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Posts Tagged ‘customer retention’

You’re using technology to improve your business. Maybe you’re even reading this on a smart phone or tablet. You don’t have a complete social media strategy yet, but you’re working on it. Mostly, you need help, now, on how to use technology to improve your bottom line.

In a previous SURFACES│StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas Blog “You’re Really Good At Change, But What’s Next?” I reported some practical, inexpensive ideas on how you can use technology in your business. Here are a few more tools and ideas you and your staff can use right now:

-Search for your store on Google and consumer review sites (like angieslist.com, yelp.com and complaints.com); if you find compliments about your business when you do the searches, have them on a computer ready to show to customers in your store, and put links to them on your Web site;

-Get a small, inexpensive “shoot and share” video camera; ask your staff to each record themselves as if they were telling a customer about your business and why the customer should buy from you; when they have a version they like, ask them to show it to you and one another; they’ll be practicing – on one another instead of a customer – while training each other; you might even find videos good enough to use on your Web site or YouTube.com;

-Ask satisfied customers for video testimonials about their new floors and your business; these can be used (with permission) in your store, on your Web site, etc.; (yes, I know, you think customers won’t agree to do this, but as time passes Gen X’ers and Millennials are much less concerned about privacy issues than Boomers, so you may be pleasantly surprised at the results).

Yes, at some point, all new technology is scary. But if we take small steps we’ll learn and benefit from the technologies. After all, there’s a reason that DVD’s replaced VHS tapes, and Blu-ray is replacing DVD’s. When people see benefits from new technology, they adapt the new technology. These tips can help you benefit from new technologies today, simply.  Good luck!

Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is quoted as having said “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Trust is similar – if you have to ask people to trust you, they probably shouldn’t. Trust needs to be earned.

Trust is becoming increasingly important as you try to serve your customers. It’s part of the reason why they

-check your Web site and your competitors’ Web sites, or Google you and review sites like angieslist.com before coming to your store;

-check with their friends on facebook.com and twitter.com for second, third and fourth opinions before buying from you; and

-bring friends to your store and want to check with their family before committing to buy new flooring.

How do you earn their trust, then? Certainly your reputation and brand are critical to ever getting them in your door. Once they walk in, what can you then do to earn their trust? Because they can’t trust someone they don’t know, it’s critical to build a relationship with your customers.

First, we need to listen to each customer, both online and when she comes into the store. Each customer has a unique situation and we need to be ready to provide unique solutions, not the same solution as we try to give everyone else based on go-to products.

We need to demonstrate by our actions – good eye contact, sincerity, and listening – that we genuinely have the customer’s best interests in mind. We are her partner in finding that unique solution. Nothing is more important than she is.

She needs to believe that the options you present serve her interests as well as your own. What do I mean by this? Just because you have three rolls of a beige texture in the back doesn’t mean that you should put it first on her list of carpet options! Make sure the products you show her deliver on her unique needs in a way she’ll understand. This is possible if we have listened well and demonstrated our partnership role.

And, your customer needs to understand the selection process, and that it truly is her selection. You’re not selling – you’re enabling her selection of the best product for her.

Trust based on this kind of a relationship with your customer will strengthen your reputation in your market. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Glass, china and reputations are easily cracked and never well mended.” Protect your reputation by building trust with your customer.

 

The beauty of natural stone – rock as old as time, harvested from some of the most delicate and unforgiving lands on our planet, trucked, floated, or flown to any imaginable destination, and customized to the most exacting specifications of your unique project – and all yours for the low price of $27.00 per square foot installed.

Where did we go wrong? When did one of the oldest, richest, and most storied crafts known to man become a commoditized industry replete with bargain pricing, blinking neon signs, free undermount sinks included with purchase, incompetent workers, and unprincipled business practices? When did we pervert the art and beauty of natural stone by categorizing these inimitable natural resources into groups and colors that we sell at prices that severely undermine the value of our product and integrity of our industry?

Ladies and Gentlemen: we have done this to ourselves. Fortunately, current economic forces are providing us the ideal opportunity to repair our broken industry.

The business of stone fabrication is expensive and labor-intensive – cumbersome at best. The downfall of our industry began when uneducated individuals dove headfirst into the business convinced that the limitless profits of fabricating natural stone would greatly outweigh the paltry cost of operating a fabrication facility. All you need is slabs, laborers to fabricate those slabs, and some overeager customers who are willing to part with their hard-earned cash for a poorly crafted countertop… right?

Wrong. An intelligent and experienced fabricator will quickly inform you that these basic costs do not begin to scratch the surface of the burdensome expense of the stone business. A truly responsible stone fabricator will have a significant overhead, which will include myriad tangible costs: facilities, machinery and equipment, product, personnel, vehicles, safety equipment, liability and workers’ compensation insurances, and federal and state taxes- just to name a few. There will also be a multitude of intangible costs: knowledge, skill, experience, and ethics.

The intelligent and experienced fabricator cannot compete with the parasite whose sole purpose is to pocket as much cash as possible before vanishing without a trace, leaving the stone industry in disrepair with street prices that are irresponsible, unsustainable, and degrading to our craft.

The effects of industry reticence to combat and discourage these destructive practices are immeasurable. We are fractured, discouraged, and fatigued. Coincidentally, the economic forces currently threatening each of our businesses have created a unique opportunity for intelligent and experienced fabricators to finally take a stand against this industry perversion. There is no better time for candid discussion and discovery than now.  Through education, awareness, accountability, and principle, intelligent and experienced fabricators throughout our country and around the world can save our broken industry. I hope you will join me.

 

You can also join John Kilfoyle for the Countertop Installers Forum: Solutions to the Most Common Problems (WE23T) on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 4:00pm – 5:30pm at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas.  Click here to register for StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas.

In recent years, it has crossed most business owner’s minds to cut back on their advertising budget.  Traditional advertising such as magazines, newspaper and television can be expensive. And while these outlets are still important, we must admit that times have changed.  Social media is taking over the world and none more-so than Facebook. If you haven’t already created a business page… it’s time.

Setting up your page is the easy part. Getting ‘Likes’ and keeping your customers entertained is the hard part. To help you out, I’ve put together a list of 20 ways to promote your Facebook page:

Showroom Signage
-Type ‘like {page name}’ and send to FBOOK (32665)
-QR codes
-Bathroom Stall Door

Business Essentials
-Business Cards
-Outgoing Envelopes

Marketing Collateral
-Company Brochures
-Trade-show Giveaways (pens, balloons, etc.)
-Print Ads

Website
-Like Button
-Comment Box

Other
-Incoming Answering Service

Email
-Signature
-E-Newsletter

Company Property
-Vehicle Bumper Stickers
-Employee Apparel
-Store Front Marquee

Within Facebook
-Tag Your Customers In Pictures
-Ask Your Employees to LIKE You
-LIKE Other Local Businesses/Causes/Personalities/Organizations

The BEST Way
-WORD OF MOUTH!

If you need more direction in the best practices of social media for your flooring or stone business, I invite you to join us during Surfaces │StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 for the following how-to workshop.

Social Media: How To For Business
January 23, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Presented by: Sarah B Johnson, MKG Department (www.mkgdept.net) and Christine B Whittemore, Simple Marketing Now, LLC (www.simplemarketingnow.com)

For more information about the session, visit:
http://connect.surfaces.com/connect/public/SessionDetails.aspx?SessionID=7236&maxSessions=91&aeid=257,258

In the 1980’s, Ronald Reagan was president of the USA, the economy was strong, and you were asking yourself, “Do I need a computer?” In the 1990’s, the economy was weak, people were watching Jerry Springer, and you were asking yourself, “Do I need a cell phone?” Came the new millennium, there’s a Starbucks® on every corner, we were all concerned about security, and you were asking yourself “Do I need a Web site?” Somehow, you made it through all these changes, proving that you’re really good at handling change, even technology change.

But, change hasn’t stopped. The economy’s weak again and you’re asking yourself “Do I need to do something about another round of communications technologies – social media?” What should you do, and how do you get started?

Here are a few “technology tools and techniques” you and your staff can use right now as you figure out the rest of your social media strategy:

-Ask your staff to spend time looking through your Web site. Then have them each take you on a tour of your Web site. This way you’ll be certain they know what’s on your Web site! (Your customers know what’s there, and your staff should know as much or more than your customers do.) You might even ask them to present at least part of their tour to each other in a staff meeting, including how they would use that information or that part of the Web site with customers.

-Search for your store on Google and consumer review sites (like angieslist.com, yelp.com and complaints.com). Act on the complaints you find and fix what customers are complaining about.

-Ask your measurers to make narrated videos of the planned installations. Show the videos to the installers before they go to the job. Ask installers to send pictures or videos of issues they encounter on the job to the salesman or measurer – this will increase the speed and quality of resolving the issues and increase customer satisfaction. And, your business will show customers that it’s a market leader through its use of technology.

Good luck with these technology tools and techniques. I’ll have more in the SURFACES │StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 seminar that Paul Friederichsen and I are presenting titled “Making Marketing and Sales Work Together”: http://connect.surfaces.com/connect/public/SessionDetails.aspx?SessionID=7264&maxSessions=89&aeid=257,258

It still amazes me how so many of top business executives shy away from social media. In fact, I’ve run across corporate online “social phobia”: a fear that disgruntled customers will run amuck if given the chance at a digital soap box. These otherwise shrewd and enlightened professionals still believe that things like Facebook and Twitter are just the purview of their teenaged kids – much like their grandparents thought television would never amount to anything when there’s perfectly good radio to listen to. Are they in denial or what?

Consider a few of the many unbelievably compelling growth stats since 2005:

• Facebook has gone from 6 million members to an estimated 750 million today.
• Female Boomers are the fastest growing Facebook demographic.
• Twitter began in 2005 and has 110 million users.
• YouTube’s domain name was activated in 2005 and is now 2^nd only to Google

… and owned by Google.

• Online advertising expenditures surpassed radio advertising.
• ~ 40% of US Companies use blogs for marketing purposes.
• More mobile devices are used in the US than TV’s and PC’s combined.
• 75% of the millennial demographic group has an online profile.

Whether you agree with it or not, social media is here to stay. It is the hottest communication channel in the known universe. Ignore it and scoff at it at your peril. The written word may be rapidly dying in newspapers across the country, but it is alive and well, having migrated to cyberspace thank you very much.

The definition of marketing is selling more things to more people more often. One way you do that successfully is to go where the people are. Which is why marketers are also discovering smart phones. Smart phone penetration is reaching upwards of 75%. Now combine that with how often each of us check our own smart phone each day for tweets, Facebook wall posts, LinkedIn updates, emails, texts, news, scores, etc. and you have an understanding about the rise in popularity of these devices to the marketer. Learn more at http://www.madisonavemedia.com/.

Granted, we will still continue to watch TV, listen to radio and read magazines. But any media strategy for any advertiser of any size for any product or service must build on a social foundation. If you’re one of those who still believe it’s a bunch of hype or kid’s stuff, I’ve got a buggy whip factory I’d like to sell you.

Want to get really psyched about this topic? Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo

Today I listened to some economists talking about, well, the economy on a radio program today and heard an amazing story about Apple. I love Apple. I’m typing this on an Apple laptop right now and make no secret that I crave an iPad (Note: my birthday’s coming up in a couple of months.)

Now we all know Apple has finally surpassed Microsoft in value and even, at least for a few days, Exxon Mobile as the largest company in the U.S. But did you know that Apple has more cash on hand ($72 billion) than Uncle Sam? When I heard this I almost wrecked. More than the government that can print more money when it wants too? Evidently. How’s that possible?

There are lots of reasons you can point to, the brilliance of Steve Jobs, the persistence of the company, the fanaticism of its followers. Note I said “followers” not “customers” … there’s a difference and I’m one of them. I’d like to suggest they’ve succeeded and continue to succeed by virtue of their ideas. Great ideas. Inventive ideas. BIG IDEAS.

Apple ideas take many forms, obviously. From their unique operating system to the way they package the lowly computer mouse. It began with an idea summed-up as “A computer for the rest of us” and went from there. Sure, they’ve had some duds. Even Babe Ruth struck out a lot. But Apple has defined our culture in ways no one believed a little engine that could ever could.

Big ideas are original. They take you where your competition has dared not go. They creatively solve problems for customers. And as we all know, they become followers. Just ask Apple.

Like many of you, I make it a point to educate my customers on proper care and maintenance, as I know this will save them time and money in the long run. I hope you will share some of these care and maintenance tips with your customers and maybe you’ll even learn something new yourself.

Sealed Marble and Tile:

The sealer can last for years with the proper care. Be sure to check the warranty on each sealing application.

1. Using a marble cleaner will help the sealer hold out staining, but not etching. The marble cleaner should have a PH of 7, which is neutral.

2. When spills occur, wipe them up quickly. Do not allow them to sit for an extended period of time. *Most foods, fruits, vegetables, soft drinks and juices can eat through the sealer and cause staining.

3. Use a cleaner that contains a sealer. (Some cleaners now have 1-3% sealer in them.) A regular marble and granite stone cleaner will help keep the countertop protected and keep its beauty for years.

4. CAUTION: Be careful of stone soaps. These are good for limestone floors, but not countertops. Too much soap can build up over time.

5. WARNING: Never buy a product that says “and good for marble too”!

*There are some sealers that are not affected by acids, but they are much more expensive to the customer. There is no sealer on the market that is 100% stain proof, so even the best sealer can stain after an extended period of time.

Countertops:

1. Dish soap can cause the countertop to lose its luster. Soap build up can become sticky, attract dirt and become streaky when you try to clean it.

2. Soap dispensers can drip and slowly eat through the sealer and stain the countertop. The trend now is to use a foam soap which will not drip and cause unsightly stains.

3. Most store bought spray polishes tend to be oily and cause a build up over time. This even applies to some that say stone, marble or granite polish on the label.

4. A spray polish is most likely the best choice because liquid polishes tend to be oily, so they look great for a while but then build up over time. Some polishes now have silica in them, which adds a micro thin coating which makes it easier to maintain.

Tile Floors:

1. The biggest problem with most flooring is the way it is cleaned. Most TV commercials show a flat mop, but these mops clean the top of the tile and then drop the dirt into the grout. Using too much soap can also make the floor harder to keep clean.

2. Sealed floors need a marble neutral cleaner. This is a mix of 2 to 5 ounces of product to 1 gallon of water. Warm water is better than cold when cleaning ground in dirt or grease.

3. Avoid store bought cleaning chemicals! Most of these cleaners are a base (alkaline) or an acid. Both will strip the sealer and cause the tile and grout to become harder to keep clean. Harsh cleaning chemicals can also discolor the grout. Most bathroom cleaners will also etch the polish of the marble and limestone finishes.

Natural Stone Showers:

1. Often times, the biggest problem is your residential or commercial cleaning service. They are the biggest contributor to the stone restoration industry’s 401K. The cleaning crews generally use whatever they think is appropriate or whatever they can get in a store, but most of these cleaners can damage the stone. Have your cleaning crew leave all of their cleaning chemicals behind and only bring in clean towels. Unless the company is fully trained in natural stone care and maintenance, you should always supply the cleaning products you would like them to use. Also consider that their vacuums and mops may also be cross contaminated, which can bring this contamination into your home and onto your stone surfaces.

2. Cut down on mildew by at least 80-90% just by leaving the shower door open after use. Using an exhaust fan for 30 to 45 minutes after showering will also greatly help.

3. Most soap has fat, lye and other animal by-products in it. The Federal Government has minimum standards for the amount of moisturizers in soaps; the rest is, well, something you would not talk about at dinner. Glycerin soaps are more pure and using them will cut down on the soap scum in the shower by about 70%.

4. Using the right soap and leaving the shower door open after showers will double the life of your shower!

Steam Showers:

1. Most steam showers can leave hard water deposits near the steam fixture and aside from a bio-based colloidal cleaner; generally diamond grinding is the only way to remove the buildup.

To avoid this problem, seal this type of shower with multiple coats of sealer. Don’t pinch pennies on the cost of the sealer. Remember to use solvent based sealers for tight stones and water based sealers for very porous stones.

Wood/Laminate Flooring:

1. Wood floors or laminates should be cleaned with the correct cleaner for the wood. Use the cleaner with a damp towel or micro fiber towel. (In my opinion, Bona® is the best and safest wood cleaner.)

2. Some products can contain heavy detergents or apply too much detergent to the floor, making it hard to clean without streaking. (I don’t recommend Swiffer® Wet Jet Mops for wood/laminate flooring.)

Stainless Steel/Metals:

1. Stainless steel is a very soft metal. Do not use any powder abrasives or scrub pads that will scratch the surface.

2. Use spray polishes for the stainless steel to keep the surface looking clean and beautiful for many years, even decades. Note: Oil based products seem to work better than water based products.

3. Hard water spots can be tough to remove. Use steel wool (000 or 0000) on polished granite, marble and the fixtures in the shower to keep them free from spotting and looking great for years. Some cream metal cleaners will work and some will be too aggressive for most chrome, nickel and other soft metal fixtures. Using a wet towel with the metal product may help cut down on the abrasiveness of the product.

Ongoing Care & Maintenance Tips:

1. Daily or regular dry dust mopping or vacuuming with a soft brush is critical for keeping dust, grit, sand and dirt from scratching polished or unpolished stone.

2. Make sure sufficient walk off mats are utilized in the entry and exit areas of the floors. This is the most effective way of protecting the polish of the stone surfaces, especially the softer ones.

 

Do you have any tips that you want to share? We’d like to hear from you.

 

David Bonasera is the owner of ESP/Environmentally Safe Products & Procedures in San Jose, CA and has been specializing in the repair and restoration of natural stone and tile for 20 years. David’s main source of business is following improper installation work. He has had his own environmental TV show for the last 10 years.

Tough economic times, tight budgets and amazing technology has spawned a proliferation of mobile online coupons and resources like Groupon™ and Scoutmob, to name a few. Retailers and restaurants need more traffic to stay viable, so deals and discounts seem like just the thing, and for a while they have been. Groupon™, for example, has skyrocketed in popularity with both retailers, customers and even with creative writers who want to work there. Yes, Groupon™ has raised coupons and discounts to a modern day form of entertaining prose, but is the pendulum beginning to swing the other way?

Recently, I read an article about coupon fatigue among retailers. An observation that’s becoming more prevalent is that coupons are doing nothing to actually build a business. That is, building a business with repeat customers – customers that acquire some degree of loyalty so that they return with or without their smart phone-alerted discounts.

Big Bob’s Flooring and my good friend Scott Perron who is the president there, calls it creating the “invisible non-commissioned sales force.” They’re right to make that a priority because as every business knows, it’s easier and cheaper to keep a customer than to make a new one. The main ingredient is service. Out-service your competition and frankly do things that they aren’t willing to do and you’ll build loyalty.

In the advertising and marketing business, where strategy is king, couponing and discounting is usually dismissed out-of-hand, as in “price is not a strategy.” The reason for that is quite simple… price is a temporary, highly pre-emptible advantage. The other guy can always find a way to beat you on price. There’s always someone willing to do it or sell it cheaper.

Don’t get me wrong, discounts have a place. They’re called “promotions” and naturally promotions can spike sales when needed, create awareness, and yes, drive traffic. But they shouldn’t be relied on to build a business for the long haul. That’s called branding, and done well and consistently, can build the customer loyalty you seek.

Having a vision for your business is key for success.  It has been likened to the difference between driving at night with your lights on or with your lights off.  It is easy to mistake the two.  This is particularly the case when you are selling fewer units, revenue is down and profits have suffered.  To stay alive there are times you have to work in your business rather than on your business.  That time is now gone.  My experience is this, too many leaders get stuck in their business and the reasons are many.  In some cases the lack of liquidity forces a reinvention of the business model.  Other times there is a comfort level with sustaining the present.  To be sure, few businesses associated with products in the home can accept the current environment as the new normal.  There is not enough business to go around. 

Most economists are telling us that home industries are not going to get better any time soon.  Even if we have hit bottom, an unacceptably low percent of home owners remain under water.  This means those consumers who are not able to leverage lower housing prices/better home values across the board, are unlikely to be investing in their homes. 

What is a floor covering company to do?  My suggestion is to reconnoiter. 

If you are still in business it is likely that you have already made substantial changes to your company.  It is time for you to look at your company like an outsider by reconsidering your core competency.  What can you leverage or monetize?  You think you are in the floor covering business.  What happens when you reconsider your real strengths?  It is not about your showroom, samples, inventory or storefront.  Let’s face it; we are in a commodity business where, from a customer’s perspective, all the products look the same.  That is why attending industry shows is so important.  You need to show products that your competition does not know exist.     

Floor covering retailing is unique from other industries for many reasons.  The first to consider is that consumers buy our products only occasionally.  A ten year span between purchases is not unusual.  The second, for purposes of this post, is that we do not leverage the trust we have built by offering our customers, who presumably already trust us, other products that will fulfill their dreams, wants and desires. 

Curiously, the latter point is one of the reasons home centers now own a quarter of the market.  Eventually, independent retailers will recognize that selling other products may be their only hope for survival.  If dance stores can sell milk, gas stations sell fresh baked bread and sandwiches, why can’t floor covering stores reach outside their traditional products?  It reminds me of a quote from John Maynard Keys that I will use during one of my presentations at SURFACES │ StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in January, “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.”