A key goal of farm-based business is getting repeat customers and one way to get people to return is to offer service.
“Really effective customer service can be accomplished in a number of ways and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or time,” says Eileen Kotowich, rural business development specialist with Alberta Agriculture in Vermilion.
“It can be as simple as greeting customers with a friendly smile, having the subtle smell of pot-pourri making the place of business more inviting, having a play area for children so parents can shop, or giving advice on how to prepare fresh food products,” she said.
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Sometimes it is hard to differentiate a product from what is offered at the next farm. In that case, service is what will keep customers coming back.
She said a good example of that was found at Sweetgrass Farms, 14 kilometres outside of Stony Plain. During a summer tour of 16 farm direct marketing and agritourism operations in Alberta, Sweetgrass stood out for customized service.
It has more than 50 varieties of lilies in stock and the owners and staff help customers make selections for their gardens so that the lilies will bloom all summer.
When someone asked if they supplied lilies for weddings, their reply was, “We do now,” said Kotowich. The owners also accommodated a group wanting to come out for tea by turning part of a greenhouse into a teahouse.
The service should continue after the customer leaves through appropriate promotion, said marketing adviser John Stanley of John Stanley Associates, Australia.
He told a meeting of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association that promotional strategies fall into two categories – interruption marketing and permission marketing.
Interruption marketing includes marketing methods that interrupt the buyer’s life, using devices such as newspapers, radio announcements and flyers..
But Stanley said permission, or relationship marketing is where businesses will see growth and opportunities. The buyer gives businesses permission to sell to them.
There are four guidelines for effective permission marketing:
- Create a learning relationship with the customer.
- Develop a database to track people.
- Have something to say. Tell a story.
- Always work to develop relationships with the customers.
Stanley suggests that 60 percent of a marketing strategy should be composed of permission marketing and 30 percent interruption. The remaining 10 percent should be reserved for opportunities that may arise, such as trade shows.
Some permission marketing ideas include:
- Start at home – Don’t let advertisements create unrealistic expectations. The business culture should match the marketing message and the staff must be aware of what is expected. For example, if the business promotes friendly, knowledgeable staff, that is exactly what must be provided.
- Create a database – Get the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of customers. Use this list to develop a relationship with them. Let them know of special events, deals or programs.
- Network with other business – Find out where else your customers go and cross-promote. Offer coupons to clients for using the other business and vice-versa.
- Develop a newsletter – Structured in the right way, newsletters can be a useful marketing tool. But keep it short. If it’s longer than a seven-minute read, it could be trashed. Start with an exciting lead story and build stories around a product or service. A map and business information is best situated on the back page.
- Incorporate fun – Customers like to see you having fun.
Kids might enter your business through a special entry designed just for tots, such as a big sign shaped like a teddy bear. Staff can dress up for holidays. Instead of using negative signs, such as “Don’t touch” and “Don’t enter,” use humour, for example, “Customers will be propagated, pruned and potted if they ….”
It’s all about building a customers for life philosophy. When you consider the amount of money a repeat customer will spend at your business over their lifetime, it is clear that relationship building is well worth the effort.
