Smart Sales Moves

I wanted to give a shout-out to Carrie & Co because they’ve really mastered the detail when it comes to customer experience.

As a member of FEA Create and the Female Entrepreneur Association, I received an email offering me one of their beautiful annual diaries. Usually £56, the email said this:

‘Karen, we've got a handful of £10 planners available…

We've got a small number of Midnight Blue planners that were unfortunately damaged during production, and we didn't want them to go to waste!

So, if you haven't bought a planner yet, and you'd like to grab one for just £10 click the button below.’

Firstly, I jumped at it. I’ve wanted one of these for years but couldn’t quite justify the price - even though it’s such a comprehensive planner. I worried I’d use it for three months and then forget about it (I’ve done that plenty of times with stationery!). I’ll wear old clothes forever, but stationary… well it’s hard to resist!

Secondly, what an incredible way to move slightly damaged products without wasting them. It’s much better for the environment. I mean how many products that aren’t perfect are thrown away each year?? I’d hate to know that number.

This was a superficial fault, the diary itself is perfect otherwise, so why throw it away? And hey there’s nothing wrong with a little imperfection, and that’s something we should all be celebrating. It’s still beautiful.

Thirdly, this was a clever marketing move too. Because here I am, writing about it, saying wow, this company is awesome!

So, in summary, this one email achieved:

Environmental consideration – Mother Nature happy.
Sales – They turned what could have been a loss into a win. Even if £10 was cost price, it meant no waste and no loss.
Marketing – Despite being a bargain, the experience was still luxury. The packaging was beautiful, the attention to detail was stunning, and I kid you not, the box even smelled amazing.

This goes beyond customer service: it’s a customer experience. They’ve thought about the journey from start to finish.

From the excitement of the email, to the updates in between, to the unboxing moment. Every step reflects Carrie’s mission to help her customers believe in themselves and their dreams. I’ve no doubt I’ll soon receive a feedback email to complete the loop, and later in the year, an update about the next planner launch!

I wanted to share this because there’s so much to learn from it as a business owner, especially if you sell products.

Years ago, I worked for a yacht manufacturer called Sealine as a Marketing Assistant. Once, I was tasked with creating a customer experience lounge. My mentor and marketing manager, Leanne - taught me so many valuable things in my time there. She told me I had to think about the journey of that customer as soon as they walked through the door. What would they see, what would they smell, what would they feel.

You can have the most beautiful product in the world, but if you don’t focus on the experience, it won’t shine. It needs your personality, your brand, and your ethos infused through every detail.

I loved creating that physical space for customers - luxury teas, diffusers, fresh flowers, stunning artwork, comfortable chairs. The room had once been a dull factory visitor space with old carpet and tired brochures. But if you’re buying a million-pound yacht, you want a million-pound experience to go with it.

But even if you’re not spending a million pounds on a product, you STILL want a million pound experience to go with it.

A purchase is so much more than just a product, it’s the experience people pay for.

Thank you, Carrie & Co, for getting this so right.