ABOUT US "WHAT'S THE BUZZ" BLOG NEWSLETTER Vendors Only Suggest A Vendor Vendor Login
FGmarket Logo | www.fgmarket.com
Find wholesale products or vendors...
Relationship Marketing | Welcome to FGmarket Buzz - Page 2

Welcome to FGmarket Buzz

Keep up with the latest trends, marketing tips & product info.

You are here: Home / Archives for Relationship Marketing

Marketing Tip of the Week – Types of Customers

by Leave a Comment

You have come to find that there are different selling strategies that you have to carry out in your store. Every store needs to switch it up and experimenter to find out which strategy works best for them. Along with different selling tactics, you also have to know the different type of customers that walk into your store. Yes, each one has different buying habits and are sold to in different ways. So, FGmarket’s marketing tip of the week will focus on the types of customers that may walk into your store and how you can sell to them.

Analytical – You should immediately know what type of customer you’re dealing with when you meet an analytical customer. The name means just what you think it does. This customer likes to analyze everything. Knowing all the facts, details and absolutely everything about a product before they make a purchase is a must. So, how do you sell to them? Give them all the facts and data. Ask them why they want to buy a product or why they came in. That way you have a better understanding of them and their wants. Just give them all the facts is the main key.

Social –You know what type of customer this is, they like to be social. They love to talk, make new friends, build relationships and will actually develop relationships in several stores. Therefore, loyalty isn’t a huge factor for them. The main thing to remember is to socialize right back. They want someone they can talk to and develop a relationship with. Keep them focused on the product, yet have fun while doing it. You don’t have to be all about the facts with them.

In Control – This customer, of course, likes to be in control of everything. Taking charge, skipping the small talk and wanting the facts right then is what this consumer is all about. They want things to go their way. So, how do you sell to them? Get straight to the point with them. Skip out on the Continue reading “Marketing Tip of the Week – Types of Customers” »

Marketing Tip of the Week – Learning From Loss

by Leave a Comment

Your store has sales, you may have many sales throughout the day and have a great month. However, you do lose sales sometimes. Everyone does, it’s only natural. The most important thing that you must focus on is what you learned from it. Everyone has learning experiences and a great way to learn your customers is to understand why you lost a sale. So this week’s marketing tip will focus on how you can learn from the loss of a sale.

Don’t just move on from a sale if you’ve lost it, understand why. This will help you better understand your customers and you have better knowledge on how to sell to them. First off, ask yourself these questions,

  •  Why, specifically, did the customer choose not to buy from me?
  • Was I able to understand the customer, what they wanted and the benefits they were looking for?
  • What did the customer ask and how did I respond to them?
  • What were the customer’s drawbacks and how did I respond?
  • Did the customer understand the value proposition of the product they were interested in?
  • What was my closing technique?
  • What did the customer agree with me on and how will I leverage that in the future?
  • What is my next step to take?

Now, sit down and think the sale through. Ask yourself these questions and take time to think through them. By understanding these questions, you Continue reading “Marketing Tip of the Week – Learning From Loss” »

Marketing Tip of the Week – Strengthen Customer Relationships

by Leave a Comment

What’s the most important thing in your store? Yes, customers are the main cause in keeping your store going. Yes, there are other elements to your store that makes it run, but customers are the ones who walk into your store and buy your items or services. Therefore, you need to focus on your customer relationships. This week’s marketing tip will focus on strengthening your customer relationships.

So, you’ve already developed customer relationships. Now, how do you maintain them and strengthen them from what they are now? We have a few tips that are easy to do, yet will still strengthen your relationships.

Greeting Cards – Something simple can go a long way. Keep track of your customer’s birthdays and send them a card along with holiday cards. By sending them one, they’ll feel special and thought of by your store.

Communication – Make sure you’re available for your customers. How many times have you wanted to get in contact with a business and couldn’t? It is frustrating when you want a simple question answered or something major happened and you need their attention. Therefore, remember be available.

Customer Loyalty –Keep track of your customer’s loyalty. Are they a suspect, prospect, first time buyer, repeat buyer, client or advocate? If you keep track of this, you know how to offer customer service and move them up the customer loyalty stages.

Customer Service – Always, always, always focus on your customer service efforts. Customer service is the key to bring customers back to your store. No one likes to walk into a store and get a lack of service and be treated rudely. Everyone enjoys a friendly, happy and informative customer Continue reading “Marketing Tip of the Week – Strengthen Customer Relationships” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Who Are You Selling To?

by Leave a Comment

You have customers coming in and out of your store everyday. You talk to them and see what they buy, but do you really know them? Who are you selling to and what type of personality do they have, these are all questions that need to be answered. Why? Answering these questions will help you in the long run find the best-selling strategy and products to use in your store. So, this week’s marketing tip will focus on how you can determine who you are selling to.

Buying Personalities
Marketing Tip Of The Week

The more you know about your customers, the better you connect with them. Knowing someone on a more intimate level helps you connect with them more and better understand them. Do you know the different buying personalities that can exist? Everyone has different buying habits and how they shop, therefore, you should recognize and understand them. Decisive, collaborative, relationship, skeptical, gradual, innovator and analytical are all factors that consumers have when making purchases. So, know them, understand them, and you can create a better buying experience for them.

A consumer who is collaborative has other opinions factored into their decision. On the other hand, someone who is skeptical is wary of any type of decision and considers all options. What if you have someone who is analytical? They like to hear all options and analyze everything. Better understand different buying personalities will help you relate better to them and know what to do when these personalities walk into your store. This is truly helpful to know when they are in your store.

Communication

However, what you might not realize is that you are connecting with your customers long before they even walk through your store. First off, you should use different social media platforms to get your business name out there. This is a great form of marketing for your business and this is why potential customers know you before you know them. Therefore, you need to discuss content that matters to intrigue them into your store.

Since customers aren’t in your store, you need to interact with them differently. Instead of focusing on their buying styles, focus on their personality and as if they could be a potential friend instead of a potential customer. You need to show them that you are genuine and are willing to go above and beyond for them. People want to find you genuine and not being a pushy sales person. They want to connect with  you on a more Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Who Are You Selling To?” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Employees

by Leave a Comment

Marketing is such an important part of your store’s strategy. You incorporate it into your everyday work schedule and are constantly thinking new ways to attract new customers and get your name out there. However, have you thought about how you can  incorporate your employees into your marketing plan? Well, this week’s marketing tip will focus on your employees and getting them involved.

Marketing Tip Of The Week
Lets face it, employees are going to talk about where they work and how it is to work for your company. Think about this, your store will get out through word-of-mouth through your employees. Now, do you want this to be negative or positive? Of course, positive. Even if you have part time employees, word will get out.

However, now it has grown from just talking with their friends to the world of social media. Just one little blog post or a post on Facebook about their work will be viewed by a wide variety of people. From there, they may get curious and look up or ask what kind of store it is that they work in. Therefore, you need to treat your employees with respect and keep them  informed. Their word-of-mouth about where they work will definitely get out.

Keep Them Informed – Talk to them, let them know what’s going on in the company. No one likes to feel left out. Of course, share your your company’s history and future. Share with them where you’d like your company to go in the future. Show them plans, marketing strategies and even new products that you may want to feature in your store and get their opinions. Be clear about the message you want to convey to the media and how you want to display the company’s image. Be upfront, clear and ready to answer questions.

Listen – Listen to what your employees have to say. They can have some valuable input since they are dealing with the customers everyday. Ask them what they think is trending and what might be a new approach to reach potential customers. Your employees are the ones on the front line.

Expectations – Make sure to let your employees know what is expected from them. Of course, they don’t like to be told what they can and cannot do outside of work. However, explain to them the consequences for the company if they put something negative out there about your Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Employees” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Relationship Marketing

by Leave a Comment

When marketing your business, keep in mind all the options you have to get your business name out there. Sure, you want to get your name out there to customers, but have you ever thought of communicating with your fellow friends in the business world. Business members are respected throughout the community by their customers, so developing a marketing relationship with them never hurts anything. So, this week’s marketing tip will focus on developing that marketing relationship to make your company name even stronger.

Marketing Tip Of The Week
First off, we will not be talking about your relationships with your customers. You know well enough that you need to have a good relationship with your customers to keep them coming back. However, we will be discussing the importance of building relationships with your fellow businessmen and business women.

No, you don’t have to build a strong relationship with your competitors, but stores outside of that would be a great thing to implement into your marketing strategy. How does this help you? They offer great word-of-mouth and referrals to your company.

Their Mind Frame

Now, how can you start doing this? First, step away from the mind from of “what do I need” and put yourself in their mind with “what do they need”. Treat this business relationship as you would a customer, step away from thinking about yourself and put the focus on them. If you reach out to them, make sure and focus on what services or products they offer. See how your business would make an ideal compliment to theirs.

A True Expert

Also, don’t forget to be recognized as an expert in your field. This shows that you are truly knowledgeable and can offer true assistance for your customers and potential customers. You need to be known for your expertise. Consumers want to walk into your store and know that they will get everything that they need and thoroughly understand their product or your service. Other businesses want to feel confident when they send their customers to your store.

Stay In Touch

Once you have established yourself with other businesses, don’t forget to stay in touch. You want to stay fresh on their minds and let them know that you haven’t forgotten about them. Keep up-to-date on all their products or new services and do the same for them. You may both get new products in that compliment each other perfectly.

The Benefits

Now, are you asking yourself, why would I go to all this trouble to establish a great relationship with other businesses? If they hear one of their Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Relationship Marketing” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: 5 Simple Marketing Tips

by Leave a Comment

Marketing is such an important aspect to implement into your store. It gets your name out there and attracts potential customers. However, the way you market your store depends on a lot of different factors. Not every store uses marketing in the same way or does it the same way. One thing that you have to do is change up your marketing strategy for the seasons, as well as your products. So, this week’s marketing tip will focus on changing up your strategy for the seasons.

Marketing Tip Of The Week

Get Feedback –One of the most important things you can do for your store is get your customer’s feedback. You listen and you learn to what they have to say to make your store better. They will tell you, they want their opinion heard. Plus, it makes them feel like they are apart of your store.

You may have some trouble with customers getting to speak up, but you can encourage this by giving rewards within your store. Maybe give them a discount for the next time they come in your store. This is a great idea if it’s a dissatisfied customer, that way the next time they come into your store you can change what they didn’t like and they will see that.

Seasonal – Along the the different seasons, there are different products that you have in your store. However, have you ever thought about keeping some of the out-of-season items in your store and getting creative with it? Maybe you’re a landscaper, well reevaluate your company in the winter and come up with creative ways that your customers can use you during the cooler months. Find a product that compliments your main seller. You can’t use the same marketing strategy all year round, therefore, change it up with the seasons to keep your store fresh and exciting.

Be The Expert – If you’re the shop owner, you have to portray yourself as the expert. These are your product lines that you are featuring in your store to your customers. Therefore, you must be knowledgeable. You are the key person to your shop that people trust. Therefore, you must be the expert in all things so you can handle them as smoothly as possible. Know everything inside and out.

Be Giving – Everyone once in awhile, don’t forget about specials and promotions. They can truly help your business out. A lot of consumers are only bargain shoppers, so if you have a sale, you’ll be attracting customers that don’t normally come in and buy. Especially if the economy is tough out there for your consumers, a discount never hurt anyone or your store.

Social Media – You must get connected with your customers. A variety of consumers are getting connected through social media. Therefore, Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: 5 Simple Marketing Tips” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Don’t Take NO For An Answer

by Leave a Comment

So many times we tell customers about a product and they say, “no”. Our response? We all just walk away and are fine with it. However, that needs to change. You need to understand why consumers say no to you and learn how to respond. So, this week’s marketing tip is all about not taking no for an answer. There are just a few tips that you need to follow that will help your customer’s remember your business, even after they’ve said no.

Marketing Tip Of The Week
Why should you keep going if the consumer has already said no? Well, there can be many factors for them saying no to you. They may not be in the market for that particular item just yet or the timing just isn’t right for them. Maybe they don’t need it at all, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll someday want it.

If you still continue your salesmanship even after they’ve said no, they’ll remember your name whenever they are ready to make a purchase. Of course, we’re not saying keep on them until they never want to come back into your store. There is a stopping point for that. However, you can still keep telling them about the amazing benefits of your service or product even after they’ve said no. Just not too far.

Keep In Touch –One of the most important things you can do is keep in touch with potential clients. Get your potential customer to sign up for your newsletter or tell them about your social media page. This way, your company’s name is always on their mind. It may have not been the right time to purchase your services or product, however, that doesn’t mean the right time isn’t in the near future. Send out a thank you card or Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Don’t Take NO For An Answer” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Public Relations

by Leave a Comment

When we think of marketing, the word public relations comes to mind. It’s definitely one of the more popular terms used in marketing and what people are drawn too. Many people get the basics of public relations, like what it is and what sort of benefits you can receive from it. However, that’s all people understand, the basics. While marketing and public relations are intertwined, they are two separate words meaning different things.  So, this week’s marketing tip will focus on the 411 of public relations.

What Is It & Why Should I Do It?

Marketing Tip Of The Week

First off, lets define public relations. It’s a field that focuses on maintaining a company’s image. However, maintaining an image for anything, even a person can be referred to public relations. Focusing on how people perceive your company and what they see is part of this job. Which, is what most people will think of when they think of this marketing term. So, what are the benefits for this?

  • Great and affordable way to reach your mass target market
  • Stimulates awareness for your company
  • Strengthens the company’s image
  • Shows that your company is active and out there
  • Creates credibility for your company
  • Increases search engine visibility for your company

So, as you can see. There are numerous benefits that your company will receive from public relations. Getting your name out there is the best thing you can do for your company. What if you have great products, but have no one coming into your store? You don’t receive any profits and more than likely your business will go under. Your PR efforts don’t have to be ridiculously costly, just start out slow and you’ll start seeing the benefits immediately.

What To Do

So, you understand what it is and what you will receive from this. Now, how do you incorporate it into your marketing strategy? Here are a few tips that will help you.

Get Your Name Out There – A great way to let consumers know what’s in your store is to inform. Get your name out there. Do ads, articles, informational sheets and make appearances at town meetings and charity functions. The more people see of you and get to know you, the more curious they will be to visit your store.

Be Persuasive – Not only do you need to get your store name out there, but you need to give them reasons to come in. You need to give them a reason to come in. Make your advertisements appealing, do radio ads and interviews along with ads in the newspapers, press releases, event sponsorships and speaking engagements. Just do something that will spark the curiosity of potential customers to get them into your store.

Focus on getting potential customers into your store. Build a store name that people will find intriguing, trustworthy and up-to-date on all the Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Public Relations” »

Marketing Tip Of The Week: Marketing Tips You Should Already Be Doing

by Leave a Comment

When it comes to marketing, it doesn’t have to be all about the cost of what it’s going to take to get your name out there. You are the store owner and you CAN market yourself. So many times, people rely on paying someone to do the hard work for them. When in reality, you are the best marketer of yourself and your store. This week’s marketing tip features easy tips that you should be doing already to generate word of mouth on your business.

Network Yourself: Don’t forget that you are your best promoter. You should know all the ins and outs of your business, therefore, you can answer the questions best. So, get out and promote yourself. Check out the paper, advertisements and just be in the know on all special events.

Marketing Tip Of The Week

What can you do at these events? Network yourself. Generating good word of mouth doesn’t come easy, you have to work at it. Get out, talk to people and let them know about your fantastic business. Tell them about the wonderful products you offer, special promotions and why they should shop at your business.

Attend Public Meetings & Gathering:Is there a city or town meeting going on in your town? Attend it. Give your knowledgeable opinion and show people that you truly do care about the town and are wanting to make it better. This also helps you network. People will be wondering exactly who you are and what you do. So, they’ll ask. This is a great time to get your name out there and provide them with all the great qualities of your business.

Handout Information:What do you need when attending these public events? A handout, of course! Create something visually eye-pleasing that these potential customers will catch their attention. Provide useful information, such as business information, products you offer, what you do and the great customer service you will provide them with. It needs to have all the details so these potential clients will be able to contact you and keep you in mind.

Make Contacts: Whether you have friends or meet someone at these public outings, make sure to create contact for yourself. These contacts can lead to so much more than just a friendly hello. You can create joint ventures together to promote both of your businesses. Create a cross Continue reading “Marketing Tip Of The Week: Marketing Tips You Should Already Be Doing” »