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This case study demonstrates how a successful small business used SMS Marketing to improve his sales of imported motorcycle accessories. What he ended paying was a lot less than he expected, in more ways than one.
"The Product Importer"
Andrew imports and distributes
accessories for motorcycles. He stocks a wide range of products, but is
constantly asked for products for various models of bikes that he
doesn't stock. As part of his
enquiry management, he tracks and records all enquiries in a database,
including asking information about what potential customers might be
looking for in the future.
Andrew attempts to source for that
enquiry, which also helps his efforts to expand his product range.
However, once he is able to supply for his potential sale, he wants to
let his other possible customers know that he has a product that might suit them.
Andrew's issues.
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In the past he has relied on email, but
the response rate has been historically low, mainly because of lack of
personal contact.
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Those emails are usually read outside of business
hours, meaning that the clients often "never get around" to replying.
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He has also found it hard at times to put
aside time to make the numerous calls that he needs to make once he has
found a product to meet his clients' needs.
- Andrew wants to order in larger numbers of each new product. Purchasing in greater quantities would enable Andrew to lower the purchase cost of each initial unit, and increase the actual number of units sold, resulting in greater profits.
The effect of these are:-
- As a result of not following up all his prospects on the phone, Andrew is frequently missing out on sales.
- By purchasing in greater volumes, Andrew may substantially hurt his profitability and cashflow.
- He is also concerned that he might end up with lots of money tied up in slow moving stock items, and would require him to invest in additional warehousing adding to long-term overheads.
- Those items that are slow, are often 'dumped' at a reduced price, just to clear them out..
The Solution
Andrew decided to implement our SMS Messaging for Small Business.
His sales team now use our service to advise potential customers that the product they enquired about is available, and at a special price for a limited time.
- By implementing a follow-up to each email using SMS, and asking the client to call him about a special offer, Andrew is now able to reach the "hot" clients more easily, during business hours. = Better Communication.
- Those "hot" prospects are often calling him within just a few minutes of receiving the follow-up SMS. = More Enquiries
- In addition, he is able to close more sales because the communication is now more 2-way compared to just the email alone.= More Sales
- Less stocked is 'dumped' at a discount and instead sold earlier to prospects in his database = More profit
- His actual throughput has increased, allowing him to sell more without requiring any additional warehouse space = Less Costs.
Andrew couldn't be happier. His sales are up, and his word of mouth referrals are going through the roof. If this scenario sounds like your small business, contact us.
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