How Teabags Can Improve Your Business

There wasn’t a single teabag in the house.

I know, I know: a disaster.

Naturally I was out the door and heading for the local shop at top speed.

Now, I always buy the same tea. It’s organic and fair trade, but mostly I buy it because I enjoy the taste.

So, I popped in the shop and picked up a new tin.

When I got home and opened the tin, the usual design of the box had been changed…

The logo replaced with a very simple message.

The box thanked me for buying that particular tea.

Big bold words saying ‘thank you’.

Well, I was impressed.

I emptied bags from the box into the tin and kept the flattened box in my ‘good marketing’ folder.

(Incidentally, if you don’t already, whenever you see a particular example of good marketing or good copywriting you should collect it in a scrapbook of some sort. It’ll help inform ideas for your own marketing and copywriting.)

Sure, we all know it’s important to remember our Ps and Qs.

So, what’s the big deal here?

Why making a sale is only the start

Here’s the thing…

It’s so easy to focus on actually selling your product or service that once you’ve done so – once the product’s out the door – you think you’re done.

Maybe that’s where you’re happy to leave it?

You sell the product/service, collect the money and then go and buy your first celebratory bottle of bubbly.

You’re rich. Life is sweet.

Not for long, bucko.

Because if that’s how you’re thinking, it’s only a matter of time before your business will be down the drain.

Be warned.

Once you’ve made a sale the key to continued success is developing that relationship.

The sale is only the start.

More important than finding any new potential customer is protecting your existing customers.

People forget that, but it’s a mindset you should get into.

As much as possible you need to work towards developing a relationship with your existing customers.

Makes sense, but how?

Well, there are a number of different ways to engage an existing customer and develop a relationship with them…

And over the next few issues I’m going to cover a couple of the most effective techniques.

But by far the best, quickest and easiest place to begin is back with my tea bags.

You see, I’d already bought the product…

Through some long and obscure chain I’d give my money to the company who produced the bags.

And on the face of it, the deal was done.

But the marketers at this particular tea company knew that better than making just that one sale, it makes much more sense to engage me in a relationship so that I might one day choose their teabags again.

And to kick things off, they simply said…

Thank you.

Thank you for choosing our tea.

It seems like a small thought, but it’s an important one.

Seriously. As a blanket rule… whenever you make a sale always remember to thank your customer for purchasing your product or service.

It will be appreciated.

But of course, that’s just the beginning.

There are a number of other techniques I’d like to share with you about how to develop a relationship with your customers and we’ll take a look at the next in tomorrow’s issue.

Category: Marketing