WiFi

I don’t know if everyone does this or not, but I keep a calendar of events near my desk so I can mention to my customers about upcoming Williamsburg activities in case they are thinking about a visit in the near future.  No matter what time of year it is, I find some reason to say, “This is a great time to visit Williamsburg!”  So far only one person has actually visited as a result of my suggestions, but if all chamber members regularly invited out-of-town customers and clients to “bring the family for a visit” I would imagine the impact would be quite positive.  It’s also nice if you can plug other chamber members, as in “Have you ever visited ____?  It’s one of our family’s favorite places.” 

Personal contact counts:  Phone calls, emails or flyers inserted in billing statements, or shopping bags to advise them of a special shipment, new product, availability of a companion product, or a sale coming up can all be profitable for you and your customer.  Hosting special customer appreciation events; even something as simple as a tin of cookies or candies on your counter during business hours can be festively done and make a statement of appreciation.  

Coupons are popular and there may be variations you haven’t used: honoring your competitor’s coupon, including one for a friend, doubling it on a specific date, or even offering a free service with a purchase.  These can be counter hand outs, part of your regular advertising, window and in store signs, individual mail outs or statement inserts. 

Remember how important the referral from a satisfied customer is and offer inducements and rewards. These can come in any shape or form; cash, gift, discount, inclusion in a drawing, all have advantages.

Every customer remembers a sincerely offered THANK YOU! One successful business chain always answers a customer’s thank you with, “It’s my pleasure”, that’s hard to beat for making a customer feel appreciated.

Have any other suggestions or tips that have worked to retain your customer loyalty…join the conversation and leave a comment.   

It’s Holiday Time!  I know everyone has all kinds of parties, events, and gatherings planned for the holiday season.  While making your holiday plans dont forget these great Alliance events coming up. 

December Business After Hours
Ethan Allen Design Center
Thursday, December 4, 5:30PM
 Come Celebrate the holidays with the Alliance and Alliance members at the December Business After Hours held at the Ethan Allen Design Center on Dec 4 at 5:30.  For more information or to RSVP call Betty Smith at 229.6511 or at wacc@williamsburgcc.com

Christmas Parade
From Merchants Square to William and Mary Hall
Saturday, December 6, 9am
 Ushering in Santa Claus will be 100 parade units representing organizations from across the City of Williamsburg, James City County and York County. The parade will begin at Merchants Square and end at the College of William and Mary’s William & Mary Hall.

Surviving the Credit Crunch: A Guide for Success:
Williamsburg Woodlands Conference Center
Tuesday, December 9, 7:30AM - Noon
The Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance, The College of William & Mary’s Technology & Business Center and the Mason School of Business In Partnership with the Historic Triangle Economic Developers are hosting a highly interactive seminar discussing critical issues facing area businesses and will feature, regional, state and federal organizations that will help your business survive and prosper. For more information or to RSVP contat Betty Smith at 229.6511 or at wacc@williamsburgcc.com

If any Alliance members have Christmas events feel free to post them here on the blog!

Hi there, everyone –

It’s been a while since someone has written on here, so I thought I would take the time to plug the Alliance’s new Williamsburg Weekends landing page.  This page is attached to a radio campaign in DC — all to help promote weekend travel to the Historic Triangle.  If you haven’t already, take a look-see… The page is updated every week, offering a fresh, new listing for weekend visitors. 

If you know of an upcoming event, sale, promotion, program, etc., please do not hesitate to send it my way - jold@williamsburgcc.com.  You should also sign up to receive our weekly e-blasts — it’s a great way to stay tuned into what’s happening in our area. 

Thanks,
Joanna

If appropriate, will there be a business blog category where companies can do a little advertising showing current discounts and specials?.  A link on the company’s Chamber Member Directory listing would be good and allowing individual company blogs within the Business category would be very advantageous.

Thanks for starting this, it’s a very good idea.

I would like to offer all chamber members great savings on advertising in our 3rd edition which will be out on December 1st.Travelhost is a quarterly publication and we are looking forward to our 3 edition just in time for Christmas.Our 2nd edition will soon be out on Sept 3rd , we are very excited about our new advertisers and hoping Travelhost Magazine will help all the businesses that advertised in that edition great success.Travel Host magazine also offers regional advertising which can get your businesses message to potential customers in other states before they reach your destination .

It seems that everyone is enjoying the blog and we are excited about all the comments and positive feedback we have recieved. 

We got a terrific suggestion from Shayna at Weddings By Shayna! She suggested that we include link to member blogs to our blogroll.  We welcome any member that has a blog to send us the link and we will post it on our blogroll.  This will drive traffic from our blog to your blog creating more awareness about your business.  You can send us the link by commenting or emailing me at braxton@williamsburgcc.com.

Finally a venue to ask the burning question on the mind of many Williamsburg residence…is that Kate sitting with Mr. Jefferson?  If yes, what are they discussing?

Hey all!

Our group wanted to say hi and let you know what we’re doing!

First off: The intros!

Andy Dallas, Thalhimer Commerical Real Estate

Buddy Ford, Ford Builders

Charlie Martino, Cooke’s Landscaping

Diane Dawson, Dolls of Diane

Helen Oderisi, Colonial Photography

John Williams, B2B CFO

Karen Plumley, XACTEC

Karen Solderitch, UpTown Promotions

Katherine Butler, ADP

Larry Mitchell, Pro-Temps

Lynne Williams, McKinney & Co

Margaret Mondul, Household Document Organization

MaryAnn Murphree, Taylored Printing

Matt Ridjaneck, Stephens Financial Partners LLC

Melissa Loudermilk, Chesapeake Bank

Michelle DeWitt, City or Williamsburg

Paul Brinkley, Dynamo Electric

Randy Myers, Witt Mares

Scott Hart, Ripley’s Believe It or Not

Stephanie Loebs, Williamsburg Place & Farley Center

Steve Dees, Williamsburg Hospitality House

Steve Yavorsky, JCC Economic Development

Susan Deierling, Exit Realty Deierling & Associates

Susan Sander, Prepared Office

Tiffany Cutts, GWCTA

Warren Schultz, Williamsburg Health Journal

Hoping that everyone jumps on board ,i love blogs. Thanks to the alliance for allowing members another avenue to chat with  each other. I want to thank the chamber for all their efforts in helping Travelhost Magazine get going and looking forward to great business relationships with other chamber members. My Email williamsburgtravelhost@cox.net

John Crisp/Marketing Manager

757-592-6296