If you like this e-zine, please "email it forward" to someone you know who's interested in the tea business. If a friend did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe so you don't miss the upcoming issues.

If you have suggestions, article requests, comments, or corrections, please feel free to contact me.

To be sure you never miss an issue of "Tea Business Success News" in your e-mail box, please add the following Tea Business Guide domain to your list of trusted senders / your address book / contact list (in your e-mail software) and to your ISP/ mail service's "whitelist": @tea-business-guide.com

© by Sally Jones; all rights reserved

One of the first things you should think about when planning your own PR and marketing is who your client is. Prepare a client profile. You are probably thinking anything walking around on two feet and can walk into my establishment is my client. Yes, we want everyone to come to our tea business, but we have to think realistically.

Answer questions like where are they? What is the common denominator of the people who will come into my business? What will make them come into my tea buisness? What economic status am I trying to reach? These answers will help you decide on how to reach your customers.

Next thing is how do I reach these prospects and turn them into customers? One question you need to ask yourself is what makes them want to come into my business? Think like your customer. Would you want to come into your business and why? You can reach your prospects by postcards to specific zip codes or ads in the newspaper for certain areas. Think of advertising in homeowners newletters, programs for the symphony, ballet, opera, or plays, or placing fliers in places your customer is likely to frequent--beauty salons, spas, antique shops, etc.

Next--how do I turn customers into repeat customers? There are several ways to do this. Start a mailing list. Give customers an opportunity to sign up for mailings or emailings. Then send out postcards or newsletters on a regular basis. On your sign up sheet you can ask customers for their birth month and then send a postcard each month to the ones that have birthdays. The postcard or newsletter could carry a picture of new retail in your store. You could feature a monthly tea. Have a contest to discover your customer's favorite tea.

You can offer a free gift, such as 1 oz. of their favorite tea, if they bring in their birthday postcard. Send out frequent emails to those who have signed up. Have an area on your website that allows them to sign up for your emails or an online newsletter. Be sure to update you website frequently to keep it relevant--especially removing old information.

You can sign up for a magazine called "Incentive" at incentivemag.com. This will give you helpful ideas on incentives to offer your customers. I have already talked about birthday postcards with a free gift. Here are some other ideas: a free pot of tea for bringing in a new friend, a coupon only available on your website, a free pot of tea for first timers, etc.

To get teens to switch to tea, you will need to educate them. They like coffee because of the caffeine but forget tea has it also. Tea also has an amino acid called theanine which has a calming effect which allows one to focus better. This is why monks used to drink tea beacuse the caffeine gave them energy to stay awake for long periods of time, but the theanine allowed them to focus and increased their intellectual activity.

You can also tweak the teas by adding flavoring syrup such as carmel to a peach tea and add a flower to jazz it up and call it Carmel Peach Dream. Again, teens like something different, so be flexible and creative.

When planning special events, piggyback off events already taking place in your community. For instance, if there are hot air balloon races, think of having an event that involves balloons--a balloon tea or serving bubble tea.

Piggback off other retailers in your area. Have your fliers in antique shops, salons, spas, or alternative health centers or health food stores. You have to be willing to have their fliers in your establishment in return. Try involving them in one of your special events such as a fashion show from a boutique at one of your special teas. That way, both of you can advertise the event and you both get new business.

A good way to promote good PR is to write thank you notes to any and all that have helped your business. Thank you notes to people who advertise for you or have special events at your establishment. Regardless of what may be said, everyone likes to know they are appreciated.

Want to know what your customers think? Ask them! This can be done as simply as talking with them and asking is everything was ok and what else they would like for you to offer. Everyone likes to talk with the owner and feel that the owner is interested in what they have to offer. You can also have a paper and pencil survey, but never ask more than 10 questions. Also, don't ask yes and no questions. Pose questions that ask for interaction with the customer.

Keep up with your customer's lives. Are they recovering from surgery? getting new homes? traveling? birthdays? Send special occasion cards, etc. to let them know they are important to you. Some of this may not be feasible, but remembering to ask them about their health, travel, etc. will make them loyal to you and your business.

Know what is going on in businesses that are related to you. For example: you have a tea room and host bridal showers--know what's going on in the wedding world--good website weddings.com. Review non industry sites for ideas.

Cross promote with non industry neighbors to bring customers to your neighborhood. Plan a sidewalk tea tasting while your neighbor has a sidewalk sale. Be creative.

Other ideas for promoting your business can include etiquette classes, gift cards, media participation, special teas celebrating all kinds of events (how about celebrating the Boston Tea Party), book readings, and any other group meetings. Again, be creative.

And lastly, know what your competitors are doing. You shouldn't copy, but you can offer alternative, creative ideas.

I hope this has given you many ideas to think about. If you come up with creative ways, please email them to me and I will include them in future e-zines.

1. Lana at jerrypfree@phreego.com sent in the following tip about surveys. I need to apologize to Lana for not putting this in sooner. It is really a good idea.

Lana writes: I am interested in the tea business and was not sure if there was an interest in my area. I compiled a survey and went to local craft fairs. I asked if it would be okay to discuss my plans with the patrons and was welcomed with open arms.

I found out that there was an interest in tea, but the majority were not tea drinkers. Even though they were not tea drinkers, those who did not drink tea were interested in childrens tea parties.

This information was obtained in an afternoon. I decided there was a need for these parties and plan to proceed.

I need to invest as little as possible in my new business and plan to rent a booth in a craft fair, set up a display, and book parties.

Hope this can be helpful to someone.

2. Logan from Belle's Tea Cottage gives an excellent tip on retailing.

A tip in regards to selling merchandise is to keep the prices of merchandise down. Most customers will buy items if priced at or around $20.00 but will not buy items more exepensive. It is easier to sell 5 items at $20.00 each than one at $100.00.

3. Anne at Teaching Tea offers this suggestion for your tea room.

A plate smaller than a dinner plate usually accompanies an afternoon tea service. By contrast, the knife supplied is almost always a full-size one. This large knife rests awkwardly on the small plate and takes up too much room.

Much better would be to supply the tea taker with a small knife or spreader. Even better is to add a lovely knife rest to the tea service place setting. These will most likely be great sellers in the tea room gift area as so few shops carry them. They come in glass, porcelain, and metal. This type of special extra touch sets a tea room apart from the ordinary, and adds a touch of thoughtful elegance.

Check out this web site on a remarkable use for a used tea bag. T-Bag Designs Read the story behind this amazing woman and her determination to help the people she was living with.

Another idea to bring your customers back is a frequent "pot of tea" card. Have a "pot of tea" card where the 10th or 12th pot of tea is free. You can even keep a file box with your customers' cards on file so they don't have to keep track of them. This will help you learn their names and you can also add a line for their email address so you can add them to your mailing list.

July 22-23, 2006
Fresh Cup Roadshow, Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, MN,

August 17-19, 2006
The 3rd China (Shanghai) International Excellent Coffee & Tea Exhibition 2006, Shanghai Mart, Shanghai, China

September 8-9, 2006
Fresh Cup Roadshow, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

September 27-30, 2006
China Tea Expo, The World Trade Exhibition Center, Beijing, P.R. China

September 26-28, 2006:
Tea & Coffee World Cup, Shanghai, China

October 2006
Fresh Cup Roadshow, Dallas, Texas

June 9-11, 2007
World Tea Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia

We would like to hear from you. If you have any tips that you found helped you build a successful tea business, please submit a tip and we will publish it in a future Tea Business Success News. We will also give you a permanent link to your site.

Readers have asked about what to do with used tea bags and/or used tea leaves. There are several suggestions. Use the tea leaves in your compost pile. They can be used around plants. Visit Original Tea Bag Designs for another idea.

Contact Sally