How to deal with customer complaints

Customer loyalty schemes While good overall service is the best way of generating customer loyalty, sometimes relationships can be strengthened using customer loyalty schemes. This can work for new and old customers. Loyalty programmes may use fixed or percentage discounts, extra goods or prizes to reward customers for behaviour that benefits your business. They can also be used to persuade lapsed customers to give you another try. Your customers’ view… Read More »Customer loyalty schemes

What is customer service? Customer service involves taking action to maximise your customers’ satisfaction with your business. It should be a prime consideration for every business – your sales and profitability depends on keeping your customers happy. Customer service is more directly important in some roles than others. For receptionists, sales staff and other employees in customer-facing roles, customer care should be a core element of their job description and… Read More »What is customer service?

Use customer service to increase sales Your existing customers are among the most important assets of your business – they have already chosen you instead of your competitors. Keeping their custom costs far less than attracting new business, so it’s worth taking steps to make sure that they’re satisfied with the service they receive. There are a number of techniques you can employ, including: providing a free customer helpline answering… Read More »Use customer service to increase sales

Understand your customers better In business-to-business trading, providing a high level of customer service means finding out what your customers want. Once you have found your most valuable customers, you can target your highest levels of customer service towards them. Another approach is treating all consumers to the highest standard. This works well in the consumer market. Collect information about your customers Information about your customers and what they want… Read More »Understand your customers better