Keeping Your Customers For Life

It’s a well-known fact that the cost of acquiring a new customer is much more than retaining a satisfied customer. Every business organization must build a customer retention strategy into their marketing plan.Many times business owners get so focused on running their day-to-day operation; they begin to take their customers for granted.

Here are a some tips to ensure that your customers will stay loyal to you and your brand:

Don’t Forget The Follow Up. During any business transaction it is common for several people to be involved in the process. It important for all team players to commit to follow through on all steps of your customer’s experience and follow up once the service or product has been delivered. The follow up and after care of any transaction is the most pivotal piece of retaining the customer.

Reward Customer Loyalty With Exclusive Offers. Sometimes a business will make the mistake of advertising “exclusive offers” to attract new customers, but fail to offer equally lucrative incentives to their past customers. It’s important to remember that your competitor is targeting YOUR customer with the “once in a lifetime deal too!”

Communicate With Your Customer – Past, Present and Future. Make sure that this connection with your customer is not a sales call. To get in touch can be done through Facebook, or with a personal email, or a special handwritten note. These are simple ways to show your appreciation, and create a sense of belonging and value for your customer. They will appreciate this “non-sales” communication and in today’s busy world this simple tip is not done enough! 

Know Who Your Customers Are. How can you keep a customer that you don’t even know exists? You must know who your customer is, and how often they need your product or services. When you anticipate your customers’ future needs, they will be impressed that you thought of them AND that your team is looking out for their best interests. A database of complete customer contact information for your customers – past, present, and prospects – is one of the most valuable assets a business can own.

 The final tip and most important – Keep Your Promise. You must build an environment where integrity rings true in your services, your employees, your online presence, your community activities, and in your leadership and expertise. You must surpass your customer’s expectation each and every time. This is the key to keeping your customer for a lifetime!