It’s not brain surgery.
Bottom line: If you don’t have loyal customers that keep coming back for
more than you can’t have a thriving business.
But how do you keep those customers coming back for more and maintain a
loyal following? Here are some tips.
Promptly return calls.
This creates trust and loyalty.
When a potential customer takes precious time to contact your business,
you owe it to them to respond in a timely fashion; at least within 24
hours. Even if the response is brief,
your customer will still appreciate a prompt response.
After doing business with someone for a while, follow up
with them every now and again. Checking up
on your customers shows them that you care about them and their business. “We’re in a game of trust points and
emotional impacts.” Loyalty is bred form
human connections. Humanizing business
and making it personal helps in achieving returning customers. Things that seem from the heart will always
reign supreme.
Remember: Relationships matter! They are indeed one of the most effective
ways to create customer loyalty. Reach
out to your customers even if you are not soliciting they’re business. Think about writing a written note to keep in
touch or offering complimentary services like discounts. “Building a relationship is the first step;
maintaining it helps create loyalty.”
Take the “you” out of the picture and focus on “them.” It’s not important to your customer what they
can do for you but rather what you can do for them. How can you help solve their problems or meet
their needs? Can you reduce costs to
reward loyalty by sending out coupons?
Speak their language.
When you dig deeper into who your clients really are, you’ll get a
better understanding of what they need, want and expect from you. Don’t be disconnected from your
customers. Learn to communicate in ways
they’ll relate to easily.
Send your customers things that will interest them. Provide them with articles or links to your
blog. Send out a monthly news
letter. Keep them engaged. Always listen to customer feedback. Give them surveys and offer rewards to those
taking them. When you know what your
customers want, you’ll know how to service them better.
Take the time to listen to what your customers have to
say. Engage them digitally through
Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or other social media sites. Make the customer experience an interactive
one.
Nourish
your following. Show empathy towards
their needs. That’s the quickest way to
build up a loyal fanbase. Customers want
to be heard and understood. Take the
time to get to know their problems and work towards resolving them. Listen, listen, listen!
Make
it hard for them to leave you. Show them
why they should indeed stay with you. If
you build a genuine relationship, it will make it hard for your customers to go
elsewhere. They’ll want to keep coming
back for more of what you and you alone can provide them with.
Build
your brand into a legend! Change your
thinking to that of your customer. Put
yourself in their shoes. “Sales are the
result of how people perceive you, gained through marketing and experience.” Tell them a story they want to hear. Put forth a consistent and ethical
attitude. This is a sure fire way to
build an iconic brand.
Give
them more then they expect. In essence,
exceed expectations. Offer free advice
or helpful tips. Think about offering
some services for free while still charging for others.
Charge
less but give more. Think about taking
on less clients and focusing more time and energy on the important ones. Stay in close contact with them.
It
might sound strange but if you under-promise and over-deliver, customers will
be pleasantly surprised. This makes them
feel like they are getting more “bang for their buck.”
Keep
your promises and make them great ones. “Customers
and clients love big, bold promises that make their lives better and keep their
costs down.” Make sure your promises are
relevant and detail-oriented. Keeping
promises often becomes a branding tool and can lead to good “word-of-mouth.”
Make
it personal! Put a special touch on what
you’re offering. Recognize customers and
clients by name. Allow them to feel like
they are helping your business grow.
Recognize their part in helping your venture thrive.
Show
your clients and customers that you care.
This can build small time buyers into raving fans. Care about the outcome your customers receive
and the product you’re putting out there.
If your servicing clients, show them that you care about helping them
become a success too. Show your
appreciation in tangible ways.
Take the time to
make a little extra effort – every bit counts.
Remember that! Go above and
beyond what is expected of you. This
will pay off in the long run. Maybe they’ll
even consider giving you referrals for the care you show them. Pay attention!
Be proactive. If there’s an issue with a customer order or
a client complaint, go above and beyond to fix it and do it quickly, with care
and with their best interests at heart.
In this automated age, so many people don’t seem to care anymore. Show them that you in fact do.
Stay
in constant contact with your customers.
While you don’t want to overly bombard them, reach out from time to time. Think about sending an email or making a phone
call or even sending a little gift in the mail.
“The best way to show your customers that you care for them is to stay
in touch with them on a frequent basis.”
Keep that as your motto and you may find customer loyalty skyrocketing!
Be
the best at what you do and make a concerted effort to keep up the momentum
that you build in doing so. Offer your
customers something unique that sets you apart from the competition. Even if it costs more than what others are
selling, if your product and customer service are the best out there, people
won’t want to leave you.
Communicate
with your customers. Really hear what
they are telling you. Don’t just yes
them to death. Listen and make good on
your promises. Listening is the core of
customer relations. While it requires
patience, the payoff is worth it in the end.
Make
an effort to really get to know your customer and understand what they’re
looking for and what their needs are.
Take the time to speak with them and listen to their feedback.
Know
what’s going on with your clients. Keep
abreast of them in the news or other publications. But also keep abreast of them
personally. If you know what your
customers are up to, you can use this information effectively to build brand
loyalty.
Stay true to your word.
Make good on your promises. Show
your customers that you value integrity; that it is front and center in your
business model.
Lastly, be the best you can be and gain their trust. That will most definitely ensure they keep
coming back for more!
Here are some articles you might want to check out about
maintaining customer loyalty:
“7 Ways to Foster Loyalty”: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/07/7-ways-to-foster-loyalty.html
‘Tips to Building a Loyal Following”: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/tips-to-building-a-loyal-following-0166477
“How to Build Customer Loyalty”: http://retail.about.com/od/customerservice/a/customer-loyalty.htm
Until next time…
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