Forget Me Not

So, you started a business and actually gathered some customers. They seemed happy with the buying process and appeared to like doing business with you. They even referred others to you, saying how great your offerings were and how great you were to them. But then they never bought from you again and stopped telling everyone how great you and your product or service was. What happened?

Short of them dying or not needing what you have to offer, why would they leave and start doing business with someone else? Maybe you offer a product that never breaks or wears out. Maybe your service fixed all their problems forever. Are your offerings really that good? Did their referrals not work out or bring you additional customers? Is that all there is?

Did you just focus on getting new customers or did you actually want to turn those customers into clients? Did you start chasing the next customer before you signed the first one? Did that pattern prevail from that point on? What did you discover about your customers before they became your customers? Did you really find out what they needed or wanted before you tried to sell them what you had to offer? Do you understand these questions and what they mean?

If the previous questions are foreign to you, then you have not been reading what we have been discussing here over the past years. You are centered on signing customers for your business in spite of not knowing if what you offer is really appropriate for your prospects. You are just focused on getting them signed and never worry about how they perceive the buying experience of the relationship with you. You are your own worst enemy.

The majority of customers who leave the service of any business do so because they believe that they have been taken for granted. They believe that the normal business owner does not appreciate the customer who has offered money for whatever product or service that the business has for the customer. They believe that they should receive more than just a product or service for their payment and want to be treated as more than a single order by the business.

So how do you prevent this dissatisfaction from your customer? Try turning the customer into a client through your appreciation for each customer. Show your gratitude for their initial inquiry if they don’t initially purchase from you, and when they do place an order, let them know how much you appreciate their business. Then thank them for any referrals that you receive from them, whether or not the referred person becomes your customer. Celebrate the events in their lives, their birthdays, their anniversaries, and the anniversary of their business with you. Treat them like a valued asset and as a person.

Gratitude Marketing results in success for anyone who shows gratitude for their acquaintances. Build relationships and thank people for what they are, for what they do for others. Take the gratitude challenge and see how many people you can thank for what they do. Then see what comes from all this gratitude that you put forth. You will be surprised in a very pleasant manner. Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.