Owning your own business is something most people only dream of. Through the Paparazzi opportunity, more and more people are discovering the freedom that being your own boss can bring. But, as any successful business owner will tell you, being the boss doesn’t mean your workload magically disappears. It simply means that you have more flexibility in your schedule, your paycheck more accurately reflects the amount of work you put in, and the responsibility of keeping your clientele informed about your business and excited about shopping with you falls on your shoulders.
Do your customers know when you receive new inventory? Are they aware of the current promotions being offered? Have you told your customers where your next booth or party will be so they can come and shop? Do they know that they can earnfree jewelry by being a Hostess?
Communicating with your clientele on a regular basis is incredibly important. Even more important, is making sure that your customers actually receive the communication that you send them. The best way to do so is by paying close attention to how your customers communicate with YOU. Some customers may prefer to connect with you through Facebook chat, others may respond to an email, and some may strictly communicate by text message. Learning how your customers communicate with you will allow you to more effectively connect with them.
For example, let’s say you wanted all of your customers to know that you just received a box of new inventory. You put together a beautiful email campaign with pictures and styling tips, and send it to all of your customers’ email addresses. While some of your customers may check their email on a regular basis, others may not receive the message in a timely manner, or they may miss the news altogether! How much more powerful would that campaign be if it was tailored to your customers’ personal communication style?
Try tracking your customers’ communication trends and see what happens. As a customer sends you a text message, make a note of it. When you receive a Facebook message from another customer, write it down. As you get a response to an email, take notice of the timeframe in which they replied. This will allow you tocustomize your messages going forward and get the most out of them.
Another powerful communication technique is to personalize the delivery whenever possible. Nobody likes the feeling of being bombarded with spam-like messages that are addressed to a large, impersonal group. Try snapping a picture of a new piece of jewelry that you just got in and texting it to a customer you know will love it. Include a quick message like, “I just got this necklace in and it reminded me of something you would wear. Let me know if you’d like me to save it for you!” This reiterates the fact that you have inventory on hand and encourages that spontaneous$5 frenzy that Paparazzi is famous for.
