Share in our Success
The main message we received from our southern partners at the IFAT
conference (May 2007) in Belgium was that if we have the capacity to
grow, as a Fair Trade organization we have a responsibility to our
partners to do so. Over the previous 18 months we have essentially
restricted our growth, with virtually no advertising and no proactive
marketing. During this period we have still seen 20% growth. This slow
down in growth has left us in a much more secure financial position.
While this is great news, by the time we left Belgium we felt guilty.
After all we are Fair Traders with a mission to market, promote and help
our southern partners.
We have decided to increase our sales targets for the rest of this year
at the request of our partners. Easy to say, perhaps harder to do.
After a lot of thought and analysis, it became clear to us that our best
and most important resource is you, our customers. Over the years most
of our growth has come from your word of mouth recommendations, yet we
have never truly rewarded you for your help.
As of today (June 5th 2007) we will say thank you to you by giving
you a share in our sales to new business customers whom you recommend us
to. Not just once but every time they order we will either credit your
wholesale account with 5% of the order amount, collect 5% for a donation
to an organization of your choice, or provide you with a 5% payment for
your help.
We will also give the new business customer a 10% discount on their
first order when they tell us you recommended them. This will ensure
that your great work on our behalf gets reported to us, so we can honor
our promise.
We could spend thousands on advertising or trade shows, but none of this
helps the Fair Trade movement. We have benefited from your help and
support in the past. Now it is time for us to thank you for your help.
If you have publications targeted at business customers or perhaps you
wholesale and feel able introduce us to your customer base, call Renice
for a unique coupon code you can use to help us track your good work.
Remember this will not be just a one off share. This is a constant
ongoing share. We know that every little bit helps--we were once
retailers and we cannot tell you enough how much we respect and thank
you for your work. Together we can expand and grow Fair Trade and
support the southern partners who we all work for.
Please call Kevin or Renice on 1.866.468.3438 for more information |
