all things design
24 March 2010
Smart Marketing
Great marketing and sales procedures that continue after the deal is made will pay dividends in future customer and client interactions. We all know how nice it is to receive a thank you note from someone, so what about getting a thank you from a company for doing business with them. This little gesture along with some additional marketing material can make all the difference for a continued business relationship.
I recently bought a pair of shoes for my wife from the online company, Designer Shoe Warehouse, dsw.com. As you can surmise, buying shoes online can be a tricky business when you can’t try them on. We were pleasantly surprised, to say the least! Not only was the price right and the shoes delivered correctly and fast, they also included something that grabbed my attention. It was a plain little sleeve envelope with their name and website on the front with a small stack of papers peaking neatly out of the top. When I pulled them out, the first thing I saw was a note saying – Thanks! We love having you as a customer. It was signed – Mike, CEO and shoe lover. When you shop at a traditional store or work with a service oriented firm, it is common to hear a thank you at the end of the sale or job, and only noticeable if you don’t receive one. This is DSW’s solution to the lack of a personal touch to online shopping and it worked great for me. Along with the thank you note was a tastefully done two-fold marketing flyer that gave me two options for future savings. One was a 10% coupon for a future purchase and the other was a chance to win a gift card for going online and writing a review of the purchase. The packet also contained a receipt from the order with a return & exchange form attached and a shipping label back to DSW in case there was a problem with the shoes. Someone was really thinking when they put this little marketing piece together. They thanked me for being a customer, gave me future savings, nicely solicited a promotional review and let me know they stand behind their product by providing all the return paperwork I would need if there were a problem. I would definitely use this company again.
We can all take a lesson from DSW’s approach. Any business or even a personal interaction can be amplified by the simple act of sending or even emailing a special thank you afterward. This lets them know that you appreciate their business or friendship and can pay big dividends in future interactions.
‘til next time, take care.
Bob
