Client Support Programs
Support begins with an agreed plan. With this, everyone, salesman, client, marketing know what is promised and who will deliver this. The plan can be evaluated against to check it is effective and that delivery is being executed properly.
Loyalty Schemes
Created loyalty schemes allowing multiple purchases to be recognised and rewarded. Awarding points which can be exchanged for business rewards avoids the use of discounts which affect the market.
A website listing the rewards and the points combined with monthly statements, ensures that the program continues to be effective after the initial launch.
Client Advertisement
Advertisements for a customer’s business is another attractive offer of they have a retail proposition.
Created a range of advertisements for different purposes including, as the advertisement illustrated shows, outdoor signs located to guide consumers to the premises
Search Advertisement
Creating advertisements to bring customers to our clients businesses was another offer which was deployed. By allowing the dealer to select the keywords which would trigger the ad along with the geographic range they believe consumers would drive allowed them to match the ads to their business.
After the advertisement, reporting to the client was made showing where and when the ads were displayed and how they fared against competing ads.
Sell in Promotions
Every year several sell-in promotions developed. Offering rewards depending upon the quantity purchased. For the largest clients targets based on increasing business rather than a fixed volume.
Sales uplift and cost can be measured against predetermined targets and parameters modified for future promotions based on results.
Bus Advertisement
Advertisement on buses has been requested and campaigns have been held in specific locations in several markets.
In the example illustrated, city buses traveling around Athens were used for three month periods during the peak sales periods of the Greek market. September – November.
Customer was able to provide a detailed breakdown of sales movement over the period and this led to enhanced orders in the future.
Local Sponsoring
Sponsoring a local team or event is a very frequently requested support. These can range from the sponsoring of Panathinaikos Basketball club which gained national attention to a boxing match in Malta which gave a more localised effect.
Sponsoring has a dual benefit in that as well as supporting the local client, it extends the brand into new areas.
Premiums
A range of giveway items have been produced. These include ‘standard’ items available throughout the year on demand to specific items to support events.
Items have been specified and produced for sponsored activities with co-branding. For motorsports events, for exhibitions and for customer events. In each case the item specification and the quantity ordered have been optimised to match the use.
A program of printing summer and winter brochures in up to 25 languages was introduced. Clients could order any quantity of brochures for each season and these would be centrally produced, printed and distributed.
In addition to range brochures, an annual Technical catalogue illustrated the complete range available, as well as providing detailed techincal specifications for each size.
E-Learning Program
An online learning platform was created to improve understanding of the products and ensure that technologies could be shared the end users. Clients whoise staff completed courses could download certificates to demonstrate their professional status.
Available in six languages, the tools has around 600 users. Roughly 50% have completed the entire program of five courses with multiple lessons in each.
Small rewards such as caps and T-Shirts incentivised users, awarded being automatically on completion of courses
Client Branding
Creating a new look for a client premises. From a simple signboard to a complete redesign, many projects have been managed.
Branding projects created for clients premises and for their customers depots also. The ability for clients to offer rebranding support, assists their sell out and this feeds back into their order cycle.
Signboards
Signboards promoting offers regularly produced in custom sizes for client premises or the premises of their customers.
Either artwork would be proposed, accepted by the client and produced to the specification required or, where requested, the complete production process would be undertaken and signs manufactured and installed.
Advertisement on Customers Websites
Using customers own websites a s source of advertisement allowed a contribution towards the cost of running this resource while also promoting a current offer.
Campaigns planned with key clients and resources created including animated online advertisements in the required specification. Online ads gave additional challenges as the size was always restriction to improve the UX on the client side website.
Sponsored Vehicles
Customers looking for support for vehicles could taker advantage of a contribution to the costs in exchange for adding a logo to the vehicles.
In many cases clients asked for a complete design for vehicles and these were provided in a timely manner for them to be able to select a design they wished to use and get it implemented.
National Consumer campaigns
Created national sales promotion campaigns in multiple countries, sometimes multiple time per year.
Promotions included development of the offer and agreement with the local client. Delivery of the offer to the market including fulfilment of all claims made. Promotion of the offer with POS material and online search ads.
New Dealer packs
A printed leaflet showing all of the possible supports available for new dealers showed the strength of the backing available to client, giving them confidence to integrate the brand as a part of their business.
New dealer packs included order forms for client to use immediately to gain instant support.
Point of Sales materials
An extensive range of point of sales materials was specified , produced, stored and offered for use to all clients..
Clients could use as much material as they wished, free of charge. We took car of transport to their market while the customer arranged the internal deliveries within their country.
Newsletters
Newsletters generally are sent at regular intervals to all clients.
Selected clients receive dedicated newletters specific to their group or the customer base. These follow the progress of the program for that group as well as communicate new products information and news about the brand.
Warranty Programs
Created warranty programs for several clients. These allowed the client to offer the product with greater confidence and for the purchaser to feel reassured even if the brand was unfamiliar to them.
Typically warranty program claims accounted for less than 0.1% of the turnover with the client so they were relatively inexpensive to implement.
Webshop
Giving clients the ability to see what is available, select the quantity they require and order them directly took some organising.
While a webshop is a relatively straightforward tool, the back end systems to monitor use, set reorder quantities and arrange for authorisation of reorder quantities and price was more complex. Once in place, client satisfaction with this element of support increased. Only deliveries outside the EU required additional processes to manage because of the customs and excise regimes in different countries.
Visits to Sponsored Events
Created a program taking clients to all sponsored event. Football, Athletics, Sport Climbing, Tough Mudder and motorsport events.
At many of these evnts, we are able to offer experiences which cannot be bought through our close partnership including, presenting prizes, backstage tours, visits to the pitch.
Test Events
The ability to test the products is a strong selling tool. Organised many events from concept to delivery. In each case timed courses were used to show objective differences. Products were always compared against the most highly regarded competitors.
Follow up souvenir brochures would contain a table of results for the event showing the differences in performance over key competitor products.
Team Lunch
To incentivise regular ordering, a lottery was held each week with selected clients to win a team lunch. Entry was simple, just place one order in the week to be automatically entered in the draw.
Instaed of one winner, the winning store received a Lieferando (Deliveroo) lunch order for their entire team.
Attending Customer Conferences
Another way of supporting clients is to fund their event by participating in them. By taking a booth or making a keynote speech, part funding can be provided for the event.
Participation could be something as simple as making a presentation to their customers or setting up a pop up booth at the client event.
Product Seminars
Creating product seminars for clients to invite their customers to become better informed about the products.
Creation of presentation materials for on stage and material for delegates to take away with them and Follow up with customers to promote stronger understanding