LoLo - Locals Supporting Locals Ranks No. 1770 on the 2022 Inc. 5000

Asheville, NC August 16, 2022 – Inc. today ranked LoLo on its annual list of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the country.  This marks the first time that LoLo has made the list. They accomplished it in their first year of eligibility with an impressive three-year growth rate of 347%. 

“It’s an honor to appear among this list of great companies. We can attribute our success to our belief in putting people first. Our strategy involves taking great care of our clients and our team. Being ranked as the 1,770th fastest growing company is thanks to the devotion of our talented team who joined our mission of Keeping the Local Vibe Alive,” said Clark Harris, co-founder of LoLo. 

LoLo is a relationship marketing platform that gives people an efficient way to stay engaged with their clients and contacts while supporting the local community. To date, LoLo and its clients have infused $2.2 million into local economies via LoLo’s Gift of the Month program which partners with local independent merchants. Originally a consumer rewards program designed to influence people to spend their money at local businesses, LoLo pivoted into a relationship marketing platform after collaborating with Beverly Hanks and Associates to help innovate their client engagement program. LoLo's Gift of the Month is now active in 98 markets across 38 states.

The past three years of growth did not come without its challenges as LoLo’s local merchant partners faced difficulties around staffing, inflation, and general economic uncertainty related to the pandemic and its effects on their business. 

“So much of what we do depends on the resiliency of local businesses. We’ve been blown away by how strong and innovative our local partners are and give credit to all the hard work they put in the past three years to thrive and move forward,” said Matthew Simpson, co-founder.  

The 5000 companies that made the list reported aggregate revenue of $317.2 billion and median three-year growth of 230 percent.  Most importantly, the 2022 Inc. 5000 companies were engines of job growth, having created more than 1,178,302 jobs since those companies were founded. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies that can be sorted by industry and region can be found at ww.inc.com/inc5000/2022. 

About LoLo

LoLo is a relationship marketing company dedicated to Keeping the Local Vibe Alive. Its primary program is the Local Gift-of-the-Month Campaign in markets across the country to help businesses maintain and nurture relationships. . To date, LoLo has worked with over 5,000 local merchant partners and delivered over 7 million gifts. 

Inc. 5000 Methodology

Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2018 to 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2018. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2021. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2018 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places. The top 500 companies on the Inc. 5000 are featured in Inc. magazine’s September issue. The entire Inc. 5000 can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc.

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

The 4 R’s of Relationship Building

Building your business takes more than just looking for leads and doing paperwork. Creating repeat business and referrals is the easiest way to continually grow your business, but doing so takes trust. To build trust it means you have to build and maintain relationships.

It’s easy to maintain a relationship when you’re in the middle of a transaction. Regular follow-ups and check-ins are a must to keep things moving along. However, when you’ve moved on from that deal and are focusing on successfully navigating through new ones, it’s hard to remember to devote the time and energy to maintaining the relationships that you’ve built with previous clients.

 
 

That’s where your marketing plan comes in - it’s not just about capturing new potential leads, but also about maintaining contact with previous clients, future clients, friends and family!

So as you’re putting together the perfect recipe for your marketing plan, make sure one of the ingredients is a campaign designed to build relationships. It’s worth doing a mental check to make sure that the campaign incorporates the 4 R’s of Relationship Building:

 
4 Rs of Realtionship Building.jpg
 

  • Reliable

    • Is it consistently delivered so that it builds familiarity? (People have to remember your name)

  • Refreshing

    • Is it something unexpected and different than they get all the time? (People get enough spam) 

  • Real

    • Does it feel generic or like something you hand-picked? (People appreciate the personal touch) 

  • Representative

    • Does it align with your values?  (Birds of a feather flock together)

When you’ve found the right combination of marketing pieces that align with the 4 Rs, you’ll find it’s easy to maintain the relationships you need to keep your business moving. You may even find that you grow true friendships from your client relationships!

5 Ways To Nurture Who You Know

 
 

Relationship marketing is a proven strategy that leads to more repeat and referral business. The one thing that keeps most people from doing it is that it takes some of that old-fashioned effort. So set yourself apart from the crowd of people doing the bare minimum and remind your clients why they love doing business with you by using these strategies: 

  1. Phone Calls: A quick phone check-in is a great way to deepen relationships with your clients, friends, colleagues, etc. Make sure that you are calling with the authentic purpose of learning more about them and not trying to sell anything. Use the FORD technique of asking questions about the following categories: Family - Occupation - Recreation - Dreams. Schedule a few calls when you’re in the car between appointments and use an opener like, “It’s been too long since we’ve spoken, I just wanted to call and check in on you. What’s new and fun in your world?”

  2. Gifts: Set yourself apart by celebrating your contacts outside of the standard holiday schedule, (Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). If you’re into Donuts then go with National Donut Day. Go to your favorite local donut shop and buy gift certificates for your top (20, 50,100) clients and send them out with a small personal hand-written note. It will be delightfully unexpected. Check out more random “national” days here. 

  3. Enroll in a Relationship Marketing Campaign: Depending on your budget, you can go with high-end options like Harry and David and spend over $100 per year per client, or something like LoLo’s Gift of the Month program that is $18 per year per client. It all depends on the value of your customers. John Rulin of Giftology recommends reinvesting 5%-10% of the annual profit for each client. 

  4. Hand-written notes: Yes, the US Postal Service is still in operation and stamps work the way they always have. There’s nothing like getting a hand-written note from someone who is thanking you for being a client and friend. The nice thing is that so few people do it today that your note will stand out like a diamond amongst the junk mail. Gather a collection of all purpose note cards, seasonal cards, fun cards - whatever you like best. Go ahead and pre-buy stamps so you have everything you need right at your fingertips and can knock out some note cards every day.

  5. Make an appearance: If you really want to blow your top clients away, then figure out an appropriate time to make an appearance in their lives. Remember that actions speak louder than words. Does their son or daughter have a big sports event coming up? Is there a non-profit they support hosting an event? When you show up, it will mean the world to them.

Rough Seas May Be Scary… But They Make Us Better Sailors

While we are all trying to make our business predictions based on the current events, the truth is there are just too many unknowns and many different ways that things can change. That being said, there are always ups and downs in business, from smaller hiccups to big unknowns and disruptors like economic downturns. 

For those of you out there - particularly in the real estate business, we’ve rounded up some good advice articles that will hopefully help you plan your path as you navigate choppy seas.

For Marketing and Communication

Times of stress, confusion, and uncertainty are not times to bury your head in the sand and disappear on your contacts. Communication is key to establish yourself as a trusted advisor, to stay connected, and to build future business by not being forgotten when so much is going on. 

This great article posted on Inman discusses how to stay in touch in a sensitive way during crisis and what type of information you can provide to your contacts. Their advice? The biggest mistake agents and brokers can make right now is not using this time to shine as trusted real estate advisers by crafting responsible, thoughtful, factual and compassionate messaging.

In addition, there’s a great article from an agent who worked through the Great Recession and has some great tips for running your business, including and effective marketing approach:

  • Acknowledge that lives are being upended in ways none of us could have imagined. 

  • Establish yourself as a professional, experienced agent who is a reliable source of relevant information.

  • Differentiate yourself as the agent who acts as trusted adviser and always puts her clients’ interests first.

While our current circumstances are strange and may seem never-ending, we can’t let this stop us from being a thought leader and a positive influence for the many business contacts we may have. That’s why LoLo has continued to send our Local Gift of the Month and support local, and why you should continue to communicate with and support your contacts during this time.

Supporting Local Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Now, more than ever, local businesses and local communities across America will need our support and positivity. Our country has faced many challenges and has always prevailed. This too shall pass and when it does, we want to ensure the heart of our local communities keeps beating through what is proving to be very stressful times. 

We’re already seeing evidence of small businesses teaming up with locals to provide food for those in need and work for those who’ve lost their jobs. We’re inspired and encouraged by these stories of hope. 

We wanted to help spread the word about various resources, groups, good news, and more, that are helping local businesses around the country. You’ll find these links below, sorted by the area they’re representing. Please feel free to share others with us! We’ll update as we find more.

Ann Arbor, MI

https://www.savemifaves.org/

Asheville, NC

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/15/asheville-strong-rises-out-coronavirus-pandemic-support-local/5053538002/


Atlanta, GA

https://www.investatlanta.com/businesses/get-started

Arizona

https://www.facebook.com/LocalFirstAZ

Birmingham, AL

https://bhamstrong.com/

Charleston, SC

https://www.postandcourier.com/health/covid19/charleston-professors-giving-free-help-to-local-businesses-with-covid/article_95bbe98a-6ead-11ea-b4f6-a73c3e60de97.html

Charlotte, NC

https://www.charlottesgotalot.com/blog/things-to-do/support-local-how-to-help-charlotte-businesses

Cheyenne, WY

https://www.cheyennechamber.org/coronavirus-policies

Chicago, IL

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/3/18/21184010/coronavirus-covid-19-help-local-businesses-small-suntimes-editorial

Columbus, OH

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/04/29/columbus-small-business-resources-where-to-go-for.html

Denver, CO

https://theknow.denverpost.com/2020/03/18/coronavirus-acts-of-kindness-good-news-colorado/235703/

Destin, FL

https://www.destinchamber.com/covid-19-effects-to-destin-business-operation


Fort Wayne, IN

https://www.inputfortwayne.com/news/Weathering-the-storm.aspx

Grand Junction, CO

https://www.facebook.com/grandjunctionchamber/

Grand Rapids, MI

https://www.instagram.com/gr_support_local/

Mobile, AL

https://mobilechamber.com/coronavirus-resources/

Nashville, TN

https://styleblueprint.com/nashville/everyday/how-to-support-local-businesses/

New Jersey

http://therecord.nj.newsmemory.com/?publink=48458b4fe

New Orleans, LA

https://www.facebook.com/staylocalnola/

Omaha, NE

http://www.npdodge.com/blog/2020/03/25-omaha-area-restaurants-breweriesband-coffeeshops-offering-curbside-pickup-delivery-interactive-map/

Raleigh/Durham, NC

hehoneysuckle.org/love-nourish-2020

Reno, NV

https://rallyreno.org/

Roanoke VA

 https://www.facebook.com/RoanokeSBDC

Sacramento, CA

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241381976.html

Seattle, WA 

https://www.aboutamazon.com/job-creation-and-investment/neighborhood-small-business-relief-fund

Toledo, OH

https://www.facebook.com/toledochamber

Wichita, KS

https://www.kansas.com/entertainment/restaurants/dining-with-denise-neil/article241510746.html

Wilmington, NC

https://www.wilmingtondowntown.com/explore/where-to-order-take-out-and-delivery-in-downtown-wilmington

Winston Salem, NC

https://www.facebook.com/winstonsalemchamber/