Good Morning Powertipps!  

I wanted to share some key points from our January Leadership conference as shared with us by our Vice President of U.S. Marketing pertaining to Mary Kay and perhaps you will be able to look inside your individual businesses to see where you might compare vision, product line, customer service and growth for the future.

A just-released study showed that our customers are more loyal to our products than nearly any other company brand!  Independent Research firm Brand Keys recognized us as the No. 3 leader in it's 12th Annual Loyalty Leaders list, behind only Google and Avis and ahead of other cosmetic brands.  The leader's list came from Brand Keys 2008 customer loyalty study, which examined customer relationships with 382 brands in 57 categories and predicts the brands "whose customers will demonstrate the highest levels of engagement and loyalty over the next 12 to 18 months.

This study indicates that emotional engagement is powerful!  Creating an emotional bond with customers is the only way to guarantee loyalty.  This is really so much more than lipstick!

Foundation for Greatness with our outstanding products, company culture and philosophies, Golden Rule customer service and worldwide charitable projects, support system for success for the business opportunity we are positioned right for this time.

What are the benefits of a loyal customer for your business?

• Is your product or services consumable? That they have to purchase over and over again?
• Can you increase the volume of their purchases?
• Can they buy beyond a “traditional” purchase, across your available product lines
• Refer your products and services to others
• Become immune to the pull of the competition or the doomsayers on the nightly news
• Give you and your products and the company you represent the benefit of the doubt

According to Brand Keys, it costs 7 to 10 times more to recruit a new customer than it does to keep an existing one.  And an increase in customer loyalty of just 5 percent can lift your lifetime profits per customer by as much as 95 percent.  

Capitalize on your products and cross line products adding extra excitement “the icing on the cake” to the “bread and butter” products that you sell throughout the year.

Your customers demand value and authenticity, too in the products they buy and the businesses they buy from.  So you appeal to the heart and the head.  We are recognized as a Pink doing Green company with Compact recycling for planting a forest of trees in the Bitterroot Mountain range.  The proceeds of the sale of 1 shade of lipstick to the Charitable Foundation was over $1.4 million worldwide as women supported shelters, a new date rape educational program for highschoolers and cancer research.

Specialize:  How can you stand apart? 

Evaluate your operation: 

• Can you delegate “penny” duties to someone else to free up your time to work with the people?
• Do you have a customer loyalty program in place, do reward for frequent purchases, send birthday cards or anniversary cards or MOST IMPORTANTLY a Thank You card?
• Do you call to follow up and let them know how much you appreciate their supporting a local small business or combine it into a 3 question survey on “how you did.”
• Do you have a web presence?
• Postcard mailings letting them know about new products or services and discount available?

In this day and age, we have to go out and meet the people. You can’t stick your head in the sand!

Powertipps weekly meetings, Powerhours and outside of these options are a great way to get your face out there.  And just remember, I can help you put your best face forward with a free makeover or gift service with my many options for your beauty on a budget!