All Programming Software Development Blog

I have various clients in the retail industry and it got me thinking, what can all these businesses do better next year, and how can I help them to better do business with the custom software products they use from my company.

I came up with 4 key things that will definitely make a difference to their levels of service and definitely result in an increase in income for their retail businesses.

I mention in brief the 4 points here and then in separate articles delve in more detail about each article with examples.

1) Conduct CHEAP EFFECTIVE marketing:

The cheapest forms of marketing in my opinion with the best return are as follows
1) Bulk Email
2) Bulk SMS
3)Affiliate marketing

If your company isn’t doing any of the above 3, then you need to start immediately. Most companies are to some degree using one of the three but they don’t effectively track any of this marketing thereby making it near pointless.

Read more about Bulk sms, Bulk Email and Affiliate marketing

2) Embrace the Internet

This is the most contentious issue I tend to have with my clients as the greater majority don’t see how the internet can better there business significantly. In brief, how do you embrace the Internet.

1) Get a website for your business
2) Search Engine Optimise (SEO) your website for exposure to the world.
3) Get a BLOG and share your expertise and some of your business secrets, it sounds very odd but this qualifies you as an expert in your field and this can have more positive effects on your business than negative.
4) Encourage your existing and new clients to use your website. Give them a reason to go there.

I know from personal experience the difference a website can make along with working hard at the website to ensure people visit your website along with search engines often.

Read more about getting a website and SEO here

3) Automate the process of offering your client better service

This is a very interesting and challenging topic and revolves around using your Cheap marketing methods from above and your database from your software system to communicate with your clients thereby giving the impression of an excellent and qualified client service.

Read more about automating client service using Bulk sms and Bulk e-mail here.

4) Have your client database current and up to date

Perhaps this seems obvious, yet I have yet meet a single business that has or can even achieve this. The reality is that it takes a very sophisticated software product to manage this process well. To add to that the software product would have to be constantly updating in order to take into account changes in industry and business etc.

So its my opinion that your client database is only ever up to date from day to day, one day its up to date, the next it isn’t etc.

Read more about keeping your client database up to date here

I would really appreciate any feedback you may have in this regard. Business owners are welcome to share their thoughts and advice here as well.

My company, All Programming does custom software development and has a range of products the major of which is our Point of sale system called Chrome. Other products include bulk sms and bulk emailing programs as well. Its through my experiences of working very closely with these clients over a number of years that has given me the experience to write this article today. Perhaps I will do a real case study over the course of next year to display how putting these things in place can make a dramatic change to your income in a year. If there is interest then I will do it.