TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Customer Loyalty

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

Today’s economy is rife with competing

markets. Industries hobbled by the recession

are picking up steam again, turning our

business world into one in which companies

need to rise to the top faster than everyone

else. One of the best ways you can distinguish

yourself from your competition is by sweeping

customers off their feet. How can you do this?

By understanding what your customers want

and how to best communicate with them.

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

Think of customer services the same way you think about any serious, long-term commitment: sometimes you have to sit down and have “the talk” about where your relationship is going.

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleEvery customer base is different and must be handled according to their

unique needs. As a manufacturer, your customers may include dealers and

distributors along with contractors and end-consumers. In channel sales,

each member has their own individual or organizational goals. Although

specific needs and desires vary from customer to customer, they share

many “commitment issues” common in today’s society. Incentive programs

act as the “relationship therapy” tool you need to overcome these common

customer issues:

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

Most households these days are crunched for

time. In 2014, CNN reported that Americans took

less vacation time than they have in decades.

Time has become a valuable commodity in our

culture, causing people to gravitate toward time-

saving options like mobile apps, online

communication, and automated self-service.

People want to take care of their own needs, on

their own schedule, whenever they can (Kumar,

V., Reinartz, W., 2012).

1. “I just don’t have time for you right now.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleLack of time also means that customers—be they dealers, distributors, contractors or end-consumers—aren’t educating themselves on your products. For industries like HVAC and automotive, aftermarket services like upgrade and replacement parts demand continuing product knowledge after the initial sale.

I just don’t have time for you right now.” continued

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleIncentive programs can help consolidate yours and your customers’ time.

Companies offer their incentives programs through online software that

can be integrated with your company website, so that it fits in seamlessly

with your website’s design and wireframes. Programs can be accessed

online or through a Mobile App module. This saves time, allowing

participants to log into whenever they want. You can use a Channel Sales

program to reward distributors, dealers, and contractors for pushing your

product, then your participants can enter sales claims instantaneously with

a Performance Tracking module.

The solution to “I just don’t have time for you right now.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

Participants can also earn rewards by

taking quizzes and surveys through a

Learn and Earn Module, making it

worth their time to spend a few

moments educating themselves on your

products. These features automate the

sales claims reward process into an

easy, 24/7 medium.

The solution to “I just don’t have time for you right now.” Continued

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

Social media has become more than just a way to waste time looking at friends’ cat pictures on Facebook. People stay in contact with long-distance relations, read feeds from news sites, and track the activity of their favorite brands. With global access to opinions, word of mouth is an even more widely-used method of product and service recommendation. People often investigate business and make their decisions based on Google Plus, Yelp, and Glassdoor reviews. If your brand has no social media presence, or isn’t interactive enough with potential clients online, it could cost you new business.

2. “I found someone more interesting through social media.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title style

The solution to “I found someone more interesting through social media.”

The social media aspects of an online reward program opens up communication routes between you and those in your sales channel. You can allow sales teams to access a ranking system via the Leader Board module, or allow Open Enrollment so that anyone involved in the movement of your product can register for awards. This gives your customers the information, control, and choice that make social media so popular in our culture.

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleAccording to a 2011 AMP Agency study, only

4% of people between the ages of 25 and

49 said they were brand-loyal (Kumar, V.,

Reinartz, W., 2012). Since then, information

availability and brand choice have only

continued to increase. Dealers,

distributors, and contractors are constantly

asking themselves, “Why should I go into

business with this particular

manufacturer?” The brands that stand out

to them are those that are transparent and

trustworthy.

3. “I’m just not that into you.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleWith a Business-to-Business (B2B) Customer Loyalty program, you can inspire B2B partners to continue doing business with you by rewarding them for ongoing purchases. When they receive recognition and rewards for promoting your brand, they know you are interested in a mutually lucrative partnership, not just silent exchanges and endless product pushing. Passing along the rewards of increased sales shows off a spirit of openness and collaboration.

The solution to ”I’m just not that into you.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleWith these things in mind, you have an idea of what a potential customer or business partner expects from you and in which direction your relationship needs to be headed. It’s up to you to push the relationship to that ideal, cozy place where you’re both benefitting. After consulting with an incentive program provider like Incentive Solutions, you can address time poverty, social media, and loyalty challenges with a single platform. As Steve Damerow, CEO of Incentive Solutions, advises, “Thank your best customers to keep competitors away. Customer loyalty rewards are like insurance for your efforts as an organization. If you don’t buy the insurance, you pay the price.”

Visit Us:

TITLE GOES HERESubtitle Here

Click to edit Master title styleToday’s customers can be challenging for manufacturers to romance. They are busy, swamped in information, and they have many suitors to choose from. The best way to win their attention is to listen to their concerns, understand their needs, and find ways to facilitate an exchange of communication and appreciation. Incentive programs can help you woo customers and B2B partners with easy-to-use, online interfaces and engaging, informative features.

Conclusion

Visit Us: