The customer who was happy yesterday is your enemy today. There are many factors that influence an individual’s decision to buy or not to buy, and hence the time they make their purchase says Saivian. Customer loyalty is a big focus in any business- especially in this economic climate where it is always important to keep clients loyal to your product instead of spending their money elsewhere. If you understand how different customers think, then you will be able to better retain them. Consumers are fickle, so if you drop just one ball, then don’t expect them back! It is every company’s responsibility to maintain good relations with its customers both before and after the sale has been made. This article aims at providing some valuable insight into strategies that help attract new customers and keep the old ones.
1. Keeping Your Customers Happy
Here are some quick and easy ways to keep your customers happy:
Make sure employees treat everyone with equal respect- regardless of whether they’re old, young, male, or female (this is especially important in the hospitality industry). Ensure that you have a process for dealing with complaints and that all of your staff know how to use it. Discover what makes your big spenders tick – people who spend a lot with you on a regular basis might actually be extremely fussy about quality or price so it’s more effective to focus on them first as opposed to those who buy once every few months. While selling products is definitely very important, building relationships with suppliers is more crucial- it’s often the reason why clients spend so much with you in the first place.
2. Reward Customers for Their Loyalty
These should be offered based on how much someone has spent and/or other factors such as time and frequency of purchases and their overall satisfaction level says Saivian. Consider offering incentives to customers who make a purchase above a certain amount (e.g. for every purchase over $50, give them a discount). Also make sure that your current customers feel like they are valued too (big or small spenders), by sending out letters or emails thanking them for their business and asking them if there’s anything you can do to improve your products/services further to help retain their loyalty. This has been shown to significantly increase repeat business.
3. Keep Them Coming Back For More
Make sure your products and services are of the highest quality, with a good service level, at a great value to help them save time and money which in turn makes them happy so they continue to shop from you. Offer incentives when customers do come back for more- this might be giving free shipping when they spend over a certain amount or offering a discount on their next order/purchase. Also, consider creating loyalty rewards programs where clients can accrue points based on how much they have spent each year with reminders going out via email or text messages explains Saivian. These points can then also be used as currency to buy other goods or services that you provide for example if someone has earned $50 worth of loyalty points and they want to use them up, you could offer them a choice between free shipping and a $50 voucher.
4. Creating a Culture Of Trust
Make sure your employees always do the right thing for your customers and not just their managers. Remember that some of your staff will be dealing directly with the public on a regular basis. You as an owner can’t (and shouldn’t) be present at every place of business all the time; therefore it’s vital that you hire people who are trustworthy and able to make wise decisions under pressure. Before they’re given more responsibility. Fundamentally, people don’t like being sold things even if they really need them. So employees should focus on building relationships with clients. Rather than trying to sell to them all the time. This is where having a great customer service team really pays off.
5. Keep the Little Guys Happy Too
A lot of big businesses don’t realize that it’s actually more beneficial for the overall business. If the little guys are happy with your products and services as well as those who spend more. Saivian says this can be achieved by offering special deals, discounts, or gifts to specific groups of customers such as students, seniors, etc… In addition, use your employees to come up with ideas on how to improve things for everyone. As they have a daily connection with many people from different groups who shop at their stores/locations.
6. Customer Segmentation & Differentiation
Combine these together and you’ve got quite an effective strategy for retaining customers. You should be able to divide your entire customer base into different groups who all want something slightly different. They may also want it at different times of the year (e.g. students might need more winter clothing in autumn compared. To another age group like middle-aged business people). By segmenting your clients into different groups you can then offer specific offers or incentives. That are relevant specifically to them- this helps retain loyalty and also builds better relationships. With the client so they feel understood rather than just being treated as a number.
7. Foster a Mentoring Relationship
This means taking on board what past customers have said about their experience. During the buying process versus after receiving their purchases/products etc… By having a discussion with your customers about their experiences you can learn what went well. What didn’t go so well, and then implement the changes required to make things better. This type of feedback can help individual businesses improve their products/services. Customer service strategies by asking for examples of both good and bad services. That they have received which in turn helps retain more loyal customers.
Conclusion:
Building relationships with your customers, whether they are individuals or businesses is crucial to retaining them as clients says Saivian. You can’t build a business without loyal customers so be proactive. About asking for feedback and implementing changes where necessary ensure that you stay competitive in the marketplace.