HOW TO BUILD YOUR CUSTOMER BASE
Follow our guide to supporting existing clients while finding new ones
‘A customer base is the lifeblood of your business – without it, your business is just a hobby,’ says Cathy Conway, co-founder of Beautiful British Designs with Janet O’brien. Together they help British designers to expand their customer base and independent retail outlets to find the best British designers. Here are some of Cathy’s tips for maintaining and increasing your customer base…
Know what you want from your business and adapt as it grows.
‘First of all, work out what you want to achieve. Is success being a big name or do you just want to be able to pay the mortgage? If you want to remain a one-man band, you may need to turn away business. If you want to grow bigger, you will need to produce more products and bring other people on board. You can only do so much yourself.’
Get to know your customers well.
‘If you’re researching your retail customers, go to small shows and meet them. Test out new products on them and gauge their reactions before you take products to the wholesale side.’
Stand out from your competitors.
‘It’s all about relationships. People tend to buy from companies they’re more comfortable with, and companies tend to buy from sellers they know rather than those they don’t. So keep the channels of communication open to help you stand out, as there are so many incredibly talented makers. Shops are spoilt for choice as regards to suppliers, so be reliable and if you can’t supply something, be honest with them.’
Don’t take your stockists for granted.
‘Your stockists support you so give them as much support in return as you can. Use social media to give them a mention.’
Generate new leads.
‘As regards to wholesale, keep records of anyone who shows an interest in stocking your products. Become a collector of business cards and turn them into a database. Then keep in touch with contacts and follow up. You may meet people at trade shows, or you can do research online or pop into shops locally and get to know them. It won’t necessarily be instantaneous – you may chat to a shop owner for five years before they buy from you. It’s all about keeping in touch and keeping the channels open. Don’t just contact the shop once – you need to be visible to them – email them a newsletter, send them a brochure or include them on social media. Break down contacting new businesses into bite-sized chunks – perhaps contacting five a day or five a week, whatever you can easily manage.’
Network as much as you can.
‘Networking happens everywhere. My business partner Janet and I attend networking groups for support and find local networking groups good, too. You never know who people might know. If people ask what you do, give them an elevator pitch – tell them what you do without boring them. If people want to know more, they’ll ask. Also, find out where the businesses that you want to network with are due to be – they may be at upcoming trade shows. You can network anywhere.’
Use social media wisely.
‘Social media is really important. But as a small business you can’t do everything, so pick the platform you or your customers use the most. It’s better to use one or two well rather than lots poorly. But above all, follow up, follow up, follow up. Shop owners are small business owners, too, so remember they’re just as busy as you are!’ Beautiful British Designs 01373 461219 beautifulbritishdesigns.com.