Get to Know Your Customer Day

According to a few sources, January 20th is “Get to Know Your Customer Day”. Whether you are a small business owner or a sales professional, you have one thing in common – your business IS your customer! While it is great to highlight “getting to know your customer” once a year, this really needs to be a daily effort. This got me thinking – how can we all really get to know our customers?

1. Ask! This might seem straightforward, but simply asking your customers opinion is worth its weight in gold. They can offer you insights such as product requests, service upgrades, and just general suggestions to help you give them exactly what they need – and stay loyal to your business.

2. Show them you care – loyalty clubs, customer appreciation days and incentives show customers you truly do appreciate their business – even if you just send them a thank you note with a personalized pen in it, that little gesture can go a long way.

3. Sales promotions can help customer retention and interest.

4. Customer Service – make sure your sales and customer support groups are delivering consistently pleasant and helpful service. They often times are the real face of your company.

5. Goodwill – support local causes in your community, or even sponsor a little league team. It’s a great way to give back to the community you sell to.

And remember, as Peter Drucker once said the only purpose of any business existence is the customer.

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Trade Show Pay-Offs

In the world of small business, trade shows can be some of the best investments that can be made. They offer an opportunity for live interaction (and in recent years, virtual interaction) with fellow business members, customers, partners and vendors within your specific field. Networking, advertising, learnings and demonstrations are carved out for a customizable experience for each attendee or exhibitor.

How can you make the most of these shows? Joanna Krotz discusses her strategy with Microsoft in her article “9 Steps to Making Trade Shows Pay Off”. She outlines key points, such as creating a strategy, research, having a backup plan and getting noticed. In the strategy of getting noticed at trade shows, there are a few schools of thought, however Krotz suggests a dialed-down, more personalized approach. Rather than overwhelming attendees with flashing lights and massive displays, she suggests using personalized coffee mugs with company information as a give-away with plenty of fresh coffee available at your booth. Also, she recommends collecting business cards to raffle off a single high-value item.

No matter how you decide to use Krotz’s tips, trade shows, if done right, can provide fantastic ROI in the form of leads, sales, relationships and thought leadership.




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