Tip #421 - An Amazing 50 Cent Marketing Tool
Dear Tip of the Weeker,
After you've spent the time, effort, and energy (not to mention money) getting a new customer into your store, it's important to do all you can to create a strong, long lasting relationship with that customer.
Sending a short, personalized thank-you postcard after a sale is an amazing 50 cent relationship builder!
Think about who you normally send thank-you notes to... people you care about who have done something nice for you or who have given you a gift. When you send a thank-you note to a customer you're telling them that you care about them and that you recognize that their patronage is a gift.
We've been teaching this technique for nearly eleven years so I love it when I get thank-you note from a store. Here's a great example - an actual postcard I received from Gazelle Sports after I bought new tennis shoes for my two sons.
Three things make this postcard a really great example:
- It actually says "thank you". Don't forget that part!
- It is personalized with one sentence specifically about my purchase.
- It is handwritten and signed by the person who sold me the shoes.
Tips to get the thank-you cards written and sent:
- Script the first line of the card so that your salespeople don't have to think up something to write. My guess is that every card sent from Gazelle starts with, "Thanks for coming into Gazelle Sports!"
- Keep them short. One scripted sentence and one personalized sentence is perfect. Easy for your salesperson to write, quick for the customer to read.
- Require your salespeople to write a minimum number of cards by the end of every shift. At the Mackinaw Kite Co. we had a non-negotiable standard that every employee had to write a minimum of three thank-yous... more if they had more than three great sales.
- Keep a file box with all the necessary supplies right at the register (cards, stamps, pens) so it's easy for your employees to whip out a card right after they've made the sale.
- Have the closing manager put all the completed cards in the mail at the end of the day. The customers will get the cards two days after they were in your store.
On the front of the postcard I got from Gazelle Sports there is a pretty design celebrating their 25th anniversary.
But the front of your postcard could be something as simple as your logo and your tag line. Or a picture of someone using your product.
The idea isn't to make the card fancy or the process complicated, it's just a simple way to strengthen your relationships with a personal, sincere "Thank You!"
