My daughter and I have a long-standing tradition of Friday Night Take Out. For a long time, we almost EXCLUSIVELY chose to visit a sushi restaurant just a block from our house. If I had to guess, we were some of their top customers. But we eventually stopped going – and it wasn’t because we got bored of sushi (that will never happen). And no, the staff didn’t do something to offend us. We stopped going because they had absolutely no idea who we were. Every Friday night we’d make the walk over, swing open the door, and would see the faces of the same staff we saw every previous Friday. But they had NO IDEA who WE were. They stared at us blankly as though they hadn’t taken our order 3 times earlier that month. We spent a considerable amount of money there each week, but we weren’t rewarded for it. They never asked for our contact info to send us special updates and offers. We did not feel valued in the least, and actually started to feel unimportant.
For you, your Rewards program is one of your strongest competitive advantages. And like we said in the main newsletter, growing your database is NEVER ‘finished’. Your staff must always be focused on new Rewards Members and one of the best, most cost-effective, ways you can help them is with program signage. Yes, it is possible that the sushi restaurant had a Rewards program… but if they did, I had no idea that it existed. And signage could have changed that.
Be on a Constant Rotation
You must rotate and refresh your program signage regularly. We’ve heard your feedback and have recently added many new signage design options. If you haven’t ordered new signage in the last 4-6 months, do it now and consider trying something new. If you currently have table stickers try table tents. If you’ve got posters hanging on the wall, use a floor stand in your lobby or entrance. Another great place? Inside bathroom stalls. You’ve got undivided attention.
Use Cost Effective EASY Options
We recently started offering, business card size handouts to promote your Rewards Program. Why? They are the perfect size to hand out at will (at your front counter, by your staff, at local events, as tables are seated, stapled to take out boxes or other packaging). They include ALL the info your customers need to join the program and they are cost effective enough that you don’t have to worry about getting them back.