How to get new customers

New to my blog? You may want to think about subscribing to be notified of new posts. Thanks for visiting!

Some family friends of mine recently bought a coffee shop from a well-known franchise. By any measurement, the outlook for success is good and they are highly competent at running the place, but they appear to be going through post-opening jitters. They've been open 3 months and don't have as many customers as they'd like, so in the dead times it's easy for the mind to turn towards a bit of buyer's remorse.

What they do need is a little help with their marketing. I wrote up a quick list of general tips for getting new customers which I have shared below. The examples are slanted towards upscale coffee but can easily be substituted for any premium product.

Getting new customers - 9 points to remember

1. It is not your job to convince people your product is good - that is the product’s job. Your job is to give people the opportunity to find out!
2. Every complimentary card you give to someone new that results in a visit to the shop MAKES you money, it doesn’t cost you. Running a shop with no customers costs you. Give out as many complimentary cards as possible.
3. Whenever possible, get other people to find new customers for you using win-win situations. Give your regular customers and fellow businesses something for finding you new customers.
4. Know who you are competing against. A 5-star coffee doesn’t compete with a 2-star coffee. A 5-star coffee competes with not buying a coffee at all. Convince more people to buy coffee and more people will buy yours.
5. You might know your product back to front, but do your potential customers? Are they intimidated by the thought of looking stupid? The quality of your product is your unique selling point. Help people understand the product. Maybe they’ll rush off to share their new found knowledge with their friends.
6. Food and drink is an impulse buy. It’s easy to make and lose customers because of this simple truth. Once someone decides they want to buy, what obstacles must they overcome to actually make the purchase? Are you losing customers to impatience, fear or indecision? Make the decision to buy as easy as possible, then make the process of buying just as easy.
7. People like to compare things. When you give out samples, have more than one type to try. By offering a comparison, the decision moves from ‘do I buy a coffee or not?’ to ‘do I buy the mocha or the caramel?’
8. Never underestimate the power of FREE. If you offer people the choice between a $4 chocolate for 50 cents and a 50 cent chocolate for free, almost everyone will choose the free chocolate, even though the discounted chocolate is better value by $3.50.
9. NEVER discount a product that is better than your competitor’s. Ever. Sell it at full price, upgrade it or give it away, but never discount. Discounting cheapens what you have to offer. People will pay for quality. Those who don’t are not your customers.

These are my ideas. Feel free to suggest your own - I'll pass them along