What Customers Ask For: Webinars and Education

Over the last several months, Frameless Hardware Company has been involved in several local and national trade shows, glass association meetings, architectural webinars, customer open houses and employee training meetings.

What they all have in common is an interest in industry training and up-to-date information.

At trade shows, including the recent Glass TEXpo™ in San Antonio, the training and information seminars were standing room only. One of the best ways today to reach your customers is to offer them best-in-class education. I have been doing training and informational webinars for years, and the audiences get larger monthly.

Whether you are a large national company or a small, local glass shop, offering education to your customers is one of the best ways to promote your business and build relationships. The more you know about your customers’ needs and what you can do to meet them, the stronger the relationship will be.

One of the most important things I always train my sales representatives on is teaching customers how to do business with you. The best way to place an order, who to call for what, company terms and how your order will ship or be delivered are just a few essential features to ensure your customers know.

In my experience, the topics the industry seems to be interested in are:

• Basic product training;
• Best practices on how to sell, install and service your products; and
• Industry updates, code updates, issues and trends you see in your area.

Additionally, it’s vital to introduce customers to new products and company news. Are they new company positions or promotions? What investments is your company making to improve services? This could be added machinery, vehicles, computers, etc. Don’t keep these things a secret. Customers want to work and buy from companies that show continual improvement and invest in their future.

Time goes by fast these days, so make sure that you pace yourself. Don’t overpromise and underperform. Start by planning one event and go from there. This is one area where social media can help you build your audience inexpensively and encourage your customers to check in to see what’s new.

Good Luck.