Table of contents
Table of contents
Going to the effort of finding new clients can be just that – an effort. So it’s often more cost-effective (and a lot less stressful) to hang on to the ones you have already.
So in this article we’ll share a few tips to help you keep hold of those customers.
You provide your clients with a wonderful product or service. They’ve given you their business. It’s nice to show you appreciate it. There’s no need to go over the top – a simple thank you or some other form of acknowledgement goes a long way. Even if they’ve been nothing but a nightmare from start to finish.
Asking for feedback reminds customers their opinions are important (or at least feel like they are). It’s also a useful way to learn about any issues you might otherwise have missed – complacency isn’t a good look on anyone.
It’s important to think carefully about how you ask for feedback though. Everyone’s very busy these days, so long surveys may sit in their inbox ignored for weeks – possibly forever. Try including one vital question that’s easy to answer quickly.
And of course, once you ask for feedback – respond to it! If they didn’t give the five gold stars you obviously deserve, it’s an opportunity to show how good your customer service is. They don’t need to know what you tell your cat about them.
On first contact, ask potential customers how they want to be contacted, and provide a range of options. Do they want texts, emails, phone calls or letters? Do they want to receive every special offer you create, or just weekly or monthly updates and offers?
Find out their contact preferences, and stick to them. Bombarding customers with unwanted messages is a great way to make sure they block you, and never order from you again. Keep them up to date with news and offers, but try to ensure that not every communication they get from you is a hard sell.
There are lots of ways to give your clients a good experience of your business. This might vary depending on your industry, but it all tends to boil down to:
If something goes wrong and you can’t put it right in time, tell the customer immediately. No supplies of that 48-colour paint set they’ve ordered? Tell them you’re having an issue getting stock. If you can, give them a date when it will be available; if not, be honest.
Try to offer an alternative solution, such as a special deal on an alternative product. Refund them swiftly if that’s what they want, and deliver alternative products when the original one was expected, if possible!
It’s tempting to continually flirt with new or potential customers, but it can be far more cost-effective to spend some time and money retaining the customers you already have. Ensure customers are rewarded for their loyalty, rather than leaving them embittered by all the introductory offers you promote!
Hint: This means you really should be an expert. If you specialise in selling aromatherapy oils and products, for instance, then you should be able to answer questions about cautions and contraindications. You shouldn’t be selling them if you think they’re just oils that smell nice and don’t have the potential to do more than cause a little eczema.
Be an expert in the products you sell or the service you provide, and share that expertise through blog posts and newsletters. Make your expertise part of the added value you offer customers.
Do you have a charity you support, or charities picked annually for donations? Let your customers know, and tell them why you chose those charities. Are they local? Do they support people with a condition you or an employee suffers from? Don’t be afraid to let a little friendliness and humour creep into your interactions with customers; this will help the relationship, not hinder it.
Employees could take it in turns to blog about their day in the office and their role, their search for ethical producers, training they’ve undertaken, their visits to suppliers, their attempt to get colleagues to go green… anything!
Let your customers know you are human beings, and that as individuals and as a company, you care about your customers, the service you provide, and the environment they live in.
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