Lisbeth Calandrino::

"Just because you "Wanna" won't make it happen."

One of my friends came up with an interesting thought; “I now  realize that most people , including myself, live on “I Wanna Be Island.” This is not the Wanna Wanna Inn, South Padre Island, Texas, it’s the I wanna be this,  I wanna be  that but wanna be is  not enough to make it happen. You have to know what you want to make it happen, and go for it.

I started thinking about “Wanna Be Island, “  was I living there too? How many times have I said I wanna have this happen and left it at that?

In order to bring about significant change in your life, you need to give yourself the freedom to open new lines of communication between your mind, body and your spirit.  Little changes can become big changes as you disconnect from “the way things are supposed to be.” Check out this post, The Quickest Way to Change Your Life. You can dream, entertain ideas or read about what you want to do but if you want it to happen you must do it. Think about weight lifting, you can’t build muscles or endurance without involving your body. I know people that are always talking about why they can’t lose weight; they have many seemingly legitimate excuses but rarely do they say, I can’t stop eating!  The reality is that too much of the wrong food will make you fat.

Why don’t we get things done? Too often our heads think apart from our bodies and then our spirit suffers. When we fail to recognize a bad habit or change a destructive pattern, it’s typically because our heads are blindly following our bodies. We’re just not thinking.

What is your self-destructive habit? Mine used to be I would work until I dropped  from exhaustion. My sister and I would work for days and nights on projects, barely stopping to eat. We would pat ourselves on the back for our endurance but now I realize how bad it was for our bodies.  It was unhealthy for us and those around us who had to put up with us.

If you are having trouble moving, here are a couple of things you might try. Immerse yourself in life. To lose yourself in something you love is to find yourself,  to discover who you are.  It’s like trying to find a street address without a map. The other night my friend Adrienne and I were on our way to a party and couldn’t find the address. Despite the fact we had directions they just didn’t make sense. We passed places I had never seen before even though I had grown up in the area. It was a little scary, why couldn’t I find the place? Had I been down this road before and never really noticed anything important? Was I passing through life the same way?

What happens when you get lost and can’t find the place? Maybe you’re living on “Wanna Be Island with social media. It’s  compelling but frightening.  In Stephen Covey’s  7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, is based on your ability to envision in your mind what you can’t see with your eyes. It’s based on your imagination, what you can envision in your mind and cannot see with your eyes. Ask yourself, how do I want this to end, what am I working towards, is it truly what I want? What are my fears, are they valid or do I scare myself when I have to learn something new? What do I put in my way? I remember going to swimming lessons as a kid. We were learning how to dive and as I approached the diving board I became panicky. The water seemed like it was 20 feet below the diving board when in actuality it was only 3 feet! Every time I pass by the diving board I laugh.

I have read that many people feel that death is the underlying root of all fears. It is the fear of a real thing, one that we must all learn to deal with if we want to enjoy life. What is the real thing that is preventing you from getting off  Wanna Be Island?

Actually  Karyn doesn’t live on Wanna Be Island, she lives in Albany, New York.  Check out Karyn’s great book, “Achiveable Fashions.” Thanks Karyn for the “Wanna Be”  idea.

Sales is great customer service

I’ve been thinking alot about customer service lately and I’m convinced most companies haven’t a clue about what it is and how to deliver it. Of course these are my own thoughts and my own personal experiences but my hunch is that I’m not the only one with these experiences.

First of all, great salespeople have passion. Not only for what they sell but for life. It shows in how they build connections and network with people.

They have enthusiasm for all things good; and they spend time making “all things good.” Even things that aren’t good or things that go wrong or bump in the night. Consider the salesperson that finds out a big job is cancelled because the customer suddenly is taken ill and goes to the hospital. Rather than sitting around stewing and complaining about the commission loss, he/she runs to the hospital with the flowers.

When they speak, they smile and they have a twinkle in their eyes and it’s real. You just know they’re passionate. They’re passionate about what you’re doing or buying.

They are  aware of the world around them and how they fit. In other words, it’s not “all about them.” It is truly about the other person in their presence.

They think of customers first as friends.

They develop interests outside of their industry so they can connect with their customers.

They care about their community and make an effort to support what’s important; through these associations they build life long friendships.

They network face-go-face and on line. They know that social media will help them stay close to their customers so they take the time to learn new skills.  

They know it’s important to build “repeat and referral customers” so they find ways to stay in touch.

They treat their job as if it were their own business. They know it’s their job to market and follow through with their customers. They know that “consistency is better than good salesmanship.” Actually I think good salesmanship is consistency. (According to a study done by McKinsey, 70% buy because of how they’re being treated.)

Great salespeople don’t sell, pursuade, coerce–they educate.

They really care about other people, they are kind and it transcends the sales floor.

Over the past three months I have had many experiences as a customer, most “not so good” but some very, very good. I know the good experiences will stay with me forever.

They look for things to do and ways to satisfy their customers that are above and beyond what’s expected. I recently purchased a small camp and needed almost everything from heating to painting to cable services. My experiences were amazing–some great and some not so great.

The representative from Surbane Propane Gas who sees me pull into the driveway and says, let me help you unload your car-I can do it for you. (This was before the sales pitch, why, because he cares or knows it’s a good idea.) The other gas company didn’t even thank me for calling. I told Suburban Propane  I called them because when I was little the Surbane Propane delivery man pushed my mom’s car out of the snow. I was 9 at the time; who says kids won’t be customers?

My electrician who says, “Lis the house key is under the stone, the note is on the door to explain how to drain the water in the pipes, I put some cold drinks in the fridge for you and watered the new flowers you planted.” Why, because he knows it matters to me, did he charge me, no. Even if he charged me it would be okay. Wow, is he single?

How about the  advertisement for Angie’s List about the plumber walking the dog. The home owner is late to meet the plumber and the plumber walks the dog; it’s cute and gets the point across.  The plumber sounds like a thoughtful guy.

Customers will pay more money for great customer service not just ordinary stuff. My friend was sitting in the diner and told the waitress she was having a terrible day. The waitress said, don’t worry about a thing, I’m going to feed you and take care of you and I guarantee it will help.” My friend left a $5.00 top on her $8.00 sandwich. “I felt loved she said.”

The cable man who said, “let me clean out that gutter for you, I’m taller than you and it’s not a problem.  Along with, do you have your lap top with you, let me hook up your wireless router while I’m here.”

“I’ll build your dock at my house and deliver it. I know you’re near the lumber yard but think of all the clean up, lumber all over and your beautiful garden. I would hate to step on anything.” This is alot different  than “docks sure are expensive these days.” What does that mean?

The flooring installer who says, “I know you can measure Lis but suppose you’re wrong, that would be awful for both of us.” This is alot different than brand X who said, “we don’t care what you do, we don’t let customer’s measure.”

Great salespeople look for ways to give away their hearts to their customers. They know that being remembered by their customers after the sale will get them many more sales and many new friends.

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service/ sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

When I was a kid my mom would motivate me by giving me an incentive when I did a good job. Of course I worked harder to get the goodies. In her own way, mom was a psychologist; she understood motivation. Incentives work for both employees and customers. Incentives should be viewed as added value for your business or a form of customer service. Any business has both internal and external customers;those that deliver the products and services and those that buy them.

There are many ways to incentivize adults so I decided to give expert,  Jason McCallum, Director of Business Development for United Incentives in Philadelphia, P.A. a  call and discuss the idea of incentives with him. One of the big questions is, what works the best and where should a business spend their money? 

How did you get in the “promotions business?”

I got into this business because of my overall interest in influencing human behavior through marketing. When I was in the film industry I was responsible for managing marketing campaigns for film launches. I took the same strategies and moved to United Incentives, which has a great reputation in the incentive and loyalty industry. I felt it would be a great place to use my previous experience  to create strategic marketing programs for brands and corporations.

Many business use some type of incentives but the question always arises, cash or gifts? What’s your take on it?

Many times cash alone isn’t enough to motivate people. Cash can be easily lumped into expected compensation and sustains little if any association with achievements. Non-cash rewards have lasting trophy value and linkage towards achievement, they can motivate specific behavior, establish a unique competitive advantage and increase ROI and profitability. Besides cash has no shelf life; it comes and goes.

Funny you should say that; even people who win the lottery talk about what the money will buy not how much they won. Everyone likes getting gifts.

For companies there’s a difference in the cost of cash and merchandise. For every dollar of cash, the income tax liability for a company is higher. For merchandise the income tax liability is only for the”net tangible value” (NTV) of the merchandise. If an item is valued at $100.00 the actual tax liability is on the NTV, which is around $80.00. The NTV is the value of the redemption less fulfillment, handling and shipping costs. In most incentive programs this runs about 20%.

Points in a merchandise program offer instant gratification. Cash or checks easily lose their gratification value.

If you have an online points program or a group travel program, they become constant motivators. People can continue to peruse the online merchandise catalog and dream about what they will be getting or how they can earn a trip for a vacation experience.This is something they would not readily experience on their own. Think about all the online programs such as those with American Express and Diners Club; people save their frequent flyer miles and rarely turn them in for cash; they turn them in for what  the points can purchase.

There seems to be alot of scientific data out there about merchandise incentive awards vs cash.

Recent studies of three major incentive programs, where homogeneous groups were offered either cash vs. merchandise related awards were analyzed; merchandise groups averaged outperforming their cash group counterparts by 70-80%. This study by Ralph Head Associates involved 6500 likely incentive users. Basically a corporation can obtain as much motivation and improved performance from $600.00 in merchandise incentive awards, as they can from $1000.00 cash. Here’s a link to a white paper done by the Incentive Research Foundation, which talks more about the benefits of tangible non-monetary incentives.

How important is it to incentivize your employees or your customers?

Recognition of achievement is more important then the value of the reward. They don’t need to be very expensive, in our online programs we have thousands of reward options that are under $50.00. It’s good to have rewards for everyone. If your want better than average employees you have to reward them for what they accomplish. Typically people achieve more if they are rewarded for what they produce.

Jason, now we’re talking about incentives for our internal customers (employees) as well as external customers.

A company’s sales force and customer service reps are the ones who are interacting with their customers on a daily basis. Motivating these individuals allow companies to get closer to their customers and increases customer retention. We have robust sales incentive and group travel programs for employees.

Does the size of the company matter?

You don’t have to be big to have incentive programs. Incentive programs are a great marketing tool because you’re not paying the majority of the program until the desired behavior is achieved. For example if you want to increase YOY sales by 15% you wouldn’t pay out a reward until your audience hits that benchmark. The rewards would only be a percentage of the incremental increase in sales so the program itself can be self-funding. Incentive programs should be viewed as an investment and if structured properly the ROI is very high. We have great weekend getaway and group travel reward options, travel is one of the best motivators and has the highest trophy value.

This seems complicated, is this something your customers have to figure out on their own?

We have off-the-shelf programs but some of our best programs are  custom designed for our clients based on their needs. It is important to structure your program properly and we have the experience and knowledge base from thousands of executed programs to make sure your program performs well in the marketplace. First we ask what the company wants to achieve and then we look at the ways that it might be accomplished. There are many factors involved and the factors are different for each company. We look at our customers as partners; it’s important to discuss, strategize and develop programs with our clients prior to launch and fulfillment so we can structure the most effective program based on their goals.

For more information  on this program check out this link: http://www.unitedincentives.com/customer-loyalty/?utm_campaign=Lisbeth-Calandrino-Blog&utm_source=Blog

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

You need to hear this…

Hello Friends,
Ever hear a speaker that seemed to be talking directly to you? It was as if they knew the issues you’d been struggling with, the areas you’d let slip, where you could kick it up a notch – because they’d been where you are. Just imagine getting this same feeling from not one speaker, but from twelve amazing women entrepreneurs! 

I’ll be part of this amazing lineup of speakers in the Virtual Women’s Economic Summit where we give you ways to give your business a Kick in the Assets.

It’s a virtual event, conducted over the web (no makeup, no shoes required), and…, no cost to attend!

You really owe it to yourself to check it out, http://bit.ly/hAyzea.

Although the content is directed to Businesswomen, men can absolutely benefit from the strategies that will be shared.

If you have all the business you want, no need for you to read any further.  If you want loads of innovative ideas and strategies for generating new business and getting a Kick in the Assets!-please check out this telesummit, http://bit.ly/hAyzea

Warmly,
Lisbeth Calandrino

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

The field of customer service is very different than it was a   couple of years ago. For instance, follow up meant calling your customer after the order. Now follow up may also mean  having a QR code for your business. Social media and mobile communication are moving so fast it’s hard to keep up with the changes, but if you want to deliver the best customer service you will have to keep up with the trends.Customer service has made so many changes and taken so many new paths it’s hard to know where to begin. Consider the following interview as another way to look at your follow up and customer service. 

Interview with Irene Williams, owner of QRHere, LLC

While at Crossville’s booth at Surfaces, I noticed  that several of their products had QR (Quick Response) codes; this was the first time I had seen codes used in this way. I turned around and ran into Irene Williams, digital marketing communications and copywriting expert and  developer of Crossville’s QR code program and accompanying smart phone app. I’d previously connected with Irene on Facebook, and was finally going to talk with her about her new venture, QRHere, LLC. I must admit, I thought I was up on most things, and then I had a conversation with Irene ; she’s light years ahead of me.
For those of you new to the topic, QR codes are a kind of 2-dimensional bar code. You may hear the phrase “mobile tag” referring to these marks as well. These codes bring digital content to the physical world. Using an app on your smart phone you can scan these QR codes or mobile tags, and you’ll be immediately taken to digital information—very often a web page.
With QRHere, Irene has created a way to make QR codes true Customer Relationship Management tools. While the experience with most QR readers ends on a history log on the smart phone, Irene’s app connects to an online account. When someone with an account scans an item on the smart phone, that information can be revisited later online. That’s a pretty handy feature for anyone selecting tile products. On the flip side, the brand that created the code—in this case, Crossville—is able to better understand what products are getting interest in the market and to know what specific customers are interested in.
That’s a lot of information from one little digitized square on the back of a tile sample!

Irene has been in marketing and PR for 19 years, 13 of those with a niche in the tile/flooring industries. I couldn’t help but ask her a few questions about her QR code venture.

Irene, how did you get into this?
If you’re a marketer today, how would you not get into this? We are now living in a relationship economy. The interactions—the relationships—we build with our customers have value and bring long-term rewards. I was an early adopter of social media and started leading social media programs for my clients because companies simply must be part of the conversation to succeed today. Social media and mobile marketing are extensions and new incarnations of the traditional PR and promotions we’ve all used for so long. It’s just that these modern tools enable us to be constantly present in our customers’ lives in more substantive ways. What an opportunity!

How are people adapting to this technology?
Just as social media grew really fast, the use of smart phones and other mobile devices are taking hold quickly. People across the board, regardless of demographic, are awakening to the power of the smart phone as a tool that makes life easier. Of course, some businesses are still slow to connect what this can mean for their marketing and consumer engagement. All age groups and all types of people are increasing in smart phone use, and brands that are future-focused are going to make the most of this kind of ceaseless connectivity.

How are the QR codes being used?

The QR Code  can hold much more information than traditional bar codes, and you can get to that information by using a QR code reader app on your smart phone. QR codes were invented in Japan by Denso-Wave in 1994 to track parts during auto manufacturing, but they eventually caught on at the consumer level. Today QR codes are widely used in Japan where smart phone usage took hold early on, increasingly popular in Europe and now they’ve really hit the U.S. You’re seeing these codes used in a variety of ways here in the U.S.—in publishing, retail, real estate—anywhere marketers want to connect in the moment with consumers by taking them to web pages, v-cards, YouTube videos, whatever digital content they want to share!
I’ve even heard of QR codes being used on gravestones, scan the code with your smart phone and get the life story of the person being memorialized right there, in the moment. Obviously, the possibilities are endless!
Why would a business want to use QR codes?
Think of every QR code as another sales person out in the world representing your brand. In the moment, when a customer is showing interest, the QR code can take them to deeper information that may help inspire a purchase. QR codes basically invert the lead retrieval process, letting your customers immediately get the details they want for specific products, services or displays. And once companies realize how simple QR codes are to work with, the barriers for use really start to fade.
You’ve taken it a step further with your QRhere.biz
As a marketer of the digital age, I was immediately enamored by QR codes and knew a hundred uses for them out of the chute. However, I also saw some opportunities to deepen their use both for marketers and consumers. That’s why I launched my biz, QRHere—to close the loop and make QR code usage really valuable all around.
With my system, marketers can easily create and manage their code inventories. They also get a custom, branded mobile app that their consumers download to their phones to scan all relevant product codes. With the online component and the custom mobile app, marketers will not only know when a code gets scanned, they can know who scanned—in real-time. They can track activity by product, zip code or by individual consumer. That level of data is immensely valuable. For consumers, my system lets people create their own portfolios of information that can be revisited anytime on roomier screens beyond their smart phones. They can share what they scan socially, immediately request more information from the brand or business, and they have more reasons to interact with products and make purchasing decisions.
This is a  good idea for most anyone wishing to get their message out.
I believe my biz empowers both marketer and consumer to really get the specific information they need and want. And that’s the ultimate representation of where the marketplace is going as a whole—more targeted, direct messaging customized to the recipient at every turn. The future is here, and everyone who hopes to sell stuff to modern consumers better be “Quick to Respond”!!

Personally I”m most fascinated with the QR code on the tombstone; does this mean I will be working forever?

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

I think these things only happen to me or I’m the only one who pays attention. Last week I was in a Doubletree Hotel and overheard a conversation between the hotel manager and a group of women waiting to be seated. The women were complaining about how long it was taking to be seated, one woman said it was a 1/2 hour but seemed like an eternity. Up comes the manager who asks if they had been waiting long, to which one woman replied (with a smile on her face) “at least an hour!” The manager’s reply, “well we’re not busy so it must be because we’re lazy.” I was  horrified but if there was a sarcasm contest going on he won.

Everyone chuckled as the women were seated. By the way, he was correct, the waiters weren’t doing anything other than  rearranging the napkins while the women glared.

I know that humor can lighten up a situation and everyone gets attention for their “cleverness” but sarcasm seems like a  power play to me. It reminds me of comments from managers to their lazy help; “hey don’t work so hard!” Boy the way,  I added a couple of jokes to see if you have a sense of humor.

Here’s the problem, when a business chooses to be sarcastic in this type of situation they miss an opportunity to give what I call “red hot customer service.”  If you take the comment seriously you get to make a bigger  power play! You get to make relationship points by showing the customer how observant and thoughtful you are. But if you choose sarcasm and  want some tips you should listen to  Groucho Marks.  He was the king of sarcasm. 

Did I tell you manager commented on the fact that it looked like I had licked my plate clean? Well I hadn’t.

If you want to create outstanding service for your customers I believe you have to take all comments seriously. It was obvious that the customer was annoyed but what did she get for it? Just a dose of sarcasm with her iced tea. I would have suggested that the manager ask if they had really been waiting for an hour, to which she may have confessed to only a 1/2 hour. He could have said ”it doesn’t matter how long, you really shouldn’t have to wait when we’re not busy.”  His next line might have been,  “how about we give you a free appetizer for your inconvenience?” She would have either backed down or agreed. In either case she looks really powerful to her friends and the manager gets to practice his super great customer service skills. Frankly I’m not sure if he attended that part of the customer service training particulary after his comment about my plate.

Hey I like a good joke but it’s better if it has nothing to do with me. I loved the story about the man  in Vegas shopping in Macy’s and asking if he could have the bottle of water at the cash register. The clerk replied  he could if he had a $1.50, oh how funny. Apparently the clerk included the “eye rolling” for free with the sarcastic remark. The customer said he was embarrased and decided he would not return to Macy’s men’s department anytime soon. Again, another missed opportunity. I like “hold on, I’ll get you one right away” much better.

Today I had my own “red hot customer” experience while having lunch at my favorite tavern, The Red Barn. I was painfully aware that I was almost, very almost out of gas and mentioned it to the owner John. He missed his opportunity to say, “you need new glasses so you can read your gas gauge honey ,” and instead went with “try coasting down the hill to the gas station, it’s about 5 miles but  it works and if it doesn’t call me and I’ll come and get you.” Bingo the Red Barn has gone from a great restaurant to my favorite!

My suggestions: train your employees to listen carefully to customer’s annoyances and take the customer seriously. I think I would have called AAA before John but it sure was a nice gesture. By the way, after he went back into the kitchen the server said, “in addition to being a great cook, John is a really nice man.” Ding ding on the point scale for the Red Barn.

Give your employees something to work with. A free drink, appetizer, a gift certificate to Starbucks or wherever just to show they’re listening. I think that winning the sarcastic rating may not get you the customer and being “right” means someone else is wrong. Most people won’t stay in a relationship too long if they’re always wrong. And business is about creating realtionships and it’s not always easy to do. I like Remarkablogger’s ideas about using your blog to create relationships. By the way, if you’re blogging you should be reading Remarkablogger’s posts.

Some people are “thin skinned.” That means they are easily hurt. I know, maybe they should be in therapy but that’s not the point of this article. Most women don’t play the sarcasm game like men. They would consider sarcasm nasty and wouldn’t engage in a conversation about how bad Bob looks with his new crop of pimples. My experience is that many women think that men treat each other badly. If we hadn’t seen a friend in a while it’s doubtful that we would say “hey snake what rock have you been living under?” It’s just not our style. While boys were beating each other up on the playground, many women were on the side lines yelling, “don’t do that it hurts.” That doesn’t mean that  girls weren’t  throwing punches but they were few and far between.

By the way, I don’t think anyone really likes a bully do they? I can’t wait to hear your comments. 

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through the web.



While talking with some retailers about their business  they showed me  a thank-you note with the above as the greeting. Inside the note was a small packet of espresso coffee. Really clever huh?

How about World Nutella Day? This isn’t until February 5, 2011 but what could be better? You have plenty of time to buy up all the Nutella for your customers.

How about create your own special day? I just read that  Buca di Beppo is announcing spaghetti day. Is Meatball Day far behind?

I keep thinking I’ve seen everything but it’s not true. There are so many creative and fun ways to thank your customers and most of the great ideas have come from people like yourself.

The holidays are  upon us, it’s time to get in the swing of things. What will you do to thank your customers? Check out foursquare a mobile application for your business.

What is your passion; is it coffee, fishing, hunting, playing golf, making doll houses? Build an event around what you love and it won’t be difficult.

What about your customers; can you build around their passions? Do you know what they love?

Holding on to your  customers is a lot of work. It  takes more than Constant Contact and an email to keep in touch. Connect a video or an offer to your email and create something special. It may take  some creativity on your part but there are plenty of ideas in cyberspace.

Your marketing budget should also include funds for a survey of lost customers or an advisory panel of your customer advocates.  Unless a business is paying very close attention defecting customers will be lost forever. Unfortunately they don’t let you know when they’re leaving. If you believe your business is about outstanding customer service you must practice it 24/7. Don’t forget your on line customer service; the internet is open 24/7 also.

What can you do to give back over the holidays?  Have you thought about caroling? Get a group of customers and take to the streets. The key is to turn customers into evangelists.

How about raising money for your local food pantry? You have plenty of time to plan,  it’s never too early for Christmas in July. Think what you can do for others. Get a group of customers together and deliver meals-on-wheels for the holidays.

What about Memorial Day or July 4th? Everyone is dying to know what you’re doing for the holidays. Drop me your ideas and I’ll post them!

Thank all of your customers

It seems that when times are tough businesses go looking for new customers; the  cost of acquisition can be quite high. If you want to know how much it costs,  just take the cost of your ads and your commercials and divide by the number of people who buy from you. Don’t fool yourself by counting the ones that  come in your store to say hello, count the ones that actually buy. This is called your acquisition cost.

The statistics are that it costs 5 times to get a new customer than it costs to keep an old customer. It has also been said that in the average business you need to bring each customer back at least 5 times before you begin to profit.

I love this example from Action International. If a  bakery spends $300 per week on advertising, and then as a result gets 30 new customers, their acquisition cost per customer is $10. Now if each new customer spends $5 when they come in, and $2.50 of the sale is profit and $2.50 is hard cost, the bakery has actually lost $5 on each new customer. If of those 30 new customers, 20 never came back, the bakery has actually lost $100 on that marketing campaign. No wonder businesses are always asking, how much should I spend on advertising?

Of course businesses need new customers but getting them through  advertising is the hard, expensive way. What’s the answer? Spending time advertising and marketing to your existing customers so they will bring their friends back.

I don’t think this is a new concept, I’m not the only one talking about this for years. The question is why don’t businesses go after their existing customers?

Could it be that a business can go broke because of too many new customers? It would appear so.

There’s gold in those old customers. I think businesses know it but they still hunt, beg, scream, give-it-away or anything to get new customers. How about finding ways to get them back?

A cup of coffee? It’s been said that a cup of coffee is a powerful way to keep your customers coming back. How about  “I would like to espresso my thanks for your business?” I don’t know where I read it but I think it’s powerful. You can also follow up and see who uses your coffee coupons.

By now everyone must have heard of Groupon. If you sign up in your area you get coupons for everything. This week there was a discount on a wine tour. Check out Groupon in your area; maybe this is a good way to market to new and existing customers.

Have fun. Remember the Beanie Baby craze? McDonald’s was overwhelmed with customers for their “Teenie Beanies.” They were such a hit that McDonald’s had people and cars all over the place. How do I know? I was in the line waiting for the new introduction. Hey I heard it may be back.

The most important thing is to stay in touch with your customer. Price Chopper supermarket has a  program called Fuel Advantage with Sunoco. Launched in 2009, consumers can accumulate their points received for buying groceries at Price Chopper across  a 90-day time frame and cash in on their gasoline discount for up to 20 gallons at their convenience. Last week gas cost me $1.60 a gallon!

I received $2.00 off on my purchase at Payless, entered into a sweepstake at Olive Garden and Marshalls. Who wants to miss the BOGO at Payless?

I also got 10% off at Petco because I have 1670 accumulated points from putchasing cat food and kitty litter. I also got $5.00 off at Staples that I used to buy a printer cartridge.  I’ve gotten very coupon conscious lately; everything seems so expensive. I can’t be any different than your customers. The most important thing is to find ways to keep in touch with your customers. Many of you are using send-out-cards; a clever way to stay in touch with your customers using direct mail and others are using video email. I love the video email, I use Talkfusion because it’s easy and fun and has a video conferencing feature and links to Facebook. Check out both of these links.

Tomorrow I fly to Coverings trade show for tile and flooring. If you’re attending, visit me on Wednesday, March 16th, for my seminar, “Customer Retention Strategies” for some new tips. And by the way, I’m flying Southwest because they don’t charge for luggage and they’ll feed me! In case you haven’t noticed, they’re not cheap anymore.

“Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you. He profits most who serves best.”

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

Most people underestimate the sense of smell and the overall effect it has on our emotional, mental and physical state.

Picking the right scent can make a customer want to stay in your establishment; the wrong scent can drive a customer away,  or put your customer in a  bad mood.  Scents can enhance relaxation, create romance, or revive you with energy. Since getting and retaining customers means life or death for a company, paying attention to your company’s “smell” can make a big difference.

I started thinking about my experience with scent marketing and decided to call an expert, David Vahue, owner of the Aire-Master franchise of Albany, New York.

David, how long have you been in the “scent” business? 

My wife and  I started looking at franchise opportunities in all kinds of businesses from  health care to window coverings in 2009. We looked at Aire Master and were very impressed with the product, how it worked and that it used recycled materials.  The product is both unique and proprietary.  Through a chemical reaction, Meelium (the base ingredient) doesn’t mask odors it eliminates them.

Aire-Master was founded by Jerry P. McCauley in 1958 in central Missouri who realized a niche for deodorizing restrooms. The foundation was actually established by Jerry’s grandfather who owned a chemical company in the 20’s. His research and development eventually led to what is now the core Aire-Master system: room deodorizer machines, chemical deodorants, and supplies for use in odor control and commercial hygiene service.

Fiber bars consisting of recycled cloth and recycled paper are treated with a liquid containing a proprietary mix of Meelium and essential oils. As the fan blows over the bar the Meelium is released and chemically attaches to the odor molecules eliminating the smells leaving the essential oils to impart a light fragrance.

How much does scent influence people?

Our sense of smell is very individualized but tests suggest that certain scents can cause changes in our brain waves.  Sloan Kettering Cancer Clinic uses  scents to help people relax.  Mitsubishi added scent to an advertisement, (this is an interesting video on the power of “smell”) and saw sales increase in a declining market.  Most of us are familiar with the “new car smell” and actually link a new car with that “special smell.”

One’s sense of smell is tied to the emotional center of the brain and can trigger a “good or bad” experience for the customer. The olfactory receptors in the bridge of our noses are different shapes and sizes and so some people are more sensitive to scents.

It’s been said that a human being can detect 4000-10,000 different smells. Wine tasters and chefs often have a higher  evolved sense of smell and taste that is learned through their professions.

Scents (good and bad) can affect the customer’s decision making process. So you can see why a business would want to have the right scent for their customers.

Just like music, scents connect to good and bad times in our life. Hospitals are noted for having that “hospital” odor which usually isn’t positive; on the other hand the new car smell goes a long way. 

What should businesses think about when it comes to  scents?

Businesses should first strive to be odor free .  If it smells bad it’s just not good. The problem is that business owners might sense an odor when they first enter their business but soon after they can’t smell it anymore so they think it is gone.  This is called anosmia.   What’s really happening is their olfactory receptors are saturated and they just don’t smell it anymore.

Is there a time when scents are in or out?

There are seasonal holiday fragrances. From November – January cinnamon spice is a good scent as is evergreen. After January, lemon twist has light fragrance and makes us think of Spring and the outdoors. We also have a popular scent called Clean Cotton and it smells like clean laundry.

In the British Journal The Lancet, studies were reported on the benefits of aromatherapy using oil from lavender. It was found to be very relaxing and actually lowering blood pressure.

Do different age groups have different scents they like?

The biggest difference between ages is that as you age your sense of smell diminishes. So in nursing homes and hospitals, people who live there have reduced ability to smell and those who work there develop temporary anosmia. However, the people who are visiting can smell everything.

The biggest challenge is helping people to understand the importance of dealing with bad odors. If they’ve been smelling it too long, they’re used to it. Have you ever gone into a person’s home that has a smelly cat litter box and you wonder how they can live with it? They just don’t smell it anymore; they’ve gotten used to it.

What about gender, do women like different scents than men? 

Scent preferences are very personal. One business used cinnamon spice in one location and no one liked it yet in other places the customers loved it. It’s like buying perfume; a  matter of preference

Think about candle shops in the mall and how they draw you in with their great scents. If you’ve ever been to Lush Handmade Soaps you know the power of wonderful aromas.

Remember it all works together.

How does all of this influence the customers buying pattern?

Understand that there are lots of things that influence a customer to buy;  the type of lighting, music and scent all work together. A scent can be so subtle that it may or not be noticed. Chocolate chip cookies, the smell of bread baking are great scents and usually link to great memories.  Let’s say that your business smells great in the morning but at 2pm  in the afternoon the smell from the nearby dry cleaning establishment just happens to permeate your store. You can bet it will have an influence on your customers.

Not only are people bothered by the scent of the smell but many are concerned about the safety of the smell. When you pump the gas for your car there’s a sign that says the fumes maybe hazardous to your health.

Studies indicate that vanilla is considered a buying scent. According to Alan Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment research foundation, if a product smells good it’s perceived to be a good product. Various other studies, such as those on learning speed, weight loss and product appeal, have made connections between a person’s like or dislike of a scent and its effect on their perception or behavior.

It’s important to know that people like great smells, subtle smells that aren’t over powering and influence how they feel about the buying experience. 

What’s the worst thing a business can do when it comes to scent? 

If a business has an odor problem and they don’t do anything about it. It’s like having layers and layers of dirt. As it piles up it gets worse.  The key is to first get rid of the odor and then replace it with a pleasant one. People expect there to be smells everywhere.  The challenge is finding the right balance of smells.  It’s important that restaurants have lots of good cooking smells because 60% of taste is dictated by our sense of smell. In a restaurant our appetite is increased or diminished by the smell. Often times movie theaters will pipe in a butter popcorn smell to drive customers to the refreshment stand.

Are there some trends David? 

Yes there are Lisbeth  and here are the latest: 

The Scent Marketing Institute http://www.scentmarketing.org/trends/has come up with the top 10 Scent trends:

1.      Feel safe, secure and nostalgic: Talcum powder

2.      Be more alert: Peppermint, citrus

3.      Relax: Lavender, vanilla, chamomile

4.      Perceive a room as smaller: Barbecue smoke

5.      Perceive a room as bigger: Apple, cucumber

6.      Buy expensive furniture: Leather, cedar

7.      Buy a home: Fresh baked goods

8.      Browse longer and spend more: Tailored floral/citrus scents

9.      Develop road rage: Unpleasant smells (rotting rubbish, air pollution)

10.  Become sexually aroused: For men: pumpkin pie/lavender For women: the sweat of nursing mothers

Wow, what great information. It just continues to remind me that  buying is all about emotion and the right scents are another piece of the buying puzzle.

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.

Having fun with your customers

Even great businesses lose 10% of their customers annually. Keeping customers is hard work but without them you don’t have a business. Great businesses go out of their way for their customers.

There are lots of ways to love your customers, through social media and plain old networking events. Consider  holding a networking event at your business and using social media to publicize the event.  

The Internet and social media is all about being shameless. If you want to be noticed you will have to be “out there.” So here’s the question, is bad publicity better than no publicity? Remember on the Internet it’s important to guard your reputation and still get known. One way to guard your reputation is to ask your fans to comment on your blog posts or on your web site.  In other words, stack the deck in your favor.

Have you ever invited your “great customers” to your business or to your house? Of course years ago this was a no-no. The theory, don’t combine business with your personal life. If you haven’t noticed, things have changed;we’ve entered into the “age of transparency.”

I think shop-at-home businesses miss an opportunity if they don’t invite customers to their homes. After all, they invited you to their home didn’t they ? What a great way to  say thank you.

In order to build your business you have to stay in touch. My friend Peter White, is owner of “Portobella Pete’s” a small convenience store in Building 12 at the New York State Department of Labor.    Each year he holds  a  musical performance for his customers outside his store. The performance is offered by Local 14 AFM and is part of their month long series entitled “Jazz Appreciation Month.” It costs Peter but  allows him to thank his customers and advocate something that’s important to him, music in the public schools. Does it take time to organize this event, I’m sure it does but  what a great gift to Peter’s customers.

As in life/business, some people will like you and others won’t. Forget the ones who don’t  and concentrate on the ones that do–they’re called loyal customers. They like you because of who you are and  all your unique quirks.

I recently spoke at an event  at EF Marlburger in Fishers, Indiana called “Girl Talk.” It combined  good food and fun things to buy as well as a CEU class for interior designers offered through the Carpet and Rug Institute.  Karla Shone, A.S.I.D.showroom manager at Marlburgers spent weeks organizing the event but it was well worth it. Her customers loved it.

This week Tim Look owner of Lifestyles Flooring in Dawson, Michigan will be speaking at the Chamber of Commerce and giving away Fabulous Floors Magazines. He said he thought it would be a great way to give his customers new ideas for their floors. Tim also runs “the worst looking shag contest.” The contest is very clever and lots of fun and gets Tim known as a ”70′s buff.”

Fun is good.

You’ve probably heard about Neiman Marcus’s 100 year celebration in 2007. They gave away  their signature chocolate chip cookies  and the recipe. Nice touch.

Want to go out of your way for your customers? Make it fun, different and valuable.

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, activist , entrepreneur, and blogger. She is  author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through video conferences.