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Advertise My Way - And I'll Guarantee Your Success ...
Advertising: Recruiting And Retention ...
For the entrepreneur, many advertising strategies are available says US marketing consultant, Anne McKay When working in concert, these strategies can form a powerful marketing plan. You should revive says Anne, one of the more overlooked forms--and incidentally one that fits easily into the budgets of start-ups and established businesses--that of "Recruiting and Retention." Very briefly, this works off the word-of-mouth premise: If you can retain your existing clientele and satisfy them to the degree that they recommend you to friends and family, you've just given yourself a huge advantage.
The first step is to establish a relationship with your clients. This isn't to say you have to become best friends with them. But you do need establish a relationship and build client/customer loyalty. Now, this is naturally easier to do if you offer a service. But Amazon.com, CDNow.com and MotherNature.com are some select retailers who have put this into practice. How? Through offering a comprehensive store complete with customer feedback on products, reasonable prices, timely deliveries, and complimentary gifts with purchases.
Establishing a relationship with your customers and maintaining good customer support will derail your competition's attempts
to poach your client/customer pool. Why is that? Because your customers "like" you better. They trust you. You haven't steered
them wrong yet. You've been there when they needed you. Starting to get warm fuzzies yet? Good . . . you want your customers
to have those fuzzies about your company too.
Once your customers start referring business to you (and they will if they are happy), make sure to thank them for their efforts and loyalty. You don't have to offer them $50.00 per referral (although I'm sure they'd love it if you did)! Just a simple thank-you or token of appreciation is often enough. It's been my experience that if you make someone happy, they're dying to tell their friends what a good deal they got. On the other hand, if they feel they were treated badly, they'll rake you and your business over the coals.
In short, carefully review your marketing plan. A Recruiting and Retention plan is by no means the ticket-to-success on its own,
but rather one of many strategies that successful enterprises use. Whether your customer is happy or angry, both will be vocal
advocates. Make sure they're on your side.
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