What Else Matters Beside Customer Money ?!!!

What else matters, some will suggest having an effective long term relationship, others will say positive customer feedback, Positive word of mouth, customer satisfaction etc etc but in my opinion most important of all these things, that matters; is essential customer data or ECD.

By essential customer data I mean the data that helps you to effectively connect, contact, link with your potential/retained customers. Such customer data may include your customer name, email, contact number, mailing address, gender, age, birthday, items/services of interest (to customers).

Such data is essential in developing and maintaining effective relationship, getting positive customer feedback, getting positive word out, achieving customer satisfaction. In a nutshell such customer data is like a medium between your products/services and your potential/retained customers. 

A medium that connects your product/service with your potential client/customer in a manner that results in positive outcomes for both parties.

In other words all your phone calls, emails, texts, conversations are useless unless you know who you are dealing with, why do they buy specific products, what are their needs, age, income level etc etc.

Unless you don’t know who you are dealing with, you won’t be able to do "business" effectively.

Some Benefits of Having Essential Customer Data

1.      It helps you in developing effective relationships, getting positive feedback while connecting with your customer not on customer level but on personal level.

2.      You can inform them, contact them as soon as new stock hit your store, your outlet etc thus getting the word out about your new stock as soon as it hit the store, definitely an early mover advantage from retailer/whole-seller perspective to target a specific market segment effectively.

3.      You can connect with them on personal and more “deeper” level during different festivals, fairs, holidays etc by making them feel not just customers but more than that, likewise you can promote your sales, inform them about various discounts offers, products/services relevant to the festivals, fairs, holidays etc.

4.      Similarly you can promote new products/services by connecting with your potential/retained customers by utilizing the essential customer data.

Okay Now Tell Me How to Get that Essential Customer Data ?!!

That’s way too easy!

Yes way too easy!, all you got to do is to utilize any single method of the following four methods in a given situation, each method or approach can be used for a specific situation. All these four methods cover almost any situation, thus what you need to do is to analyze the situation and utilize a specific method to collect the ECD.

(Remember: These methods aren’t the only methods, you can identify and develop many more)

   

Method 1: Via invoice

This method can work effectively with products that come with warranties/guarantees, so if you are dealing in products that offer warranties/guarantees then you need to use this method to get the ECD.

What you need is to make an invoice that requires your customers to provide ECD, in other words the bill should demand ECD as prerequisite to avail warranties/guarantees etc.

Method 2: Targeting the Potential Customer

It is obvious that all customers won’t buy your product/service, so in case of products/services with warranties/guarantees you will need to go an extra mile, that is giving them demos, presentations, relevant information etc and after entertaining sufficiently, you have to convince him/her  to leave ECD on comment card, forms etc.

Method 3:  Enticing

This method can be used for products that do not carry any warranties/guarantees, what you need here is to entice, lure your customer to give you ECD like for instance telling him/her that your company, business carries out lucky draws on such and such basis where the winners will get gift hampers, specific deals, discounts, services etc.

In a nutshell first entice/lure your customer then set ECD as prerequisite for availing any such offer, benefit etc.

Method 4: Reminders

Likewise the guarantee/warrantee products service there would be some customers who won’t buy your products/services (non guarantee/warrantee) at that very moment but will have future plans, to buy them later on.

In such cases you need to ask such customers to give you ECD so that you can give them reminders for discounts, sales, new stock, new variety etc. Most of the time (if asked politely) potential customers won’t hesitate to provide you the ECD.

That’s it, over to you guys, let’s talk and see what else, method, approach would make collection of ECD more effective, comment box is down below!

You may also like to read Customer Data: Let the Customers become the Managers

Lastly don't forget to subscribe!