Melvin Feller MA Explains How to get Customers to Return More Often

Melvin Feller MA Explains How to get Customers to Return More Often

According to Melvin Feller, all of your heavy marketing costs are incurred on the front end of your marketing program, and since that is the case, you now can begin reaping the real profits by getting your customer to come back and buy more!

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

One of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses commit is the failure to capture the names and addresses of everyone that comes into their business regardless of whether they make a purchase or not.

It boggles Melvin Feller’s mind when he talks to these business and hears how many businesses fail to do this. Melvin Feller concludes they will spend thousands of dollars on advertising to bring new customers into their business and then they do not even bother to capture their name or address.

You must understand these names are pure gold. They have paid for them, and they have paid a lot… doesn’t it make sense to capture them?

Even if these customers did not buy anything from you these businesses, the fact that those customers came into the business or practice, or responded to an ad, means they are at least interested in a product or service. They have qualified themselves as a prospect. Businesses do not want to let them escape, and force yourself to spend a bundle to bring them back, when a letter with a postage stamp can get the job done far more efficiently.

Therefore, the absolute crucial, never fail, must do, number one strategy for increasing frequency of purchase is…

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Capture the Name and Address of Every Customer, Client, Patient,
 or Prospect that Graces Your Enterprise in Any Way!

Of course capturing the data is the first step, and then you actually have to figure out what you want to say to them to bring them back!

Once again, one of the best ways to get your customers to come back more often is to…

Ask them to!

In addition, when you do, give them a reason to come back. This can take many forms.
The obvious is the sale but why not be a little more creative than that.

You can hold a special event.

A woman with a women’s apparel store sent out invitations for a special private showing to her best customers, every time her new seasonal inventory came in. She did not mark the items down; actually, they were listed at full retail.

This event was held after hours as a “closed door” affair with light refreshments. The purpose was to simply give the best customers first crack at the new items. This way the best customers get the size, style and selection they want before anyone else.
This type of event left the customers feeling special and it built a long-term relationship with them.

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Make Doing Business With You Fun!

If you do not have a natural reason to hold an event or give customers a reason to come back again, invent one. I love the story of a music store that has a special event every day of the week. They have shave your head day, perform like a maniac day, military day, dress like a farm animal day, swim suit day, crawl on your knees day, karaoke day, yes they even had a dress nude day, (this is an Australian business, don’t try this at home!)Etc… Any way you get the point.

These folks probably go overboard on the idea, but what if you did something like this once a week or once a month If you are consistent with it, you will gain a loyal following coming back every time.

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Make Your Customers Feel Special!

One Realtor has two events a year. One is for the community; the other is for her clients. This year she took 150 clients to a nearby gambling resort. She fed them a prime rib dinner and turned them lose to have fun. These clients continue to give her referrals every year. Moreover, she asks them for those referrals, too.

Take Advantage of Back-end Offers!

What can you sell your customers on the back-end? Once they have purchased from you, the opportunity to sell them something else goes up dramatically because you have broken through the barrier of sales resistance. Your customers trust you. They are receptive to your offers to add more value, more protection, more benefit to their lives. Your current customers are prime prospects for additional products or services.

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Using the furniture example, suppose you located a discontinued line of new oak bar stools for 25 cents on the dollar. You could send out a letter to all of your customers and let them in on this incredible deal. Talk about adding value to their lives! They will love you for it. In addition, once they are back in the store, you can continue to up-sell them. You might be able to unload your entire supply of those bar stools to your existing customers, and you would do it far less expensively than if you had to advertise those stools in the newspaper or in the broadcast media.

Another back end opportunity is…

Hosting Other Peoples’ Products!

What other products or services do your customers buy before or after the sale you make to them?
If you owned a furniture store, you could work a deal with a company that cleaned furniture or carpets. Just send out a letter to your customers telling them you have located this business with a great service and arranged a special deal just for them. Then you would make sure the carpet cleaner cut you in on a piece of the action.

One client, Dave owns an employee leasing company. He writes the checks for a couple of hundred employees every week. Does this give you any ideas? If Mother’s Day was right around the corner, for example, it would be a good idea for Dave to contact a florist and make arrangements to offer a special deal to his employee’s and cut himself in on the deal.
What else would employees need? Well, if it is tax season, how about a tax preparation service?

Restaurants are always looking for new customers, and it is certain employees eat. Maybe dentists or orthodontists. Car dealers, appliances, electronics… it really is endless!

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Dave could set up deals with dozens of businesses and offer their products to his employees… and may actually make more money on the back end from products and services totally unrelated to his business, than he does from his core business!

In fact, if he institutionalized this process at the highest level, he could even provide the low-margin payroll services FREE, and make all of his money on the back end. WOW! A wild concept, and what an incredible Unique Purchase Appeal!

What other products or services are your customers going to buy, whether you help them out or not?
Frequency of purchase idea…

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Programming Your Clients for Repeat Usage!

For example, a window washer who sold a service contract guaranteed himself repeat business. The carpet cleaner could do the same thing, as well as the tree trimmer. Dozens of businesses can and should adapt this idea.

You could use price inducements to encourage repeat business. The frequent flyer programs the airlines offer are in this category. You could offer a frequent purchase program for your customers, and here are few examples.

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Ten oil changes earns a free one. A Diner’s Club card earns points that are good for free merchandise or a discount. The Discover Card gives back 1% of the purchase. At one local supermarket, they give a voucher with every gallon of milk bought. When 12 of these vouchers are collected, they can be traded in for a free gallon. All of these programs are designed to get customers to come back more often.

What will you do to induce your customers to come back more often, and buy more when they come?
Please do not delay. Every day without these marketing blocks in your “Power mind of Profits” represents lost sales, profits, service to your customers, clients, or patients… and a loss of quality of life for you.

May you use these blocks to succeed in every way you dream possible.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS ASSIGNMENT

Choose a new method for increasing the frequency with which your clients buy from you. Initiate a test of this method within 30 days. When the program works, systematize it and do select another frequency of purchase strategy to test.

Get Customers to Return More Often by Melvin Feller MA

Therefore, the bottom line is to try each of these action items and see what works the best for you!

Stay in touch.
Assume they will not remember you.
Keep the experience fresh and relevant.
Surprise them.
Collaborate.
Have the right people on the front-line.
Make it easy for customers to reach you.
Listen.
Show your appreciation.

Melvin Feller MA Business Consultant, Business Owner, Entrepreneur and MBA

Melvin Feller is known as “The Entrepreneur’s Mentor” because Melvin walks his talk. Melvin Feller has been there and done that and more importantly, Melvin Feller knows how to transfer the skill set for success. This is main reason that he has been the sought after coach to hundreds of small business owners, entrepreneurs, Realtors, real estate investors and service professional internationally. Melvin Feller’s main talent is to show you how the step by step process to build and enjoy a successful 6-figure plus business while having a balanced life. Melvin Feller maintains offices in Texas and Oklahoma.


Melvin Feller MA is in Texas and in Oklahoma. Melvin Feller founded Melvin Feller Business Group in the 1970s to help individuals and organizations achieve their specific Victory. Victory as defined by the individual or organization are achieving strategic objectives, exceeding goals, getting results or desired outcomes. He has extensive experience assisting businesses achieve top and bottom line results. He has broad practical experience creating WINNERS in many organizations and industries. He has hands-on experience in executive leadership, operations, logistics, sales, program management, organizational development, training, and customer service. He has coached teams to achieve results in strategic planning, business development, organizational design, sales, and customer response and business process improvement. He has prepared and presented many workshops nationally and internationally.