Gratitude

February 27, 2010

Do You Love Your Repeat Customers?

In the business side of Face Painting, we often strive to reign in new customers, corporate gigs and restaurants.  This is where most of our growth and budget comes from – New Customers.

Outside the realm of creative entertainment, in the less-than-glittery world of corporate business strategy, there is a well known and often quoted remark to the tune of  “It is XX times more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one.“   XX usually stands for “10″.

So while growth with New Customers is very important, it is also important to maintain our customer base of Repeat Clients for stability’s sake.

An excellent example of an idea for retention is sending our  current customers unexpected, thoughtful gifts. That is, showing them your Gratitude for their past business in hopes that they will remember you for future gigs.  I’m not talking about crystal ornaments or gold plated pens, but smaller items that are closer to our budgets.

Although THIS LINK is to a crafting blog and his gift is much more time consuming than I would venture into, his ideas are excellent.  The basic idea behind the gesture is what you are looking to learn.

Some Ways to Apply this to Face Painters:

1. Send the birthday child a Pre-Birthday present 1 month before his birthday.
Do you keep your records by month and date?

2. Smaller scale Artist supplies
Mini Watercolor kits, small packets of crayons, little notepads, a sample face painters kit (you know the little “2ml” ones I’m talking about), coloring pages

3.Professional quality prints or digital copies of pictures of our work to clubs and restaurants
For use in their advertising of our services on our nights

4. A few Glitter Tattoo stencils with a note to call for a FREE! Tattoo
On the note, state where they can find you and how to contact you for their free tattoo

5. An uninflated 260 or 160 balloon with printed instructions
On how to twist a “3 twist doggie”.  Of course, they probably can’t blow it up themselves so include your weekly schedule or a note that you will teach/show them how at their next party.

6. Prepackaged “Rocket Ship” balloons
T.Meyers

These are just a few idea’s I’ve had kicking around in my noggin lately.  When I put my money where my mouth is I’ll let you know how it goes ;)

What do You think are other important ways to show Gratitude for repeat customers?  Leave a Comment Below and Let’s Get Down!

Filed under: Business