Know-How Exchange

Ask your question ... sign up today! It's FREE!

Topic: Strategy

Search more Know-How Exchange Q&A from Marketing Experts

This question has been answered, and points have been awarded.

Managing A Customer Loyalty Program

Posted by Anonymous on 8/27/2004 at 9:02 AM ET 250 Points

I currently market and sell a Loyalty/Gift/Rewards program for restaurants and retailers throughout the US. The problem that we are having is that the program is well received and has sold well but the clients seem to have trouble fitting it into there daily operations. This does not bode well for referrals for my company. I need information on things that can be done to assist clients in managing the program. I believe this can be turned into an ongoing profit center. Just need some marketing ideas that can be implemented by my company (that I can charge a nominal fee for) that would make the client want to find the time to implement the program.

Posted by NuCoPro on 8/27/2004 at 9:25 AM Member

I don't like to respond to a question with a question, but in this case there's a critically important piece of information missing? Why are your clients NOT fitting this into their daily operations?

You need to address this issue directly with each client, pull your findings together, and uncover the primary problems. THEN you will be in a position to create a strategy to overcome this challenge. This is vitally important to your continued success, so it deserves your full attention. Just "throwing out programs" may not help and may hurt. Please take the time to understand exactly what you need to overcome.
Posted by NuCoPro on 8/27/2004 at 11:20 AM Accepted

In trying to "read between the lines" of your last post, I'm beginning to see what your problem is. It seems you've developed a loyalty process, but are leaving it to your clients to implement and administer.

You need to repackage this as a complete service - one that you provide (and charge for). You are the expert on how to make this really work, not your clients, so you need to manage the process for them. Over time, they may understand how to run the process and be able to take on more responsibility, but you need to lead the way. Please look at my company's web site for an overview of a similar process we offer.

For now, perhaps you should work closely with one of your nearby (and receptive) clients to get this rolling. And you will probably have to do this at a loss, just establish the reputation of your offering.

You may well want to contract with others to perform local services, but you need to COMPLETELY understand the dynamics before you have people out there representing you.

Top

More on Marketing Strategy

4 in 10 CMOs Feel Unprepared for ... by Ayaz Nanji
Nearly four in 10 chief marketing officerssay they do not have the right people, tools, and resources to meet their marketing objectives, according to a recent report.
One-Third of Americans Regularly Listen to Online ... by Ayaz Nanji
One in three Americans age 12 and older, or an estimated 86 million people, now listen to online radio on a weekly basis, and weekly audience size of traditional AM/FM radio grew from 223 million to 243 million over the past year, according to a recent survey.
A Century of Marketing Media and Measurement: ... by Verónica Maria Jarski
To demonstrate how marketers have adapted to media innovations through the last century and developed measurements for them, IfbyPhone created the following infographic about the evolution of the "growth hacker" from the 1920s to today.
The Importance and ROI of Events: Marketers ... by Vahe Habeshian
Even as events remain a vital part of the marketing mix, and a key channel for direct one-to-one customer engagement, marketing executives—lacking visibility into the conversion pipeline—don't have sufficiently effective methods for measuring the impact of events and tradeshows on sales and revenue (and therefore can't prove ROI).

See more marketing articles »

Take 10: A Step-by-Step Guide to Product Selection

In just 10 minutes, we'll share a comprehensive step-by-step approach to product selection that will step up your selling success!
Sharing is Caring

In this free MPU class from our MarketingProfs University course, Cracking the Facebook Code, you'll see examples of how Facebook can be used to attract and engage clients and learn how Facebook can be a powerful tool for non-profits and for-profits alike.
How to Use a Customer Advocacy Program to Tap ...

This PRO seminar will show you how a growing number of firms are devising creative and effective ways to involve their customers in marketing and selling for them.
Trigger Happy: The Next Level of Campaign Automation

Learn how to use campaign automation techniques across your welcome, order confirmation, and other communications programs to significantly lift program response and transaction rates (not to mention dramatically increase revenue). Sponsored by Experian Marketing Services.