Prospecting Your Customer
It’s not just about reading minds, but it can be as simple as observing a customer. According to research, nearly two-thirds of new customers who were questioned said they would like retailers to watch them while they shop and use market research tools to ask them questions.
A recent study by the National Retail Federation found that people prefer in-store visits over online shopping and that more than half the respondents preferred one-on-one visits with associates or salespeople.
So what does that mean for your store? Well, you need to be able to prospect your customers so you know who is coming through your doors and what their needs are before they even walk in the door.
Leading with a good product blend
According to a study by Retail Systems International, when customers open the door to their store, they are looking for value.
A good product blend plays a big role in making sure your business has a solid foundation for success. Just ask Darlene Juday-Laird, who runs her business on the Internet. Juday-Laird started looking online after having bad experiences at traditional brick and mortar stores back in the early 1990s.
Today her line of handmade, local jewelry is known by many as one of the best quality and value found online. Juday-Laird says she’s able to offer value because she has an excellent product mix.
“We carry about 175 items, but only about eight items for each category,” Juday-Laird said. “We have a sterling silver line, a fine silver line and an antique silver line for bracelets. We don’t compete with ourselves in the same category of jewelry that uses the same metal; we keep that variety small. So we have a lot of people who will shop just on one area of interest or one size of bracelet and then branch out to other areas and buy other sizes or products we sell.”
Juday-Laird says a good product mix is an important aspect of her business. Not only does it give repeat customers a place to come back for other products but it also helps attract new customers who are looking for value.
“I think we have a very good product mix, and that’s why we do so well at retail shows,” Juday-Laird said. “We don’t compete with anybody at retail shows. It’s nice not to have to compete with anybody because people are there looking for value and new things just out on the market or limited editions that they might not be able to find anywhere else. It’s nice to have something for everybody.”
This is the complete article and photo credit: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/getting-to-know-your-customers-by-judaylaird?trk=hp-feedname&authuser=0&ptr=Michigan%2C%20JudayLaird
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:02 PM
I am gearing up for my first show in this new season of 2011 and 2012, that being the Greater Detroit Home & Garden Show and show off some new garden ideas I've been working on.
The show was this past weekend and it was very crowded! We had a lot of good leads for new customers for the future. I'll be working on some more photos soon.
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 6:10 PM
Several years ago when I first started my photography business, I got a call from a local animal hospital. They were in need of several new staff members and they had found me through my website.
I went to the hospital to meet them and talk about the type of photos they were looking for and what the job entailed. They wanted photos of their staff doing various tasks and the background was important. I received the job and went back to set up my studio to work on their project.
I shot many hours of photos in their building and then they brought me back again to shoot more photos by themselves, each in a different area of the building. It was very interesting to see how one photo taken from a certain angle could look completely different than another photo taken from a different angle.
In this last photo, you see two men standing side by side, yet one shows up much larger than the other when duplicated onto the computer screen.
posted on August 4, 2011 at 2:54 PM
This is one of the fun challenges I had with my son's senior portraits. He didn't want a boring old portrait sitting in a room or on a bench of some sort and that is where I come in as the photographer.
Well, we went to our favorite place around here for outdoor shots and that would be our local golf course. The lighting was right on this late summer afternoon, so we took advantage of it. He had a lot of fun out there and so did I. Plus, he got to show off his clubs and a few golf shots that he was proud of.
posted on July 26, 2011 at 2:02 PM
I recently had the opportunity to get to travel and photograph a wedding at the Fairmont Hotel in Panama City Beach. It was a special event for me as this was my first trip there as a professional photographer.
I enjoyed making new friends and traveling together with my bride to be. Plus, I was able to make some new contacts while there and that is always a plus when you are photographing events.
After the wedding, we stayed out on the beach by the hotel pool area where they were serving food and drinks until it was time to head back home. It was a great day, one that I will never forget.
posted on July 16, 2011 at 10:55 PM
I recently photographed a wedding at the Chateau LeLac Resort in St. Augustine, Florida. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors and photo shoots are always fun and easy going when it is not too hot outside or raining.
It was a memorable event for me as I was able to photograph this wedding right on the grounds of the resort where my wife got her own wedding done years ago over 15 years ago.
We had fun out there and that is what it's all about when you get to travel for work like I do often.
Conclusion
In the end, if you want to be successful in photography, you need to have a good product, know your product and never stop learning. You also need to be able to find other ways of marketing your business besides just price. I've known good photographers who get out there and do things for charities and that has a lot of pluses when it comes to being successful with your business.
posted on July 8, 2011 at 6:06 PM
I recently began offering my photography services for free to an organization that does have some monetary restrictions but still needs some professional portraits taken for their upcoming events. It was a fun day when we were shooting because they were comfortable with me right away.