What’s the easiest way to grow your business? It’s selling new items to existing customers. The challenge is that our current customers only know, on average, 20 percent of our capabilities. So, what’s the solution? It’s almost too simple. It’s sampling.

Sampling is the lowest hanging fruit in marketing. There may not be a more cost-effective way for brands to drive purchase intent and conversion. The proof is in the numbers as highlighted in this Arbitron Study:

• 24 percent of consumers bought the product they sampled instead of the item they initially set out to purchase.

• 35 percent of customers who tried a sample bought the product during the same shopping trip.

Most people think of sampling as a way to get new prospective customers. But why does Sampling have to be just about the prospect? Why can’t you leverage current customers with an additional little extra to increase satisfaction, drive retention, and promote word of mouth?

Here’s a trio of companies that are using Sampling to delight their customers and drive sales:

– Kiehl’s hands out samples with every order

– Bigelow Tea put an additional tea bag of another flavor in each box

– Great Harvest Bakery hands out free slices of bread

How are you giving current customers a sample?

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Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.