Client recommendations | SHOPFLOOR ANALYSIS


CURVE OF GRATITUDE


Best time to ask for a


recommendation/ review/referral


Project complete


TIME


Gratitude’ diagram (see graph). As we know, during an installation, our customers’ homes can be in upheaval, and there can be, shall we say, a little tension in the air.


Also, straight afterwards, the customer just wants to get their life back to normal so, according to Foonberg’s calculations, the best time to ask a favour from them – in this case for them to make a recommendation, referral or leave a positive review – is between two and four weeks after the completion of a project. Don’t leave it too long, though, as memories begin to fade and perceived satisfaction wanes.


Post-sale visit


A post-sale visit can be a good time to have such a conversation. David Morris, sales manager at buying group MHK, reveals that he has used a product demonstrator to book in a visit with the customer shortly after their kitchen was installed. They’d bring around a biscuit mix to do some baking with them, and take the customer through the cooking functions of their new appliance. This demonstrator would then also take pictures of the kitchen (to be used in marketing, and even as samples, to see if it is photogenic enough for a full shoot) and have a tablet with them – linking to Trustpilot – asking the customer to leave a review there and then.


Gifts and incentives Although good service and goodwill alone can encourage some recommendations, employing the psychology of reciprocity can help too. That’s when a person feels indebted to you somehow and feels the need to balance this out by doing you a favour in return. This feeling can be engendered by you going ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty, or even just giving them a nice gift at the end, such as a box of chocolates or a bottle of bubbly.


Sometimes a more direct incentive can make the difference. Speaking to Jemma Hough, managing director of A-Class Kitchens in Bedford, she reveals they have implemented an incentive programme. “We have an incentive programme where clients receive £150 for each person they refer to us that buys a kitchen,” she explains. “We’ve also run online competitions where people refer a friend that is looking for a kitchen to enter.”


In effect, these customers become advocates and agents for you.


Having a process to follow up sales after installation is vital – but sticking to it is the most


important thing Bjorn Bojen, co-founder, KBB-specialist marketing agency Design-Supply-Fit


August 2022 · Testimonials


A much-loved, old-school and yet still commonplace way of communicating your customers’ satisfaction to those far and wide, is the testimonial. Available to view on most KBB retailers’ websites, there is, however, the issue of client privacy, which often means that vague details of the authors, such as ‘Mr & Mrs Newport of Tiverton’, can sometimes make their veracity seem questionable. Talking to Bjorn Bojen, co-founder of KBB specialist marketing agency Design-Supply-Fit, he believes that “trust is at an all-time low, whereas scepticism is at an all-time high”, and so written testimonials don’t carry a lot of credibility. He goes on to say, however, “video testimonials are much more reputable, as they are


nearly impossible


more engaging”. Reviews


There is no doubt that the 21st century equivalent to testimonials has got to be reviews, and these are increasingly how the general public tend to judge a business’s service and quality. “We always ask for reviews,” explains Mark Conacher, MD of Liberty Fitting Services. “The first thing everyone does before making a purchase is to check the reviews on the company or product, so it’s a great way to stand out. We have emails we send out with direct links to reviews sites, and have various short videos we can send to customers asking them to review us.” Graeme Wilson, founder and MD of digital marketing agency Lead Wolf, agrees that you’ve got to make it as easy as possible for customers. “The best way to encourage a customer to leave a review is by generating a review code from Google, then sending them the link by text or WhatsApp,” he explains. “When the review is left, Google places a geo-marker against it, and this will move your website up organic rankings in location-specific searches. ”It’s not just about getting positive reviews, but also


trying to encourage customers to use wording that describes their project: location, appliances, brands, etc, as this is all read by Google and helps rankings too. Always reply quickly to their review, as it’s a chance to thank them, and also a chance to add in the keywords about the project.”


Joanna Geddes, senior designer and director at JS Geddes in Kilmarnock, says that they not only verbally discuss the idea of leaving a review with the client, but get the marketing team to follow it up. They contact the clients after projects are finished, asking, ‘if you feel that you can, we’d be grateful if you could post a


to fake, and are much


The customer has begun to forget the good job you did


review’. “People are busy,” she says. “If you don’t present the link, it’s very unlikely that they will do it.” Another idea is to put some money behind this issue, with Emily Halderthay, marketing director at Inspire KBB, suggesting to “incentivise fitters/ designers to gain as many reviews as possible with perks or a bonus. Reviews are like gold dust, so they are worth putting some of your marketing budget behind to reap the rewards”.


Followers/likes/comments In chatting about


general recommendations with


Gainsborough Kitchens Bedrooms and Bathrooms, director Alex Jenman makes a fascinating point about the


public being connected and


supporting your company’s social media presence. “I think that likes, followers and comments are a recommendation in themselves,” he says. “When talking to my daughter about why she likes a particular singer, she said ‘he must be good as he’s got 1.5 million followers’.”


This is a viewpoint shared by Joanna Geddes at JS Geddes: “Validation is such an important part of marketing these days. Likes and comments on our social media posts are recommendations in themselves.”


of retailers said they don’t do anything to actively generate reviews


44%


Nevertheless, Geddes does find that – as part of a complete marketing approach – human interaction is vital. “Events at our showroom are an excellent way of creating that environment for recommendations to happen,” she explains. “For example, we invite clients who have bought from us to cooking and drinks evenings, asking them to bring a friend. Being in and among our displays and team creates the perfect conditions for recommendations, without having to spell it out. “We also allow kitchen brands, such as Corian and Cosentino, to use our showroom for architect and interior designer training and for continuous professional development (CPD) days, which again encourages them to refer us to their clients.”


Finding like-minded professionals as advocates for your business is another approach – one used by Matt Podesta, co-founder and creative director of Huckleberry Home. “Our customers are generally either referrals through interior designers


or architects, but mainly


through our online presence,” he says. “As we are a design-led company, we are creating a strong brand and image with a set style. As a result, we are now collaborating with other companies who share the same ethos.”


It seems though that what unites all of the KBB businesses that successfully encourage client recommendations is that none of this happens in an ad hoc way. All of them treat this matter as an important part of their marketing strategy, with a y systematic approach. “Having a process to follow up sales after installation is vital,” adds Bojen at marketing agency Design-Supply-Fit. “Automation can really help in this regard, but just having a process and sticking to it is the most important thing.”


So, in discussing the power of recommendations, the importance of doing a great job in the first place, when to ask, incentives, testimonials, reviews, social media events and process, it seems that this subject is far more instrumental to the success of KBB businesses than it may first seem.


Jemma Hough, managing director of A Class Kitchens in Bedford, neatly summarises the matter, saying: “In my experience, happy customers generally tend to refer us anyway. I think sometimes, they just need a little reminder.”


31


SATISFACTION


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68