The easiest way, in retail to get more business is to sell more to an existing client. So to help you our pos software has in the event's section in the Customer relationship management (CRM) section, a whole area for the welcome letters for new accounts where it can be set up to send out welcome emails automatically. The idea is to build on existing business relationships.
It is particularly used by our clients that we have in bike shops and dry cleaning. Say, for example, a new customer comes into a dry cleaner and asks for his curtains to be cleaned. Great that person will also have a continuous need for dry cleaning, why not try to get some of that too. So all this can go into the welcome letter/email of what your business can do. Some include a concession voucher to get this business.
I cannot see why almost all of our clients could not use this idea with modification to their business.
It is quite easy to write a standard letter in our point of sale software and when a new customer comes, it sends off the welcome letter automatically.
I would suggest that this letter includes.
1) An introduction to your business, what exactly you do.
2) Hours you are open.
3) Gives them a channel to go to if something goes wrong. There is no more dangerous time to lose a customer then at the start, and if you do something incorrectly you need a chance to fix it. Say something like "If I can help my direct line as director of XYZ business ...."
4) Tells them the truth that their business is important in our business. My first boss put this quote in front of me, and it has been on my desk ever since.
There are many excellent ideas I noticed on the web on this topic.
