No matter what niche or industry you’re in, having a successful business is dependent on building a good relationship with your customers.
You produce quality products. You help your customers fill a need in their life or solve a problem. And you strive to provide good customer service and a pleasant experience with every interaction.
PHOTO OF PEOPLE IN SUITS AT FANCY CORPORATE EVENT
All important. And vital to your business’s success and profitability.
But you can take it to the next level by actively building a relationship with each customer, especially those who are repeat buyers or high-ticket item buyers. This an extension of customer service in a way.
It’s important that you identify your best customers – and reward them for their loyalty with special offers, exclusive products, and more. You can bet they’ll become even more of a fan of your business – and refer you to others – as a result of getting this VIP treatment.
A very effective way of creating that bond with your customers is through events.
Take for example my work with Breitling, the luxury watchmaker, where I worked prior to setting out on my own as the Event Managing Director with Starfish Events. As Breitling’s event coordinator for the Caribbean I put together parties, grand openings, and other events for retailers who carried the products throughout the region.
You can bet this made Breitling’s best customers happy – and caught the attention of people who weren’t customers before but are certainly thinking about it now.
But this works in many different types of industries and niches, from retailers to product manufacturers to Internet and software companies, and many more. Basically, no matter what business you’re in you could most likely boost your bottom line with the right event tailor made to make your best customers happy.
So what types of events work? The main rule is that you want your customers to feel special. This should be a classy, VIP experience with a personal level of service.
There is more flexibility on location. Here in The Bahamas, if you’re a local business or have outlets here, you could throw a party at your location. You could rent out a restaurant for a dinner or take over a nightclub. A beach barbecue is very appealing to many people. And you can’t go wrong with an afternoon out on the water with charted boat, complete with open bar and gourmet food. You could even have multiple events over several days – that’s a lot to keep track of.
A professional planner is key here in helping you sort out the details as far as securing the best venue, getting delicious food, hiring the right entertainment, and more. A planner can put together a schedule to keep you on track and make sure everything runs smoothly throughout the event.
During the event it’s vital that your company staff are professional and courteous – put your best foot forward. They should be knowledgeable about your company’s products and able to answer any questions. And the “branding” of your business should be very prominent. You want to make sure everybody who is attending knows who you are and why they should continue to do business with you.
Finally, your goal for the event – creating lifelong fans and repeat customers – should be very clear from the beginning and guide everything you and your event planner do as you put together this event.
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