1. The Concept

Lets try to further discuss the concept behind this customer loyalty program. With a rewards-based customer loyalty program, the customer will have fun spending more on your company due to your companys promise that the bigger points the a loyal customer receives from their purchases the greater the rewards that they will soon get from the company. From having free expensive designer items to even an all-expenses paid grand vacation trip courtesy of the company. It really doesn’t matter – the point is, it is a small amount to pay considering the years of loyal purchases that these customers have brought in to your company. Of course, this all sounds good on paper, but a truly excellent loyalty program doesn’t just pamper customers, it entices them to continue patronizing your business, or even tell their friends about it, offering your business some invaluable word-of-mouth advertising.

2. Rebate Programs

A less fancy customer loyalty programs is the rebate program. This is wherein the customer will be able to get a percentage back from the amount of their purchases as coupons that they can use to pay for more stuff from your company. It really is a simpler customer loyalty program as compared to the rewards system. Not only will it be easier on your company’s pocketbooks, it will also give your business some added profits because through the rebate customer loyalty program your customers will, in the end, end up spending more on your company because the coupons cannot be exchanged for real currency or used anywhere else. In actuality, there is no real incentive for customers to use the program.

3. Loyal = Profitable?

A lot of people still view being able to provide your loyal customers with great service does not automatically ensure a company that their customers will stay. This is why there is a great need for an effective (but still profit-oriented) customer loyalty program. While great customer service can result in a customer making a purchase more than once, a well-designed customer loyalty program will ensure they wouldn’t even ever dream of going to your competitors, and in fact, would even recommend friends to use your services.

4. The What If’s

The biggest concern that most CEO’s have is thus: a strong customer loyalty program can keep customers that are already loyal loyal, but what about the next generation of shoppers? And even worse, an ill-planned loyalty program, built with little or no data about your existing loyal customers, will be doomed to fail. Find ways to collect this incredibly important data months in advance of launching your program. Invest heavily in a statistics specialist, and ensure he has the latest statistics software such as SPSS. Remember, even if you have an abundance of data, it will be completely useless to you if you can’t make sense of it. Worse still is having data that wasn’t collected scientifically to be an accurate representation of the population being sampled.

Establishing A Customer Loyalty Program is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

Teams have complete ownership of their accounts, with each team empowered to decide how to work with each of their customers and bring together each service function such as accounting, sales and service into a single team structure to serve all the needs of the specific customers assigned to them based on a mindset of continuous improvement in customer experience. Teams are empowered to take corrective actions to resolve day-to-day problems and have direct access to information that allows them to plan, control and improve their operations. The teams manage themselves and work within the team is generally allocated on the basis of skills and strengths, rather than just job title. This enables a team to provide fast turnaround on all a customer’s issues and concerns. By self managing, like players on a pitch during a team game, the managers role becomes that of coach, developing skills and knowledge rather than simply directing and controlling actions.

Working in customer focused teams interdependence and joint responsibility for outputs become the goal and thus instead of organizing work traditionally from the top down, reducing processes to individual steps work becomes structured around whole processes. Traditional approaches reduce the required skill at every level of work leading to boring and repetitive tasks, but team based approaches are more likely to consider the fit of team members with the work to be done with those closest to the jobs agreeing the jobs specifications.

The advantages of ownership and self management include customers being more comfortable knowing who they will deal with, and teams gaining in-depth knowledge of the needs of each customer because of improved internal communications as team members understand the customers expectations and share information, realizing there is no advantage in hoarding knowledge as their pay will be affected by their customers results on their own companys profitability.

Self managing teams do not just happen and they are not an easy answer. Teams go through several stages on their way to self-management and it can take two or more years to achieve this objective. Comprehensive training in basic management skills such as problem solving and decision making is critical, as is functional cross training so they can manage their own processes.

To fully realize their potential, teams need not only to be cross-functional but also need to be managed by entrepreneurial and experienced managers who understand that they exist to provide greater profitability for their company by providing better customer experience to their companys clients or customers and to this end support and drive team initiatives, including playing an active role in building an ongoing working relationship with the customers management.

Teams also must not become customer silos rather than functional silos and must work on sharing policies, systems and processes and people so that the results of winning teams – those that provide increased customer satisfaction together with superior profitability and increasing volume are quickly tested and replicated elsewhere. To achieve this senior management needs need to fine tune structure, roles, processes and systems to meet the ever-changing needs and increasing complexity of both the customers business and their own.

Senior management also have to set the tone and reality teams exist to provide greater profitability for their company by providing better customer experience to their companys clients or customers.

To achieve these corporate goals teams must:

1. Make customer satisfaction their top priority.

2. Have a common understanding of the organization’s vision and mission and their role in that.

3. Understand the roles of individual members within the team as well as its role with the organization.

4. Work together to plan, make decisions and resolve differences and build trust.

5. Understand what is and is not possible and walk before they try to run

6. Set goals for continuous improvement in inputs, processes, outputs and measured results.

It is in this last area that CRM software such as Customer FOCUS [ http://www.e-crm.co.uk/crm/customer_focus/customer_focus.htm ] can really help.

Customer Focus Teams is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

As noted, you might expect a hot towel in a Japanese restaurant or on a flight but how about in the dentist chair just after the hygienist has stretched your mouth into unnatural shapes to chisel that last piece of plaque from your teeth? Nice and warm, with the light sent of lemon–that would be remarkable wouldn’t it? How might that change what you tell your friends about your trip to the dentist? Simple thing. Only costs a few cents. But it could lead to a number of referrals. What would your customers tell their friends if you gave them a hot towel?

According to Jason Stark of White Towel Services, the majority of his customers are dentists. Dentists that understand that filling your cavity is a commodity–any one of a thousand dentists could it. But having a remarkable experience in their office– that is something that nobody can compete with.

So what do your customers remember about your business? Do they experience something remarkable enough to tell their friends about? For some businesses it might be their concept. For example, Entrees Made Easy provides the ingredients and recipes for several meals to its customers making it easy and quick for them to create great tasting home cooked meals. The concept is new, innovative, and needed in today’s hectic world. Those that try it can’t wait to tell their friends.

Thankfully, an innovative new concept isn’t the only way to be remarkable. The sad fact is that good service is so rare, any company that does provide it is remarkable. I read just yesterday in a column by John DiJulius about Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (27 restaurants in 7 states). What I read wasn’t about their food or their concept (though with further research I learned both are amazing). What I read about was their customer service. They seem to realize that indeed the customer is the emperor and the emperor doesn’t like to be told “no.” Their promise: “The answer’s yes..now what’s the question?” Given their growth, I think their customers remember that kind of service and find it remarkable enough to tell their friends.

Still wondering what is remarkable about your business? Here is a suggestion: ask your customers. Ask them if they would recommend you to a friend and if so why? Then listen carefully.

How ever you figure it out, do it quickly. Being remarkable is not just a good idea– it is absolutely required for any business to both survive and grow.

Customer as Emperor is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

We are concerned here, however, with custom printing of tapes for business purposes. Companies can for example, use packaging tapes and barrier tapes for brand building and other promotional purposes.

Custom Printed Tapes for Packaging

Packaging tapes are used when a product needs to be packed in cartons or paper packages before shipment. The tape goes wherever the package goes, and can act as a messenger for the company’s messages.

The message can differ in its intent. It might just consist of handling instructions as when it says ‘FRAGILE’. It can serve as a label, say, ‘REJECTED’ in bold red. It can identify the product in the package.

The one message that all marketing oriented companies will want, however, is a brand-building or promotional message. Custom printed tapes with the company’s logo, name and contact details can help create brand recognition. Where space permits, as in the case of the wider gummed paper tapes, even product advertisements can be accommodated on the printed tapes.

The advantage of custom printing of packaging tapes with brand-building and other promotional messages is that many people see it during its transit. Many of them might be interested in the product and can become customers.

And at the destination, a high quality packaging tape with high quality printing can impress the customer, and reinforce the company brand in his mind.

Custom Printed Barrier Tape

Barrier tapes are used in public places. They have attention-catching designs, and are comparatively wider. When used by governmental agencies like the police department, the tapes typically carry such messages as ‘Don’t cross the line’ warning passersby that the enclosed area is a restricted place, such as a crime scene.

When used by companies at worksites and outdoor events, barrier tapes, like other custom printed tapes, can serve as brand-building and business promotional media. Their public location, highly visible patterns and wide printing areas make them ideal for these purposes. For example, a wide yellow tape that carries a quality printed company logo, name and contact number will be highly visible.

When erected at worksites, the tapes come to be associated with performance. Observers will become aware that the company is a performer, not just a talker.

Properly used, custom printed barrier tapes can also serve a promotional function at outdoor events and campaign venues.

Conclusion

Custom printed tapes can serve a strictly utilitarian function, like the packaging tape that highlights package handling instructions or a barrier tape that warns passersby not to cross a line into, say, a crime scene under police control.

From a business point of view, it is the brand building and promotional aspects that might be more important. Custom printed packaging tapes can carry the company logo, name and contact number during its transit. Custom printed barrier tapes at public locations can catch the eye of the passersby with their arresting designs, and project the company brand or promote its product.

Custom Printed Tape is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

You can of course use the printing option to print customized handling instructions and such routine purposes. However, the real value lies in using them to promote your brand and products.

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Custom Printed Packing Tapes

To be effective, the promotional messages need some special attention. They must be designed tastefully and for high visibility. The printing and background color must be selected carefully. The elements of the message should be laid out for immediate comprehension and strong impact.

Your message will then attract attention and be understood clearly by several people during its transit. If you ship thousands of packages and these go to many different destinations, there is every possibility that it will be seen by persons who are looking for just the product or service you are offering.

The contact details, if immediately visible, can then help these persons to contact you. You then get the opportunity to convert this person into a new customer.

Even if no such sales take place, your brand will gain recognition. The strong-impact branding message will imprint itself on the minds of many persons, living at distant places.

Custom Printed Packing Tape

Packing tapes are made with different kinds of materials, such as paper, polypropylene, vinyl, PVC, and so on. They might be adhesive tapes or strapping tapes. Adhesive tapes use different kinds of glues, such as acrylic and rubber-based, depending on requirements such as speed and strength of adhesion.

Understand your specific packing needs. Are the packages lightweight, medium weight, or heavyweight? Do you use single-wall or multi-wall or corrugated cartons? Are the packages likely to be under or over packed at times? All these factors affect the kind of packing tape that you should use.

Select the right kind of packaging tape that will handle your packing requirements well. Then attend to the converting them into promotional media.

Narrow tapes might allow only a little information to be visible at a time. Just your logo and name, and probably a contact phone number, might be all that it can accommodate. Wider tapes provide more real estate to build your design.

It is important that the design should be tasteful, and highly visible. Do you have the needed design expertise? If not, it is better to call upon the specialized design experience of the packaging tape supplier. They would typically be able to design and deliver custom printed packaging tapes that effectively convey your promotional message.

Each kind of material, and other specifications of the packing tape, can affect the design to be used.

Don’t waste the opportunity to promote your business. Custom printing of the packing tapes is not likely to cost all that much more than plain packing tapes.

Conclusion

Custom printed packing tapes can help your promote your business through brand building and product promotion. Develop (or have developed) an excellent design that conveys your brand, name, and message in a tasteful and highly visible manner.

A strong impact, immediately understood, and highly visible message will attract attention of people who come to see your packages on their way to their destinations. Your brand will come to be recognized more widely, and you might even get new customers.

Custom Printed Packing Tape Builds Your Brand and Sells Your Products is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

Let us face it, as consumers we love custom packaging. Something unique and individual that helps pull us into the world of that product. And there is something strangely wonderful about shrink wrappings. It conveys that valuable message: This product was made for you and no one else. And ripping that shrink wrapping makes us truly take ownership of the product.
However, as much as we as consumers may like these things, we as business people understand that custom packaging and even shrink wrappings bring with them unique costs that must be evaluated. Custom packaging may require the use of industrial designers, it may require extra rounds of testing; and shrinking wrappings involve an extra layer of costs which may not be required on all products.

Custom packaging may also present storage and shipping problems. A custom package may not be as easy stacked on a warehouse floor, or as easily prepared for shipping. And although custom packaging often attracts consumers, it may do the opposite. For this reason, your product may need to go through focus group testing on the custom packaging alone. Another cost.
But, on the other hand, we all know a square box can be dull; and we all know that products without shrink wrappings look “cheaper” to many consumers. So where does that leave us?
It leaves us where we often find ourselves when faced with any business decision. It leaves us forced to weigh our options. However, we think there are series of questions you might consider which can help you weigh your options in smart and efficient manner.

In regards to custom packaging, ask yourself these questions: Is your product unique? Does your product require some special understanding or explanation? Does your product appeal to an upscale market? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, then we feel that custom packaging should be considered. Unique products, products which require special explanation, or upscale products can benefit from custom packaging.

In regards to shrink wrappings, ask yourself these questions: Is the product perishable or viewed as perishable? Could handling the product by others easily damage it? And does cleanness or sterility play a role in the use of your product? Again, a “yes” answer to any of these questions means you should at least consider the use of shrink wrappings.

We hope this brief article has helped you get a handle on some of the issues you need to confront when making packaging decisions. Custom packing and shrink wrappings can add value and appeal to your product, but they come with a unique set of costs. Only by properly examining your product and its customer base will you be able to determine if your product is worth this additional expense.

Custom Packaging and Shrink Wrappings: An Important Role In Selling Your Product is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

But a custom lapel pins purpose is not solely as an effective merchandising or advertising tool. Lets look at a few different types so that you can get some ideas for uses in your own organization or group.

Sporting

Trading pins are the hottest item going for youth sports teams these days. This is a great and economical hobby for younger adults and also a good way for them to achieve a sense of pride as they develop and expand their collection.

Awareness

Ribbon pins are a great way to show your support for any you support. If you company or group is looking to promote a specific cause, you can even include a logo on any custom ribbon pin.

Awards & Recognition

Business

Award pins are an inexpensive way to recognize and celebrate someones achievements such as meeting quota, outstanding attendance, or the success of an entire department. Whatever the occasion, you can create and order award pins that your and your employees will be proud of. A custom lapel pin is an excellent way to reward those individuals or teams for hard work and acknowledge their victories.

Additionally, giving an employee a recognition pin for a job well done can greatly benefit the productivity and moral of the entire company. Studies have proven that happy employees, especially those that know they are appreciated, work better and harder. Custom-made company recognition pins are an affordable way to show your employees that you care about what they are doing, boost moral and help promote your business.

Education

Schools recognizing honor roll, deans list or any other achievement of merit can utilize award pins as an acknowledgement tool. School is a challenge with so many new things to learn about and it takes hard work to be a successful student. Merit pins are also a great way to build confidence and keep the motivation level up so that the students keep striving to perform to the best of their ability.

There are many online retailers who would be more than happy to help you create the perfect custom lapel pin for your organizations needs. These pins can be made from different materials including brass or stainless steel and can also be designed and shaped with unique molding and coloring techniques based on artwork supplied by your organization.

Custom Lapel Pins Incredible Promotional Tool is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

Its all because your car is still brand new car. The engine is totally new. But, when your car starts to go over ten seven thousands miles, you will feel that your engine performance starts to decrease although you service your car frequently, according the service book from your car dealer. The best way to keep and enhance your car performance is to add car air intake to your car. Car air intake will enhance the intake of fresh air to your car so your engine can keep cool during long, long journey.

Enhance your car performance is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

Before we can calculate the cost, we need to know what a qualified lead is. A qualified lead will have to satisfy four different criteria.

a) The person must need your product or service. There absolutely has to be a use for the item.

b) The person has to be able to pay for the item.

c) The person is a decision maker. Or at least can exert a strong influence to make a purchase.

d) The person knows when to make the purchase

Anyone who satisfies any of these areas can be a potential customer. And chasing this customer is called lead development. So how much must you spend to generate a qualified lead from among the people you target? Some examples of expenses incurred may be in the form of advertisements, labor, postage, or phone bills. Whatever method of customer interaction you use, they all cost money. If a meeting is required before a lead can be qualified, regard that too as a cost. They can be in the form of transport cost, car parking fees, brochure and calling cards.

Not all inquiries can be qualified. The people that make these inquiries simply cannot be reached. They could be on vacation, ignoring you, too busy, not serious, or just didn’t meet the four criteria listed earlier. Assume, about 15% of all inquiries cannot be qualified. That leaves about 75% of the people you can reach. Of this 75% of the people you get in contact, let us assume that the average qualification rate would be about 20%. So we can safely say that 20% of those you interact will become qualified leads.

Example on how your calculated the cost of a qualified leads

Number of inquiries: 100
Number that qualify: 75
Cost of qualifying, per inquiry: $20
Number who turns out to be qualified leads (20%): 15
Total cost of qualifying ($20 X 75): $1,500
Campaign cost of $10,000 + qualifying cost = $11,500
Total cost of $11,500 divided by 15 qualified leads = $766.66

In short, you must invest $766.66 to attract each customer who needs your product or service. This amount varies from industry to industry, but its more a less a very significant amount and it is to your best interest to improve the percentage of qualified leads.

One great idea to improve your percentage of qualified leads is to offer a gift to the people that made an inquiry. Ensure you choose the gift that will enable people to remember you and has your contact printed on it. The gifts need not necessary be expensive as long as they can improve chances of qualified leads.

Assuming you budget $2.00 a lead, and decide to give promotional pens with your logo and contact printed on it. The calculation of cost of qualified leads will now look like this:

Number of inquiries: 100
Number that qualify: 75
Cost of qualifying, per inquiry: $20 + $2 (cost of pen) = $22
Number who turn out to be qualified leads (24%): 18 (Assume gifts improve your chances by 4%)
Total cost of qualifying ($22 X 75): $1,650
Campaign cost of $10,000 + qualifying cost = $11,650
Total cost of $11,650 divided by 18 qualified leads = $647.20

Wait a minute. Cost for 15 qualified leads without gifts was $766.66. Cost for 18 qualified leads with gifts is now $647.20 This is a $119.46 savings with extra 3 more qualified leads!

Now let us consider another angle of calculating the cost of chasing a lead. Suppose we need to qualify a lead by paying a customer a visit. This will incur transport, labor, and car parking cost. It is reasonable to assume that it will cost $50 per trip. Add the cost of the campaign, which includes brochures, marketing materials, samples and the cost of the name card. Assume these materials cost another $30. In total, the cost of qualifying this lead is $80.

If the customer is not sure if he or she needs this product or service, this trip can be totally be wasted. Once you walk away from the customer, your marketing materials may end up in the trash can. Your call card may end up buried under piles of name cards. But the situation can be salvaged when you leave a gift behind. Especially if it is a well chosen and practical gift, it almost never ends up in the trash can nor buried under piles of rubbish. It stays in front of the customers desk.

Immediately you chances of this customer turning into a qualified lead somewhere in the future increases! Assuming you choose the same $2.00 pen as a gift. With an extra 2.5% percent of the total cost, you have increased the odds by many times.

There are many angles of which you can analyze the cost of chasing a lead. But when you factor giving as part of your strategy, most of the time, you can drive down the cost of chasing a lead. In a recent American Express Survey conducted by OPEN, budgets for client and customer gifts rose 15% in 2005. This clearly demonstrates that businesses are realizing the value of gifts and are actively making giving as a priority in their marketing strategy.

This is the amazing value of gifts that will help you improve your lead qualification, but your lead generation as well. Practice giving today, and expect it to reduce cost and increase sales. It may just put you in a position never achieved before.

Calculate the Cost of Chasing a Lead. Reduce it by Giving is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com

The billboard poster prints in particular are among the most prestigious form of advertising that helps every business to effectively deliver their messages to their targeted audience. Moreover with the aid of the billboard poster printing processes businesses are able to come up with their desired billboard poster prints.

The development processes and methods applied for billboard poster printing services make use of high quality materials and groundbreaking printing equipments. Primarily the printing process and methods involves the following:

1. Materials the papers, inks, colors and printing substrates. The application of this makes a more striking billboard prints. The papers used are of great quality that offers a greater tear resistance and easier handling. In relations with the inks applied, each outdoor poster are printed with UV stable solvent inks that makes the material to have far more contrast and high impact.

2. Utilization of the different printing processes mainly this entail the application of printing processes such as digital printing, screen printing, color printing, offset and custom printing. Though they may have different features and developmental processes they can all work out to develop attention grabbing prints.

3. Mounting and lamination this is efficiently used to protect the designs, colors and inks applied.

Sequentially with the many processes involved you can produce quality billboards that will localize your marketing means. Additionally you can also give your billboard campaign tool the edge by simply customizing the messages and designs for every targeted location.

The coming up of different printing companies had paved to provide lots of significant benefits that had been very helpful to businesses. However not all of them can provide you with what you are in need of. They may not be the company whom you can trust your printing needs. So if you want to have a quality printed billboard poster prints and a company who has the knowledge for billboard poster printing processes you have to perfectly look for a company that can give you all your needs.

Billboard Poster Printing Its Methods and Developmental Processes is a post from: Marketing Blogs | Albrowmarketing.com