Customer Service: My #1 Secret To Getting New Customers

Published: March 11th, 2019

My company ScrubzBody Skin Care Products combined my love of people and business and wrapped it around a product line that I am not only proud of, but humbled by on a daily basis.

I started making sugar scrub in my kitchen, for me, because my skin was dry, flaky and literally bleeding from the cracking parts. It itched me like crazy. I had tried lotions and creams, but it was not until I discovered exfoliating products that my skin changed. I searched for the best one out there and decided I could make it even better.

My late sister, Michelle, joined me and we launched in June of 2006. We started with an online website and a listing on eBay. We put feelers out to salons and set up at local trade shows. We schepped. I got into a few small gift shops and then a chain of local salons. One day, because of an article written about our charity work, a local natural food store asked us to send them our information. From there we were noticed and got a chance to sell our scrub in Whole Foods. We thought we were on our way to being a growing wholesale business with an online presence.

And then we met our customers. Our business made a shift from wholesale to retail for one reason and one reason only. We really wanted to know them.

We love knowing them personally. We love seeing them in town and sharing in their lives. We love solving their skin problems. We love being involved in the neighborhood and being that “go-to” store.

Because of this, to me and my team, customer loyalty is everything. The reason is simple. We would have no business without our customers and we know it. We also know that the future of our business growth is customer loyalty and therefore, to maintain that, we have to offer great customer service.

To us this means going out of our way, every day. We will bring orders out to the car if the person cannot find parking. We will stay open later if they need us. We will even come in early. Another example of pampering our customers is with our product. We have a sink set up in our shop with warm water in the pitcher and scrub at the sink. We offer customers a free hand scrub and hand massage, even if they are only purchasing a gift or another type of product. It means adding a wonderful experience to the customers actual purchase. It gives them permission to take care of themselves. I know that treating them this way will translate into repeat sales. It will also translate into customers bringing in friends and families and raving about our products and services to others and on social media.

It translates into that customer being our brand rep without any commissions. It will mean that they will continue to come back time and again. If we have to raise prices, they will stay. If we make a mistake and own up to it, they will stay. I have so many examples of our customers selling for us but this is one of my favorites lately. One customer met us at the local street fair in town last summer. It was a two day event. She bought a jar of our sugar scrub. Obviously she used and enjoyed it, because the next night she showed up with her 3 sisters, her mom, her best friend and their respective husbands. Everyone else purchased that 2nd night. Then, 2 weeks later they hosted a birthday party for one of the sisters. Then, 3 weeks after that, another sister who was at the first party decided she wanted her party at our shop too. And so on. And so on. I am humbled. I am proud. All because we took the time to hear them, cater to them, and love them like no other business did before. We make sure every member of our team knows how to treat a customer right, and we empower them to make decisions themselves.

We remember that no matter how great the product is that we offer, if we don’t give our customers the best of ourselves and the best of our team, then we will lose them to a competitor in the future. Because we have a shop in a walking town, we get the chance to see customers on a daily basis. This allows us the opportunity to love on them. Simple things like noticing a new haircut, or hair color. Or remembering a birthday. Or commenting on a new jacket. Finding something nice to say to each and every person. Hand written notes go into every online order box. But online and on social media we love on our customers as well. We comment on every post someone writes to us. We respond. If we know them, we add additional comments. We try and make the conversation between us seem as natural as if they were purchasing at our shop.

Being genuine and truly caring about a customer’s buying and using experience is key. Wanting them to get the right product, instead of just selling them what we think they need. We like being available to answer any questions they might have.

Our customers not only get the best in hand crafted natural skincare, but they get the "us" behind the brand too. They get owners who care about them and who understand exactly what they are looking for. Those things are priceless and build brand loyalty.

Here are some of the other things we do:

Loyalty Program

Through our register program when a customer purchases $20 or more in a particular sale they get a star. Our program is set up that 10 stars = $20. They can use it on anything we sell and it never expires.

Birthday Month Program

We send out a monthly email to every person who registered their birthday month with us. This includes a $10 coupon to use, as a gift.

Frequent Re-filler Program

If a customer brings in or mails in their clean empty jars, we refill them with our scrub in any scent, at a 30% discount. Good for their wallets, good for Mother Earth.

Events

We host Ladies nights and children's birthday parties. We cater and host fun 1-2 hour parties that brings in groups of 6-24 in one shot.

Fundraisers

We have hosted a large fundraiser in the past, called The Breast of Everything, as well as local fundraisers right at the shop. We donate a gift certificate and a jar of scrub to all charities in need of a raffle prize.

We offer what the big box stores can’t. True love and attention! Thanks for reading :)