Before Queen Cosmetics dipped its toe (delicately) into the murky waters of marketing and advertising some 18 months ago, our traditional means of reaching new customers was via word of mouth. This does remain one of the the most powerful ways of gaining new clients. If a friend looks good, you want to know how they've done it. And if that friend has always had rather sensitive or problem skin, you want to know how they suddenly look so radiant!
We operate from a farm which is located on a private road with lots of large detached houses. There is no sign on the road to indicate the different businesses working from the farm 'estate' so it is not a surprise that inhabitants of the road don't know we're here. A recent new customer who lives in a nearby village has been spreading the word about Queen, however, and it seems she has worked her magic on our 'neighbours'. "I can't believe you're here. I've lived in this road for 21 years and had no idea," a lady telephoned in. "Can I come down and try some products. I'm desperate to find a range to suit me."
She spent an enjoyable half an hour hearing about the range and bought lots of samples, including for her daughter. "I can't wait to try them. My friend looks so wonderful, I just had to know what she's using. I will let all my other friends know about you." Fingers crossed she likes them as she would be a fabulous advert for the range - attractive, fun, bubbly and engaging.
Another friend of Queen, a local osteopath who uses our Theatrical Cleansing Cream as a massage cream (it does a great job and is fabulous for any kind of osteopathic or other therapy which involves deep tissue massage as it is solid until contact with the skin when it melts - this saves on wasted oil and on stains on clothes and flooring and, because it is perfume-free, it is suitable for use on all clients) is also proving a wonderful PR agent for us. This week alone, she has recommended the products to three of her clients. Being very discreet, she only mentions them if her patients bring up the subject of sensitive skin.
Yet another woman called this week because someone she met while walking her dog had recommended the products to her! Often, those people who have been recommended the products by friends don't even have sensitive skin but are looking for products which really do work.
So, it seems we need to find ways to encourage all of our clients to tell their friends. We have in the past suffered from a syndrome where some women don't want to tell their friends their 'secret' so perhaps we can incentivise them in some way.
We've had yet more emails this week from women who are really struggling to find skincare/make-up products for their sensitive skin.
Says a lady from Scotland:
" I am unable to find a skin care product I am not allergic to. I desperately need some moisturiser, especially around the eye area. I have now seen a dermatologist, who said I should try 'ointments' rather than creams as these tend to be 'cleaner' products, and there would be less chance of an allergic reaction. I am 44 and really want to look after my skin. The only thing I can put on my face is Weleda moisturiser, but this is very light and I don't really feel it is doing any good. I recently spent a small fortune on a range of Boots No' 7 products, but they agreed to give me a refund after a severe reaction to them."
From further correspondence with her, it seems she can use perfumed products with extracts and essential oils which is very unusual as these tend to be the key irritants for sensitive skin. I do hope we can find something to suit her.
And so to our weekly stint at John Bell & Croyden where Queen products are continuing to sell well and to gain new followers. Eye Make-up Remover, a lovely gentle product which removes even stubborn make-up and is suitable for the most sensitive eyes and contact-lens wearers, was the flavour of the day for some reason.
Many sales reps were complaining that it had been a quiet week. It was therefore even more pleasing that Queen products had been selling at a decent rate. I met a lovely actress called Georgina Hain who is apparently a regular John Bell customer. We had quite a long chat about the number of famous thespians she had worked with and about her work with a children's charity which necessitated a visit to Luxor in Egypt next week. Not one to miss an opportunity, I gave her some Queen samples and assured her that they would be very useful in all that heat.
Another interesting 'sampler' was a Mrs Macmyllan-Reid who now lives in Gstaad in Switzerland. She talked a lot about Oscar Wilde and the fact that she owns some of his old furniture. Perhaps she is related in some way to him! She said she would introduce the Queen range to what she considered suitable outlets in both London and Gstaad. We keep our fingers crossed.
At the end of the day, a lady came in looking for Crow's Cremine, a make-up remover which is no longer stocked in John Bell. We have gained many new customers due to the disappearance of Crow's as our Theatrical Cleansing Cream is an excellent substitute. The lady's name was Lyn Joesph who told me she runs a fashion PR company, the eponymous Lyn Joseph PR (www.lynjosephpr.com). She was very complimentary about the Queen packaging and the more I told her about the company, the more interested she became. Despite my best efforts, she didn't buy a Theatrical, preferring quite rightly to try her free samples first. I did encourage her to come back next week if she liked them. Again, my fingers are crossed. And perhaps she will tell all her friends (and beauty writers, journalists, fashionistas etc!). As US advertising guru William Bernbach said 'word of mouth is the best medium'.
Have a good weekend.
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