Go To Where the Customer Is.
That’s what they said.
Did you? Hope So. If you haven’t yet…..let me lay it out for you.
You’re going to leave no stone unturned to connect with your clients… be it…carrier pigeon, landline, email, and of course, text.
TEXTING has become a robust part of omnichannel retail.
If you are not texting your clients – Start Now.
Where to Begin?
There are seemingly endless tech solutions available – but, like on Tinder, not everything is a match. Be sure to identify your main objective. Is your SMS communication marketing-based or to cultivate relationships and add-on sales. There is a distinct difference.
Text Marketing vs. Text Selling Clienteling
Is the objective marketing?…I’m sure you’ve seen marketing texts in ALL CAPS announcing a discount on pizzas. Is the objective sales?…think clienteling whereby you are cultivating and building a Circle of Service (COS).
This one is Too Big
Watch out for CRM companies that position their B2B software as suitable for B2C.
When the objective is loyalty, customer retention, lifetime value and cultivation of a relationship, be careful to select what amounts to a white-glove text service. You will want to take a deep dive under the hood and look at the communication from the perspective of the client.
This One is Too Small
Associates may think texting from their personal line is “fine”. Here’s why it’s not: Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA a product of the FCC) businesses may not send messages to consumers without their consent. Even if an individual provides their phone number or has a long-standing relationship with the business, the company cannot text the individual if they have not granted written consent. Businesses are required to obtain explicit written consent (not verbal) to add subscribers to their subscription list. Written consent doesn’t refer to writing on paper, but rather consent that is documented and saved. (WHY we still recieve calls about our Car Warranty – I DO NOT KNOW!)
This One Is Just Right
I have demo’d many and chose to feature Endear for its unique B2C solution.
Check out my interview with Endear co-founder Leigh Sevin who expands on their offerings described on the website:
The only retail CRM that works the way a sales team thinks. Target your customers based on their shopping behavior. Endear’s retail CRM, personalized messaging and data-driving product recommendations equip your team with the tools they need to implement clienteling for every customer journey.
See which messages convert into sales, whether your customers purchase online or in-store.”
Let’s hear what founder Leigh Sevin has to say about Endear and how their platform cultivates sales, particularly inbound sales.
This is an evolving market of solution providers. Some of the things to look for are texts that come from a 7 digit phone number, the number can receive in-bound messaging and it’s built for B2C.
Check out my short list of solutions.
RCCA 
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