Both major retailers and suppliers are recognising that product training for retail staff is becoming increasingly important. Suppliers cannot simply get their products ranged with a major retailer and expect it to jump off the shelves. Shop assistants need to have detailed product knowledge on your products to confidently recommend them. If they don’t, chances are they will recommend a competitive product.

Major retailers are all striving to improve ‘the customer experience’ and acknowledge that improved product training will result in a more professional interaction with their customers.

Is it possible to cost-effectively train thousands of retail staff in locations spread right around Australia?

Face to face training is expensive when you consider salaries of trainers, airfares and accommodation, venues and documentation.

PointB have developed a unique e-Training solution that provides highly effective training at a fraction of the cost of traditional training.

The Benefits

• Sales assistants will be more knowledgeable and more confident explaining your product.
• Sales assistants are more likely to recommend your product.
• Reduces the risks of returns/ customer dissatisfaction from miss-recommendations.
• Enhanced customer experience.
• Increased chance of repeat business.
• Suppliers can also use e-Training for internal staff inductions.

For more information visit www.pointbetraining.com.au

Or call 03 9521 8555

Stop to consider that it costs 7 times more to acquire a new customer than to reactivate an existing customer, a customer who is predisposed to your brand and is likely to be satisfied with your product or service.

It is becoming harder and harder to win new clients. Most companies operate in saturated markets. Quality differences between products and services are minimal and due to the internet it is very easy for each customer to compare the various offers against each other and choose the best one. Customers are more and better informed and are not willing to accept the first offer. While new customers are important, actually critical, to every business, properly managing and retaining customers form the real backbone of business success.

There is a lot of truth in the old saying “Your best source of new business is your existing customer base.”

Effective customer retention strategies are vital to a successful and profitable business.

The aim of customer retention is to build and maintain a long term relationship with customers. Both parties – the company and the customers – benefits from each other.

So how can you benefit from customer retention strategies:

• Increase of repurchasing behaviour
• Increase of cross selling behaviour
• Increase of the value of a customer
• Declined price sensitiveness
• Positive word of mouth recommendations
• Declined migration rates
• Declined costs for the acquisition of new customers
• Strengthening of the unique selling proposition

Talk to PointB about how you can leverage your current customer base to generate new business

 SALES: According to the Australian Catalogue Association, some Australian retailers see their sales spike 40% after a catalogue has been distributed

REACH: Retail catalogues make it into 6.5 million letterboxes twice a week

TARGET: Some would think that catalogues only appeal to older generations, yet 28% of 18-24 year olds and 25% of 25-34 year olds named brochures as their preferred information source prior to purchase.

It is important that your catalogue speaks to all the right clients and the better designed your catalogue is, the wider range of consumers it will appeal to. At PointB we have an experienced team of designers who can create a broadly appealing catalogue for your product or service.

If you want to give your sales a boost, contact PointB on 03 9521 8555

Neglecting the importance of well-designed packaging will see you loose both potential and loyal customers. Graphics, perceived value against the competition and integrated marketing, all impact the consumers purchase decision.

Shelf Appeal

Customers judge a product by its packaging before buying, so it is crucial for attracting new customers. The temptation from a competitor’s packaging may persuade your current customers to switch brands. In order to retain customers and encourage new ones, your packaging needs to positively distinguish your product from both direct and indirect competition. A muesli bar, for example, is not only in competition with muesli bars from other brands, it is also competing against the other snack options available. The consumer has to weigh up taste, value and health benefits that your packaging portrays.

Stay Relevant

In order to stay relevant, product packaging may need revamping from time to time to avoid becoming stale or unfashionable. It need not be a complete image overhaul (this would actually be more of a hindrance as it would confuse loyal customers), but subtle changes as time goes by will keep your product fresh.

Does it fit in with your brand?

Another important factor when designing your packaging is to ensure that it fits in with the rest of your brands marketing communications. This will help sell your product to those who have purchased another product from your brand as well as increasing brand recognition. A strong integrated marketing communication strategy will continue to sell the product 24/7 on the shelf at the supermarket, as well as in the purchaser’s pantries.

Training retailers staff can be very rewarding. It heightens their awareness of your products and how they are used, which will give them greater confidence in selling your product and will result in more sales. The more sales that are made the longer the retailer will stock your product.

Training retail staff on your product can also be challenging. When can you conduct training where it won’t disrupt the day to day operation of this retailers business. How can you avoid the significant cost of face to face training for every single outlet?

PointB provides the perfect solution by combining the educational power of video with the interactive capabilities of the internet. We can tailor a training video on your products. We can develop a website that will enable sales staff to go online and view videos and answer product questions. This can be done during staff breaks in their own free time.

This method ensures that every single salesperson in every store receives thorough, consistent and professional training on your products.