When we hold a workshop, make a sale from our site, create a custom album, etc. we hope that the customer will come back and buy from us again because they had a good experience. We want loyal customers who appreciate our work. But, loyalty isn’t the highest level of satisfaction you can you can achieve from a customer, ADVOCACY is. That’s what will help your business grow.

One definition of an ADVOCATE is: To speak, plead, or argue in favor of something. Do your customers do that? When the carpet man left yesterday, I told three neighbors about him and said they’d be THRILLED if they used him. I don’t get any perks for this—just the satisfaction of helping a new company with a great service and a fantastic owner grow. As he left the other day, he asked me for a “testimonial” for his site. He’s new and needs comments from customers in his area. I agreed that I would email him something (NOTE: He ASKED for it). He also gave me a handful of cards (NOTE: HAND OUT YOUR CARDS!!!). Then he said, “If you see that in a couple of days that it doesn’t look right, call me and I’ll be glad to come back and get the spots.”

I am not just his new customer, I am his new advocate and will tell me neighbors what a great experience I had with his carpet cleaning company. A few weeks later, I got a coupon book in the mail from one of those ad companies and in it was a coupon for this carpet cleaning company and there was my testimonial. He not only asked for it, but he jumped on it and used it.

So, how does a person go from “customer” to “advocate”? Well, first, they fall in love with you through your service and then they keep getting “courted” by you with special treatment. You have to set out to make them your advocate – not in a contrived way, but just by giving them your best efforts to make them happy. Not every customer will become your advocate, but if you pay attention to the loyal ones who keep coming back, you can lead them down the path of advocacy with a few suggestions:

• Give your best customers advance notice of EVERYTHING. If you get new products in, let them know a day ahead and let them know that they are getting SPECIAL ADVANCE NOTICE.
• Give them a perk such as free shipping on a lower dollar amount or 13 custom pages for the price of 12, or an extra embellishment in their kit. Make sure they know that this perk is ONLY for your BEST customers.
• Invite them to offer you input on new products - make them feel special and connected to your business.
• Send them free gifts or samples at unannounced times. Don’t just send them a birthday gift, send them a HAPPY SPRING gift or a sample of a new product. Some scrapbook vendors send samples with every order and their customers are surprised and delighted with each order they get. It costs them just pennies but makes a big difference to their customers.
• Give them extra service—offer to wrap a gift, wrap up t
  Boost Your Profits Instantly With Your Own Credit Card Reader Writer
  With the increase of home-based and new, independent businesses being introduced, the need for obtaining a credit card reader / writer is also growing. The modern credit card readers and writers have in large quantities replaced the old style readers. Who remembers the old-fashioned type of credit card readers where the merchant had to put the credit card on top of the layered paper receipt with all of its carbon copies in the placeholder and slide the plastic arm over the card and receipt with one swoop? Many times that swoop h
  Y is. That’s what will help your business grow.

  One definition of an ADVOCATE is: To speak, plead, or argue in favor of something. Do your customers do that? When the carpet man left yesterday, I told three neighbors about him and said they’d be THRILLED if they used him. I don’t get any perks for this—just the satisfaction of helping a new company with a great service and a fantastic owner grow. As he left the other day, he asked me for a “testimonial” for his site. He’s new and needs comments from customers in his area. I agreed that I would email him something (NOTE: He ASKED for it). He also gave me a handful of cards (NOTE: HAND OUT YOUR CARDS!!!). Then he said, “If you see that in a couple of days that it doesn’t look right, call me and I’ll be glad to come back and get the spots.”

  I am not just his new customer, I am his new advocate and will tell me neighbors what a great experience I had with his carpet cleaning company. A few weeks later, I got a coupon book in the mail from one of those ad companies and in it was a coupon for this carpet cleaning company and there was my testimonial. He not only asked for it, but he jumped on it and used it.

  So, how does a person go from “customer” to “advocate”? Well, first, they fall in love with you through your service and then they keep getting “courted” by you with special treatment. You have to set out to make them your advocate – not in a contrived way, but just by giving them your best efforts to make them happy. Not every customer will become your advocate, but if you pay attention to the loyal ones who keep coming back, you can lead them down the path of advocacy with a few suggestions:

  • Give your best customers advance notice of EVERYTHING. If you get new products in, let them know a day ahead and let them know that they are getting SPECIAL ADVANCE NOTICE.
  • Give them a perk such as free shipping on a lower dollar amount or 13 custom pages for the price of 12, or an extra embellishment in their kit. Make sure they know that this perk is ONLY for your BEST customers.
  • Invite them to offer you input on new products - make them feel special and connected to your business.
  • Send them free gifts or samples at unannounced times. Don’t just send them a birthday gift, send them a HAPPY SPRING gift or a sample of a new product. Some scrapbook vendors send samples with every order and their customers are surprised and delighted with each order they get. It costs them just pennies but makes a big difference to their customers.
  • Give them extra service—offer to wrap a gift, wrap up t
    Media Savvy - Treat Them As You Would Your Best Customer
    The ability to lead, persuade and influence are integral skills for effective managers. The capability of telling a story that inspires, motivates and informs is an essential part of this process. In an age of convergence in the media and increased scepticism over traditional communication methods, a new breed of managers and leaders is emerging that sees the media as an opportunity and not a threat. They use the media in a pro-active way to build their organisation's image, reputation and identity.Business Review Weekly'
    CARDS!!!). Then he said, “If you see that in a couple of days that it doesn’t look right, call me and I’ll be glad to come back and get the spots.”

    I am not just his new customer, I am his new advocate and will tell me neighbors what a great experience I had with his carpet cleaning company. A few weeks later, I got a coupon book in the mail from one of those ad companies and in it was a coupon for this carpet cleaning company and there was my testimonial. He not only asked for it, but he jumped on it and used it.

    So, how does a person go from “customer” to “advocate”? Well, first, they fall in love with you through your service and then they keep getting “courted” by you with special treatment. You have to set out to make them your advocate – not in a contrived way, but just by giving them your best efforts to make them happy. Not every customer will become your advocate, but if you pay attention to the loyal ones who keep coming back, you can lead them down the path of advocacy with a few suggestions:

    • Give your best customers advance notice of EVERYTHING. If you get new products in, let them know a day ahead and let them know that they are getting SPECIAL ADVANCE NOTICE.
    • Give them a perk such as free shipping on a lower dollar amount or 13 custom pages for the price of 12, or an extra embellishment in their kit. Make sure they know that this perk is ONLY for your BEST customers.
    • Invite them to offer you input on new products - make them feel special and connected to your business.
    • Send them free gifts or samples at unannounced times. Don’t just send them a birthday gift, send them a HAPPY SPRING gift or a sample of a new product. Some scrapbook vendors send samples with every order and their customers are surprised and delighted with each order they get. It costs them just pennies but makes a big difference to their customers.
    • Give them extra service—offer to wrap a gift, wrap up t
      Used Pallet Racks
      Used pallet racks are wooden platforms that can be used to store and transport large objects, and which have already been used. There are three distinct economic advantages to purchase used pallet racks. The first is obviously the lower cost, as buying used pallet racks can save 25-50 percent of the cost of new equipment. The second advantage is that they are readily available. Finally, these purchases offer a tax advantage to the buyer.As many local warehouses/companies could not survive in the competitive economic envir
      they keep getting “courted” by you with special treatment. You have to set out to make them your advocate – not in a contrived way, but just by giving them your best efforts to make them happy. Not every customer will become your advocate, but if you pay attention to the loyal ones who keep coming back, you can lead them down the path of advocacy with a few suggestions:
      • Give your best customers advance notice of EVERYTHING. If you get new products in, let them know a day ahead and let them know that they are getting SPECIAL ADVANCE NOTICE.
      • Give them a perk such as free shipping on a lower dollar amount or 13 custom pages for the price of 12, or an extra embellishment in their kit. Make sure they know that this perk is ONLY for your BEST customers.
      • Invite them to offer you input on new products - make them feel special and connected to your business.
      • Send them free gifts or samples at unannounced times. Don’t just send them a birthday gift, send them a HAPPY SPRING gift or a sample of a new product. Some scrapbook vendors send samples with every order and their customers are surprised and delighted with each order they get. It costs them just pennies but makes a big difference to their customers.
      • Give them extra service—offer to wrap a gift, wrap up t
        Small Business Brokers
        Business brokers act as matchmakers in the world of business. They bring together small and medium-sized businesses. Small businesses have their own limitations owing to their limited presence in the market. Though most of the business brokerage firms help in selling all sizes of businesses, there are specialized business brokerage firms for selling small businesses also. Through their contacts with big corporations, they can get a good selling price for a small business.For this they could charge a small fixed fee and th
        rice of 12, or an extra embellishment in their kit. Make sure they know that this perk is ONLY for your BEST customers.
      • Invite them to offer you input on new products - make them feel special and connected to your business.
      • Send them free gifts or samples at unannounced times. Don’t just send them a birthday gift, send them a HAPPY SPRING gift or a sample of a new product. Some scrapbook vendors send samples with every order and their customers are surprised and delighted with each order they get. It costs them just pennies but makes a big difference to their customers.
      • Give them extra service—offer to wrap a gift, wrap up their custom album before you drop it off. Thank them for being one of your BEST customers.
      • Make sure you know who they are. If they are getting your highest level of service, remember that and don’t mistakenly drop them off their pedestal or you may pay a price.
      • Put a free "thank you" gift in every one of their orders
      • upgrade something for them in a custom scrapbook - the album, cardstock, etc.
      • offer the special shopping times or hours

      How much would all of this cost you vs. how much you would gain?

      Surprise and delight your loyal customers with the unexpected perk “for our BEST customers only”. Pretty soon, they will not only continue to buy from you, but they will be telling their scrapping friends to buy from you also. That’s what turns a customer into your advocate which then keeps them coming back, only instead of coming back on their own, they bring all their friends with them!