At Shellharbour on Tuesday 26 May, marketing expert Carolyn Stafford told economic gardening participants about a proven method of identifying where to focus marketing efforts for optimum results. 

Carolyn referred to it as the 7 Steps to Retain and Grow Your Customer Base and went on to outline how to assess and rank current performance in order to find gaps that can be improved on by means of action plans. The 7 key steps being:   

1. Extend your Customer Value Proposition

2. Develop, Maintain and Grow Your Database

3. Establish a Customer Service Charter

4. Build a Customer Contact Program

5. Provide the Customer with a WOW Experience

6. Seek Feedback and Listen

7. Constantly Innovate and Communicate 

There was a lot of discussion about the customer value proposition and a handy model was introduced by Carolyn to help members understand the components that link a business’s point of difference with its promotional efforts.  

Do you think your value proposition includes a minimum of 3 points of difference? Or are they merely points of distinction? Does it really matter?