1-888-353-5012I’m working on decluttering my garage. I am not someone who buys a lot of things I don’t need, and I’m generally pretty good at getting rid of what I no longer use. But somehow, my garage is the final resting place for all the things that don’t have a home. An over time, it just… fills up.
Last weekend I worked through all the chaos in the main line of sight until I found myself looking at a pile of dusty bins and boxes in the back, many I hadn’t opened or even laid eyes on in years. As I started to sort through them, it was inevitable that I came across Christmas decorations.
Over the years, I’ve inherited a variety of decorations; first from my grandparents and then from my parents. This was one of those boxes. It was not from the pile we pull out every year… it was the real oldies. And while it totally derailed my efforts for the hour, it took me deep into the past and unearthed a TON of memories I had long forgotten about.
Christmas decorations are funny that way. As you pull them out, it’s almost as though you are transported back in time. Of course, it brought me back to the smells and the sounds, but it also gave me another overwhelming feeling of missed opportunity. Why was I not using these every year!?
And this experience is not unique to Christmas decorations. Every once in a while, I stumble across something I forgot I owned; a piece of clothing, a tool, a book… something that had been tucked away on a shelf or hiding in the back of a closet for years.
“WHY did I EVER stop using this?”
Apparently vintage ceramic Christmas trees are making a comeback. The funny thing is, I had one tucked away in my garage the whole time…I just hadn’t thought about it in years.
My first thought is almost always the same: “I forgot I had this.” My second thought? “Why did I ever stop using it?” The funny thing is, there was never anything wrong with the item. I didn’t replace it because I found something better. It simply faded into the background until one day I saw it again and remembered how great it is.
Sometimes we stop using things because we’ve found something better, but that’s not always true. Sometimes life just gets busy. Things get put away. New routines take over. Before long, something we genuinely enjoyed is just forgotten, faded into the background.
I hadn’t stopped liking these things. I hadn’t replaced them with better ones. They had simply fallen out of my routine.
And that is exactly what happens with many of our customers. If you’ve been a Royalty Rewards® merchant for awhile, you’ve probably heard us talk about your business as a leaky bucket. We are all constantly losing customers, but customers rarely disappear because they suddenly stopped liking you. More often, life simply happened. Schedules got busy. Habits changed. A competitor sent an offer at the right moment. Another business stayed visible while you went quiet. It’s often a simple explanation: they just stopped thinking about you.
It happens to everyone, including me. I’ve spent my entire working career working with Independent Operators and am intentional when deciding which businesses I spend money at. A few years ago, I moved…not far… to a new neighbourhood about 10 min away and it totally derailed my regular routines. I had a great restaurant around the corner that I visited or got takeout from at least every month. The move was only 10 minutes away and you’d think I’d still go there all the time. But somehow… I didn’t. It wasn’t because I had a bad experience. The food hadn’t changed. My life and routine changed and with nothing to counteract it, the restaurant quietly slipped off my radar.
From the Restaurant Owner’s perspective, I became a “lost customer.” They had no idea I’d moved, no idea why I stopped coming, and no practical way to remind me they were still there or invite me back.
BREAKING NEWS
Nobody
Wakes Up
Thinking About
YOUR Business
Your customers are BUSY. They are consumed with work, family schedules, errands, holidays, and dozens of other things all competing for their attention.
In the middle of all that noise, your business is fighting for a small piece of mental real estate.
The good news? Staying visible is a skill… not luck. Call your Royalty Rewards® Coach Today at 1-888-353-5012 and leverage all the tools available to support your business.
Thankfully, YOU aren’t in the position of that Restaurant Owner. YOU have the power of your Royalty Rewards® Database. Your Royalty Rewards® program is a COMPLETE marketing solution, and our most successful clients know that top of mind isn’t something you achieve once and keep forever. It’s something you maintain.
With email, text messaging, direct mail, and mobile communications at your fingertips, you have multiple ways to stay connected with your customers throughout the year. When a regular customer hasn’t visited for a while, they too become a “Lost Customer”, but unlike most businesses, you don’t have to wonder where they went. You have the ability to identify them, reach out, and give them a reason to come back.
In fact, Lost Customers are often one of the biggest untapped opportunities in your business. Acquiring a brand-new customer is difficult. It takes time, effort, and significant marketing dollars. Reconnecting with someone who already knows, likes, and trusts your business is often much easier….and far more cost-effective.
Check out our next article on all the ways your Royalty Rewards® Coach can help ensure your business is never simply ‘forgotten about’.