Drive Customer Referrals with Surveys

Wouldn't you like to know -  how do you get a customer to refer someone to your business?

Why not find the answer through a survey? Surveying your customers regularly is a critical part of running a successful business. Surveys can uncover satisfaction -- or dissatisfaction, expose critical needs or offer a new opportunity to communicate with your customers.

The result: buzz about your business and hopefully... enthusiastic qualified referrals!

4 TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE SURVEY

1. Focus on the narrative, not the score.
Customer narrative is the most valuable part of any survey, not the numbers. Use open-ended questions that allow the customer to give specific feedback. Remember, you're probably not going to get a TON of responses, but the information that customers will give you will spark ideas!

2. Don't stack the deck
Don't stack the deck against yourself! Too many questions overwhelm customers and will cause response rates to decline. According to expert Fred Reichheld's, the most valuable piece of info you need to know: "How likely is it that your customer would recommend your business to a friend or colleague?"

Objective feedback and honest reactions are more useful than quantity of responses. Therefore, make sure you include ways to get truly candid customer opinions. Try setting up a blackboard with chalk letting the customer vote for their favorite display as they walk through the store. Give customers a Love It or Leave It token... they can pencil in what item they loved the most and what they didn't in a fish bowl at the register.


3. Close the loop
Survey feedback is worthless if you don't take action on it. The mere act of surveying a customer can increase satisfaction, but follow-up is where the real power lies. Customers generally view being asked for their opinion as something favorable, however what really knocks their socks off is when they hear back from that business after completion of the survey. Particularly if the customer was dissatisfied in some way. Receiving a personalized call or note to address the complaint is rather impressive. You can show appreciation to your customer with a GREAT offer, especially if they refer a new customer to you!

4. Immerse yourself in the responses.
Don't set the survey results aside and forget about them without the analysis. Take time to thoughtfully review your customers' feedback and the implications to your business. Share the results with your staff -- including verbatim customer comments -- and what these responses have taught you. Most importantly enlighten them on what the plan is moving forward.

There's no more important business measure than the voice of the customer.

Find out what your customers are saying to improve customer satisfaction and build loyalty.

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Satisfied customers are the key to staying in business for the long haul. As Paul Conforti, co-founder and CEO of Boston-based Final Desserterie, puts it, "In the game of business, sales and profit are how we keep score. But the game itself is all about customer satisfaction. Small-business owners need to be able to measure customer satisfaction to truly understand how well they're playing the game -- and customer surveys are the primary way of doing that."

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Reach your "New Year's Goals" this Quarter

As always, we start out a new year with many brilliant ideas and a vast supply of energy to achieve our goals. However, as the weeks fly by we can get sidetracked from our plan, and lose sight of our goals. Don't allow your business to run you! Here's how we can help...

Farmtime Clock
Top 10 Bestseller
2015 New Introductions

According to surveys, only 8 percent of Americans successfully achieve their New Year's resolutions.

                                                                                                                  
Before we fall into the lower 92%, let's take a look at what we set out to achieve at the beginning of 2015 and benchmark what we have accomplished so far. Pull out your list of goals now and take a look at these helpful topics to get you back on track.

• Are Your 2015 Business Goals SMART?
• How to get Your Business in Shape
• The down and dirty … How to love your customers and be SHOW ready!
• 5 Tips to get your Website in Shape & Make a Great 'Impression'

We want to know what business goals you set for this year and how AHS Lighting can help you accomplish them. 

If you're looking to make bigger margins on existing sales, you will want to join the AHS Advantage Club. 

If you're looking to broaden your customer reach, introduce new styles in your line. Both Industrial Chic and Fillable Collections are proven winners for home decor businesses and our Expressions and Stencil Collections are a perfect expansion for gift stores. 

If you want to increase business with high end customers, you will want to carry our Dual Fabric shade line. These modern shade designs work perfect with all of our classic bases and expert looks can be achieved at affordable prices. 


What business goals did you set for this year? Share your comments below or on Facebook and together we can make 2015 shine!

5 Tips to get your Website in Shape

So now that you have your store in order and your staff up to par on all your new products and plans for 2015, it's time to shape up your website!

We all know the importance of making a good first impression....right?

Let's start with the facts: Over ½ of all retail sales last year were influenced by the web. Your web presence is an introduction to your business and can be the key to turning a potential customer from "Should we visit this business?" to "Oh, yes, let's go there!"

Let's look at 5 COMMON PROBLEMS and SOLUTIONS to make a GREAT first impression:

 PROBLEM:  The design doesn't reflect the business.

 46% say a website's design is the number one reason to discredit a company.

SOLUTION: Make it simple and reflective of your company's image. Use graphics. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. We're not just talking about product pictures, but use clever icons and pictures of decorated rooms with info bubbles, add downloadable coupons or consider shooting a video of the inside of your store.  85% of people are more likely to purchase after watching a video. This is where investing in a good web marketer and designer are worth it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Short, sweet and memorable!

PROBLEM: Hidden Contact Information 

Can the customer find you? 

SOLUTION: A retail store should put the telephone number and store address at the TOP of the page, BOTTOM of the page AND have a 'Contact Us' page. Customers don't see your website everyday, so no matter where they look, they should be able to find and contact you. 61% of smart phone users will click away from a website if they can't find what they want quickly.

FIRST IMPRESSION:  A quick find!

PROBLEM: Malfunctioning Website

Are all pages working? Are there any links that lead to a 404 error page?

SOLUTION: Test, Test, Test! Visitors hate getting stuck. Make a navigation tree showing the links to and from all pages. Then test each link's connection so no one gets stuck. Have a lot of pages? Use a link checker tool like www.freesitemapgenerator.com to search for connection errors.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Life without the 404!

PROBLEM: No Call to Action. 

Are you effectively directing customers toward the desired outcome – an order, email sign up, etc.???

SOLUTION: Fine tune each page to have a specific topic that leads to one or two main calls to action. Reduce the number of clicks that the person has to make to do the action... for example, don't offer a link to the email sign up page, simply put the email form on EVERY page!

FIRST IMPRESSION:  Customer gets what they want - easily!

PROBLEM: Low Traffic

SOLUTION: To increase traffic to your website:

• Write headlines with words your customers use when searching
• Compose content on a regular basis
• Search engines can't "see" a photo, use alt text keywords to define what is pictured

FIRST IMPRESSION: You've been found!

Getting your website in SHAPE takes work and commitment. Set your goals and then 
define a plan based on a microscopic look at your website.  We want you to make 
not only a good first impression, but a lasting one and... gets the job done!

The down and dirty … How to love your customers.

Inspired by the traditional theme for February - LOVE, Let's ask ourselves:

“How can we show the love to our customers?”

WHY? Because when customers feel loved, they will speak highly about your business. Word of mouth is still the best kind of advertising! So let's get into the HEART of HOW? The answer is simple: Provide outstanding customer service. But HOW? Here are some HELPFUL TIPS:

BE SHOW READY! You only get one chance to impress.
Stand outside, in front of your store; CLOSE your eyes and take a deep breath. Pretend you've never seen your store before... Now, open your eyes! Do you see a clean, organized, presentable stage? Does your staff LOOK ready? Are they smiling? Prepare for everyday as if it's opening night... and remember that it's showtime every time a customer walks past (and hopefully inside) your store.


10-4 Good Buddy: How to make a customer feel important.
Within 10 feet of approaching a customer, make EYE contact; within 4 feet of approaching a customer, SAY something to the customer. After finishing a conversation or on departure, APPRECIATE your customer. Think of them as your GUEST. Once they feel comfortable, they WILL come back to see you! Yay, for repeat business!

Practice makes perfect you see! You must repeat after me!
Every other sales staff meeting should include 15 minutes of practice. Pair sales people with a partner; one will be the customer and one, the sales person (reverse roles after half the time). To properly train staff to answer common and ridiculous questions, practice answering with an upbeat tone while smiling with your eyes! Salespeople who master this will have a lasting impression on every customer.

In summary, when responsive and informative sales staff treat your customers with appreciation and are ready for every "opening day & night", you'll make a lasting impression. Not only will they be back for more, but your business will grow by customers spreading the word. See, LOVE does make the world go round and round!

HOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS IN SHAPE

Now's the time!

It's not surprising that the #1 New Year resolution for Americans is “to get in shape”. Being fit and healthy has many rewards such as increased energy, improved stamina and greater zing!

 

Why not apply this to your business? 

 

Just like you, your business needs a new burst of energy every now and then. Your "healthy" efforts may even result in a financial boost through increased sales!!!

If a business “work out” plan was not one of your 2015 SMART goals (click to read article), here are some quick tips to get your lighting or gift store business in shape:

 

EVALUATE:  
Step back and look at your floor plan from your customer's perspective.

___ Is it easy for your customers to find what they need? Does it flow?
___ Is there adequate aisle space for movement? 
___ Is there a logical, yet creative pattern to your layout?
___ What can you do to make the shopping experience better for your customer?

 

UPDATE:  
Take a look at your store as though you are preparing for a photo shoot. Customers respond to something new even if it's simply re-merchandising and moving things around. They will get excited to come in to see what you have done and will probably notice something “new” whether it is or not!

___ Is it time for a new coat of paint?
___ Move lighting to focus on new products and different areas.
___ Plan for upcoming renovations if needed.

 

REFRESH: 
To keep customers coming back, you must introduce fresh merchandise. Shoppers love to discover the newest and latest items and be the first on the block to have one!

___ Make room for new products, lamps or shades purchased at market.
___ Develop a marketing plan to let customers know about new items.
___ Feature new products in windows and high traffic areas.
___ Inform staff on the features and benefits of new items.

 

IMPROVE: 
No matter how good we are at our business, we can always be better, especially when it comes to customer service.

___ Improve customer satisfaction: use an informal survey.
___Provide better info: Review signage, hang tags, etc.
___Implement a Customer First policy: set up staff training date to practice responses to most frequent customer questions.

 

ENERGIZE: 
Most of us love to be in the know and most love a party!

___ Organize your calendar of events for 2015! Maybe host an interior decorating class or room makeover workshop.
___ Keep customers excited with ongoing store news - personal and product updates through email, Facebook, Twitter. Help customers get to know you better!


Whether a personal or business goal, getting or staying in shape and developing a realistic plan are critical to a healthy future – physically, mentally and financially!  

Get started on your business' work-out plan TODAY!
It's never too late. 

Need help with ideas or implementing your marketing goals, contact AGS Business Development Solutions, marketing partner for AHS Lighting.