There are some customers with whom I communicate on WhatsApp. I usually upload pictures of the products on WhatsApp. Let's say that I upload images of 6-7 kurtis on WhatsApp. Now, if the customers see these images on WhatsApp and like any of the kurtis, they will call me to inquire about the price and quality of that kurti. Once they have learned everything about the kurti, they will ask me to set it aside so that they can come to my shop and buy it. These are regular customers who visit my shop frequently.
Whatever customers I have are regular. They become regular customers because I do a good job and there is trust. There are many regular customers. One of them is standing here right now. He has many customers at his home. I go to his home, spend time there, eat and drink. He has become more of a friend than a customer. When he comes to my shop, he is a customer, or else he is a friend.
No, the customer doesn't pay upfront. I have to buy parts from my own pocket, and the customer pays later. I can't ask a regular customer for advance payment. If it's a new customer, I ask for advance payment. If I get a defective part, it can be exchanged. If I don't open the packaging, it can be easily exchanged, but not if the packaging is opened. Products from JC Road cannot be exchanged. I have many items lying from there. They have boards outside that say 'no replacement'. Yes, I have bought the parts, but now I have to wait to fit it in another vehicle. The part will not go to waste; it will be used sooner or later. There will be no loss, but I will have to wait. No parts go to waste in my shop.
Yes, I have regular customers. 90% of them are from outside. Harohalli, Ganigarapaliya, and others are all villages. So, everyone tries to come here. Now, all those areas are developed and they have shops too. They don't come here due to heavy traffic either. They think twice before coming here. So, only nearby people come here.
My loyal customers taught me to use Google Pay and PhonePe. If anyone makes a payment, we have to click here to view the history. The first name will be that of the person who made the payment. That is how I started accepting payments using PhonePe and Google Pay. I cannot force anyone to pay in cash. Previously, I used to turn away customers who used PhonePe and Google Pay.
Customers come to my shop repeatedly and they are my regular customers. It depends on quality. As I have maintained quality and rate, customers come to me. Otherwise, there are many shops and customers. There is no rule that you have to buy from me. You can buy things from wherever you want to buy. It does not matter. I have already told you that customers consider behavior, quality, and rate.
Yes, I want to increase customer satisfaction. I want to give a gift to my customers. I have not yet thought about it. I would go to the market and see if I can find something better. If I do, I would buy it and provide it to customers. I would also provide this service to my regular customers. This idea came to my mind when I went to Chennai to buy things and saw that gifts were available there. This is specifically for regular customers. I have not planned anything for new customers. I would give a gift to everyone in April, during the start of the Hindu new year.
Yes, we have regular customers. They are very nice customers. Till now, we have 40% regular customers, which we have calculated. We make Excel entries of our yearly estimated bill. For example, if your name is Priyanka Kesharwani or Priyanka Shrivastav or Priyanka Singh, this is your mobile number, you belong to Shanti puram, and you have taken furniture from me in 2021 and 2022. So, when I add the information of 2022 in Excel, the sheet will show me that you have taken a product on this date and this year. Therefore, I can know that you have taken 2 furniture items from me in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This helps me identify you as a regular customer, Priyanka ji. I see that 400 customers repeated their purchases next year among 1000 customers, which means they are our regular customers. We make the entry and provide gifts to our regular customers during festivals. We message them and invite them to come during Dhanteras and Deepawali. We give a 5% discount to our regular customers on pillow, mattress protector, and bedsheet. In Deepawali, my shop will be 3 years old, so I will see who those regular customers are who have done shopping from us in these 3 years. It might be a small chair or a big furniture item, and we will give them a 50% discount or a buy 1 get 1 free offer to increase our sales. If we motivate and give things to regular customers, they will also advertise for us. Instead of investing money on advertisements and keeping staff for advertisement, they will not go to every locality to do this. Allahabad has many localities like Taliyarganj Fafamoj, Shanti puram. I should catch the customers, give them a buy 1 get 1 free offer, and then they will feel that Vinayak furniture respects us. They will advertise this to 4 more people to purchase things from us. We are good. This is a concept to increase the business.
Yes, we prepare Excel sheets month-wise as well. We will also offer discounts to our monthly regular customers, so they feel that we are responsive to their purchases. Currently, we are not tracking monthly data, but we will start doing so. Currently, we only track yearly data. I have created a database for customer needs. For example, if a customer asks for a specific item that we don't have in our shop, I will note down their requirement and their mobile number on a daily basis. After fulfilling their needs, we will contact the customer. (showed the register) Here, I have written down the customer's requirement for a change in the revolving chair base. Initially, we used to sell chairs without the base, but now we have started selling the base as it is a customer need.
We show them good varieties and the best clothes in our shop to make them our regular customers. We talk to the customers and ask them what they like. We give them the best clothes in our shop. They come first. They tell us themselves that they want this type of clothing. If they want to see a specific kind of suit, then we show it to them.
I started my business in 2016 from home, and after a year or so, I opened a shop. However, there were some problems, such as my husband's business declining. Nevertheless, I decided to proceed with my business despite the lack of support. When I went to Kolkata and saw the fabrics, I liked them and thought I should sell them here. In Surat, the work is not good, but in the whole of Pratapgarh, there are 250-300 Maarwadi families. Maarwadi Chowk has 250-300 families. Therefore, they had to obtain fabrics from Kolkata or through someone else. When people learned that I am selling clothes from Jaipur and Kolkata, they became interested in my products. I mostly have regular customers who appreciate and wear the clothes I sell. Other customers don't usually come because I don't offer affordable options, and they are unfamiliar with pure fabrics. These fabrics are not washed at home; they are only dry cleaned.
Yes, sir. There are a few customers who have been with me for 5-6 years. I have a diary. I write in it. I don't remember it and I forget it sometimes. So there are a few customers who give me half payment. They are very nice. I don't have to call them for the payment. They come and give me the money. Then I cut their names once the payment is done. They come to buy one item but they take 4 of them from my shop. They bring the money for just one item so they take that but they also don’t leave the rest of them because they think what if they don’t get it afterwards. So I ask them to take the rest of them and do the payment afterwards. I know most of them and that’s how you build your customers. Loan is a must in any business. And there are a lot of ladies. They get pocket money. So they give according to that. So they get a lot of benefit in my shop. If they want to wear a necklace for a function then they take it and do the payment afterwards. Their work is also done. And I have to go every two months. My money comes before two months. So work is also done. Sometimes they give in installments. Some customers give in installments. Sometimes they give the whole amount together.
As I have already mentioned, we have been in this field since the beginning, so we automatically have customers. In some places, we come to know about new factories or industries. We have our own visits. We get customers from someone who found us online, such as India Mart or Google. Nowadays, people have a habit of searching for products on Google, so we also receive inquiries from there. Almost 50% of my clients are regular. We receive inquiries throughout the year. For example, if a new factory is being built, we provide them with the material for the first time and then we continue to receive inquiries from them. Once a customer becomes a customer, there is a 90% guarantee. We don't have an extraordinary strategy to make new customers regular. Our main strategy is competitive rates. There shouldn't be a problem with the rates. They shouldn't feel that the rate is too high or too low. Even if they feel it is too high, we go and correct it. If we are wrong, we analyze where we went wrong or if the client feels something is confusing because another supplier has given a different rate for a similar product, we address that issue and make necessary adjustments. We continuously seek feedback. If a new industry is formed, they inform us if there are any other problems. If there are problems, and we can solve them, we take necessary actions. However, we don't keep a record of it verbally. If the client stays connected with us continuously, then it is understandable.
If I have a regular customer, then their payment is between 30 to 60 days. And if someone is an exceptional customer and knows me, then they get a little credit. The rest is done on a cash or advance basis. Yes, it's on a cash basis, based on the material and payment. It is completely on my tally. If the rough estimate is normal, then it is made on this. The rest is done on the tally. Because my maximum is fixed. Like GST will be charged. Because whatever material I am getting is coming with the bill. So, the material I am going to get is also on the bill.
Our registration is in both Electric and Electronics. We also sell TVs. Now you might say you can't see the TVs. They are on demand because I offer a good rate. Our satisfied customers call us. I had the TV installed before you arrived. I keep TVs in the warehouse. I face space issues when customers visit. Look, this is a teacher. I sent him a TV at 12.28 before you arrived. He wanted this TV, so I sent it to him. I sent him something with good picture quality. Bhaskar Sukla is one of our loyal customers. I have the contact details of my loyal customers saved. If a loyal customer calls me and requests something, I provide it. If they ask for a TV, I offer them a good rate. They don't need to go anywhere else.
Yes, the products we sell here are also available online. It doesn't personally affect me, but it's beneficial for us. It's an opportunity we offer to our customers, where we inform them that the online price is lower by a hundred rupees. Even with this discount, we still make a profit. Nowadays, all customers search online. Everyone wants to check the cost and the profit and loss. We check here and show it to them so we can easily send it. That is an opportunity for us as of now. However, people who are not aware of this option buy online. Once a customer comes to me, once or twice, they become my loyal customer. I am committed to maintaining this relationship, whether it is because of my behavior, the product pricing, or my nature. I have never lost a customer. Once I sell a product to someone, they always come back to me.
For regular customers, you should behave well. If a customer comes and says, "We don't have Rs.10 or Rs.20, we only have Rs.500. We will come and give it to you the day after tomorrow." I will say, "Okay, that's fine." They will come and give it to you. If they are giving Rs.500, why won't they give Rs.20? They don't have it, that's why they are unable to give it. Then they will come and give it to you later. When you come in the morning, my shop opens late. We open at 9.30. Yes, 9.30. The other shops open at 8.30. The kids wait for me. Even if they can get the book from the shop next to mine, they won't take it from the other shops.
If he is my regular customer, many mechanics also come to us for getting cars repaired, I give more discount to my continue coming customers. If it is new customer we come to know. We see the vehicle number and come to know that this vehicle has come from Raipur or Nagpur or somewhere else. We know that this outside customer will never come again to our workshop. Only 2% difference is there in our discounts for regular and new customers.
We can say they are regular customers. If you take a customer, and I provide them with some medicines that result in a profit for them, then they will definitely come back to me. However, if it is not beneficial for them, why would they come back to me?
No, I am not sure if they are regular customers because sometimes the medicines are not effective. Sometimes the medicine doesn't work due to the environment. Additionally, there are many companies, so not all medicines from every company will provide 100 percent results. We have to choose which company's medicine is good.
And we mostly deal in cash. We don't offer credit that often. If it is a regular customer, then only they get some credit. No, I don't give them a credit period because I don't get a credit period from the market.
Yes, I do have regular customers. They call me even when I'm not here and tell me what they want. There are about 15 to 20 people who have become my regular customers because I am talkative. Some people are drawn to me because of the way I communicate. However, if a customer approaches me and I show displeasure on my face or if I am not genuinely interested, they will not return. Therefore, I make sure to welcome them, engage in friendly conversation, and create a positive impression to attract them. As a result, they are more likely to come back.
Yes, I do give discounts to customers. It's not based on MRP. I would also have some margin if I buy the product and not sell it for 10 rupees. I may have bought it for 7 rupees, so I would discount one rupee for the customer. This would make the customer happy and I would also have more profit. The valuable customers would get a better discount. The normal customers who just come and go would get a regular one. If a customer is good and makes a purchase of around 2000-3000, then I would definitely have to give them a higher margin. A customer who has been coming to me for a long time, I understand her preferences. She doesn't always purchase goods worth 1000 rupees, sometimes it's 200 rupees as well. However, she occasionally comes and buys goods worth 2000 rupees. She is a loyal customer and always visits me. That's the place that is meant for customers like her, and I have to make room for her.
That also happens, and sometimes the customer forgets to bring money, so they give me something in advance, and then they come back and give me the whole amount. I will not give this facility to everybody, and not everybody in our distributor market gets this facility from wholesalers and distributors. But if a customer has been coming to me for the last four or five years, then I have to trust them. No, we cannot give this flexibility to a lot of customers because the position of the market does not allow this kind of facility, as our business has suffered due to online shopping, especially impacting small shopkeepers like me.
Regular customers come to the shop, and some of them call up and tell me that they are not at home. They ask me to pack the items, and they will come and pick them up later. They may be somewhere else when they call, but they come to the shop later on. They don't message; instead, they call because I don't check my mobile that often.
Customers are like that; they won't leave. They will inquire about the rates and point out that the rates are different from other stores. For example, a product may be sold for Rs 13 there, but here it will be priced at Rs. 15. Customers will mention that there is a difference of Rs 2. This could be because the item is in higher demand there than here. Some people understand when we explain, while others don't. There is nothing like that the item will sell off in the end. I will calculate how many items will be needed for that week accordingly. So, if I take something for Rs 100, it will come down to Rs 75. Therefore, I will get only 10 pieces. Just because the rates will go down, doesn't mean I will get 15 cases, as I would incur a loss of Rs 25. I won't do such a thing.