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How can we increase our customer base?

How do I increase my customer base in my pet grooming shop?

  • Answer:

    Think about these things: 1. What are your values? Why did you start this business? 2. How do those values relate to what the consumer wants? Are their needs consistent with your values? 3. How can you make it easy for people who share your values to become your customer? Where do people with similar values hang out - what do they read - who do they talk to - where are they? Make a list: your values, how they relate to what people want, and where those people are. This is your new marketing plan. How can everything you do and say to that target audience illustrate those values? Not prices, hours, times, locations, services, locations ... values. Work to create a community of shared values. That community will share and market for you through word-of-mouth. Then practice your values every day. Develop a repeatable system that creates and extends your values. Automate those values. Create a system that is repeatable, obvious, and consistent. And that system is your business plan. The system has to exist without you. That's what makes a business a business; otherwise, you're self-employed. If you want to work less, earn more, and run a business, you have to: 1. Clearly understand what you believed in when you started; 2. Become effective at connecting those beliefs with consumers; 3. Develop and cultivate a word-of-mouth advertising strategy; 4. Develop a repeatable system that consistently produces products and services that create that value at the lowest possible cost.

Russell Mickler at Quora Visit the source

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Great advice from Russell. I would add that you should discover where your existing customers hang out (web, parent groups, clubs, etc)? Ask them this (in addition to some of the questions that Russell eludes to).  If you know this, you understand better how to reach them. As Russell suggests, you need to understand what your customer wants (rather than what you give them). If you discover that they use social media (particularly facebook), what a bonus that would be! For you, I would suggest creating a facebook page for your business (you create this from your personal profile). Do not use your personal profile if you intend selling things because it contradicts facebook terms. Take photos of your groomed pets and upload the photos to your business page. Be sure to ask pet owner permission for this. You'll need to work out the sweet spot for how often you post.  Then watch the word of mouth marketing happen AND participate in it! Get known as the fun & groovy facebook dog groomer!  Once you have audience attention then you'll have the means to send them special offers etc.  I think all that would be a good start for you. Hope that helps & feel free to ask me to elaborate on any point. Ian

Ian Allan

Ask your current customers what they like about your business, ask them where they think you need improvement. Offer your existing customers a discount or a free service from your menu of services each time they use your company, for each new customer they recruit and let them know that each time that new customer comes back to your shop they will get the discount or free service an additional time. Do everything Russell Mickler suggests as well as doing a complete process inventory of your companies business practices looking for places to improve customer satisfaction, reduce cost, improve efficiency and reduce the time each process requires. If your already spending money on advertising find out what it has cost you per new customer gained. Make sure your spending your advertising money in the most effective way for your goal of acquiring new customers. Make sure you have a good accounting system this is were many small enterprises tend to skimp and its a big mistake. Ideally you should run your company the way the Hotel industry runs and be able to produce Profit and Loss Statement / Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement on a daily basis at close of business. Know were your costs are and know whats making you money and know it as near to real time as it is possible to know.

Gary Stein

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