How Essential Business Coaching helped ‘Print Perfection’ to have customers for life

The Situation

Mark and Marty had been business partners for six years and were frustrated by peaks and troughs in sales and production, which they knew kept their business from steady ongoing growth.   They wanted to have the business working at capacity 95% of the time. They also wanted to retain their experienced staff to brand the business as ‘perfection.’

Understanding the connection between customer service and long term customers and growth

Mark and Marty could not state the specific after-sale services offered to customers.  They did not know the ‘buying’ pattern of their customers: What they had purchased? How many times and how often? Were the jobs repetitive? Did they increase the amount of purchase? And importantly, were there missed opportunities to up-sell to those customers already in their data base?

They created an historical document which gave them an overview, both in time and product purchase, of every customer who had purchased more than twice - with a column for each of the pattern criteria.

We explored the ways in which Print Perfection could give special attention – especially after-sale – to those customers, tailored to the nature of their purchase history.  For instance: Creating annual print schedules for those who purchased repetitively, a free printing needs assessment to find beneficial new products or  efficiencies in present purchase patterns, providing access to their in-house designer at a saving to those returning customers who wanted to rebrand.

They decided to send a print gift to their customers on their birthday, or the anniversary of a business to showcase their line of communication cards. 

The company announced the special customer category of ‘preferred status’ with special benefits.  They determined the  probable lifetime value of a long term customer by projecting present levels of purchase and predicting an increase of 15% annually over 15 years.  Then they developed a strategy for each customer to achieve those increases and therefore the predicted lifetime values.

The Outcome
A year later their list of ‘preferred customers’ had doubled.  The business spent 30% less time acquiring new customers – the preferred customers sent new business to them which they had not foreseen.  The staff had contributed many ideas for after-sale service that had been implemented to great success.  With the scheduled printing managed thoughtfully, the peaks and troughs had smoothed out and the designer now had steady work, which allowed a high profit area of the business to grow rapidly.

How would you benefit from coaching?
Answer these questions to rate your skill in providing Customer Service to create Lifetime Customers

1 How many value-add offers do you have for current customers? (For which there is no charge and are over and above the promise you make generally about your products or services)
2 What is your system for remaining ‘in the mind’ of your customer in the long term, once you have made a sale to her/him?
3 Do you use public relations and publicity to create and drive repeat sales?
4 Do you know what the Lifetime Value is of a customer in your business?
5 Do you have a set of tools or activities to add value to the customer’s experience with your company?

If you would like some confidential feedback then copy and paste your questions and answers into an email and send them to susan@essentialbusinesscoaching.co.uk