January 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

22 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS January 2021
Why focusing on existing customers is
smart business
Picking up new business takes time and investment. Yet many
business owners make it their focus, sometimes at the expense of
servicing their existing customer base.
As we head into 2021 and
reflect on the year that
has been, many of us
will no doubt be thankful for
the support of our long-term
customers. For a lot of Bay of
Plenty businesses, it’s repeat
business that has got them
through.
So why not make them
your focus in the New Year?
Not only is it the right thing to
do, but you will often get a better
return on investment when
pitching to people who already
know your products and the
great service you provide.
Here are a few ideas to keep
your customers engaged and
to help ensure you stay at the
forefront of their minds.
Send a token of
appreciation
Sure, it’s old school, but a
personal message and a token
of appreciation still go a long
way. Your may have forgotten
to send a Christmas card
and gift, but that doesn’t mean
you’ve missed the chance to
say thanks. In fact, a token of
appreciation that falls outside
of a traditional “gift-giving
window” can feel more genuine.
Why not launch the New
Year by reaching out to clients
and showing you care?
Get active on social
media
Social media can be a useful
way to keep your regular customers
in the loop. It can be an
avenue for informal updates,
an opportunity to reward existing
customers, or a chance to
provide customers with critical
information.
Existing customers are
your most important audience
on social media as they are the
ones that often turn into your
biggest champions, telling the
world what you can offer.
Don’t forget to respond to
their comments and engage
in a way that is personable,
in line with your brand, and
won’t come across as robotic.
New Zealand takeaway
chain BurgerFuel does it well,
and now has an audience of
more than 300,000 followers.
They have created a social
media identity that people connect
with, coupled with regular
competitions and special
offers.
Keep in touch using
e-newsletters
Email newsletters are far from
dead. They still result in a better
return on investment than
many other marketing channels.
But people are facing
an ever-increasing barrage of
email marketing campaigns,
so it’s critical yours stands out
from the crowd.
Your main consideration
should always be what matters
to the reader – if you add value
through articles they care
about and special offers they
will benefit from, your audience
will grow and people will
keep reading every time you
click send.
Don’t leave customers
out of special deals
Sales and special deals can be
a good way to move stock, or
to launch a new product. But
how often do you see deals that
are only available to new customers?
It might be a month
free on a Sky TV package for
new sign-ups, or 10 percent
off a cut and colour at a local
hairdresser for new customers
only. Too often these kinds of
deals leave existing customers
feeling undervalued.
It might not result in immediate
revenue, but I guarantee
that if you provide some
unexpected sales and benefits
to existing customers, your
chance of retaining them longterm
will drastically increase.
Keep in mind that if something
hasn’t been selling it
won’t suddenly move just
because you put it on sale –
you still need to couple your
discount with a strong message
that communicates why people
should care about the product
or service you’re offering.
Make follow-up calls
THE LAST WORD
> BY JAMES HEFFIELD
Director of Bay of Plenty marketing and PR consultancy Last
Word. To find out more visit lastwordmedia.co.nz or email
james@lastwordmedia.co.nz.
As a customer, it can sometimes
feel like businesses are
trying to take your money and
run. That first sale or business
transaction sometimes feels
like a one-night stand, rather
than the start of a beautiful
relationship.
Make sure to send emails
and make follow-up calls to
check people are happy. Listen
to their feedback. It can be a
great way to build a relationship,
and it can also help you
discover things about your
business that you may not have
noticed from the inside.
Is there anything you have
found has worked particularly
well to keep existing customers
engaged?
If so, I’d love to hear it
– drop me an email at the
address mentioned at the start
of this article.
Time to relax, restore and reassess
It has been an unusual year with many unforeseen challenges
to mitigate. People are tired, stressed and more than ever in
need of a break. And with the end of the year, comes a time to
rejuvenate. The holiday season is perfect for reassessing and
re-evaluating what we’re doing and pressing the reset button for
the coming year.
HUMAN RESOURCES
> BY KELLIE HAMLETT
Kellie Hamlett is Director and Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent
ID Recruitment Ltd. She can be contacted on kellie@talentid.co.nz
Reflecting on the year,
there have been several
life lessons to come out
of the lockdowns and having
to deal with the uncertainty
around us. People have chosen
to re-train for new careers,
they have enjoyed the flexibility
of working from home, and
enjoyed spending more time
with family and friends.
We have all learnt to be
more grateful for what we
have. The beginning of the
year is a great time to reflect
on the past. But it’s also an
excellent time to think about
what you’d like to achieve in
the coming 12 months.
Let’s call it your own Personal
Annual Review. Here’s
an outline of a few key points
that could form part of this personal
review:
1. Make a list of things
you are grateful for
Be sure to include the things
you appreciate and want to
give thanks for. This can
include friends and family,
partner, work, colleagues,
health, home, your motivation
and success – the list goes on.
For our business we have
so much to be grateful for,
having supportive clients and
candidates within our community
is one. It is something that
we never forget, because great
vision without great people is
irrelevant.
2. Create a list of your
successes
Thinking back through the
year that has been, note down
successes and achievements.
It’s always good to look back
and evaluate how you started
the year and see how far you
have come. Successes can be
small or large – they are all
relevant.
For us, recruitment can
bring highs and lows. It can be
easy to feel uninspired when
things do not go to plan, but it
is important to remember the
little successes along with the
big, such as putting a smile on
a candidate’s face when you’ve
helped them to secure their
new dream job.
3. Develop a plan
This may or may not be
something you already have,
and let’s face it, life does not
always go to plan – especially
this year. There are always
going to be bumps in the road,
but having a plan is always a
good start.
What do you want to
achieve within the different
facets of your life? e.g. regarding
family, friends, health,
financial, spirituality, community,
career, hobbies, etc.
We always encourage our
candidates to think about what
they want their career to look
like five-to-10 years down the
track. What are the key incremental
steps that need to be
taken to achieve that goal.
Each step of the way, it’s helpful
to evaluate and review – is
this helping me to reach my
goal?
4. Establish your goals
For each life area, create a
specific goal in the form of a
desire that will contribute to
achieving your ultimate satisfaction
level – e.g. I want to be
mortgage-free by December
2022.
Make your goal specific.
If you want to attain new levels
in your life, you need to
extend yourself in some way
– whether it’s learning a new
skill, re-training for a new
career, or working smarter.
At Talent ID, one of our
goals is that whenever we
spend time with a candidate
or client, we like to give them
a positive takeaway from meeting
with us. Every candidate is
an individual and has something
of value to offer in terms
of their skills.