For anyone who has a business, one of the most valued parts
of that business is the customer base. We spend a sizable amount of time,
effort, and expense in acquiring customers. It is much easier, requires less
time, and costs less money for us to retain those customers rather than go
looking for new ones. Why chase new customers when we can retain the ones that
we already have?
How do we keep customers happy; how do we get them to value our
businesses as much as we should value them as customers? We must show gratitude
for their being our customers. This does not mean giving away our product or
service. It means treating them in a professional, personable, and polite
manner.
Everyone likes to be noticed; everyone likes it. As a child,
we liked a pat on the head or shoulder; we liked to be recognized for whatever
we did. Our customers are no different. Customers who believe that we care
about them keep doing business with us, and they refer business to us.
When we sign a new customer, we must thank them for doing
business with us, welcoming them into our customer base, and telling them that we
want their feedback on our product or service. We can do this in person, by
email, by telephone, or we can send them a card with the message in our own
words. Do not ask them to buy anything else, or upgrade; just thank them. Thank
them, and don’t ask for anything in return, but their feedback.
Second, we must thank them periodically for continuing to be
our customer; again not including any offers for additional products or
services. What if our product or service is truly a one-time purchase; it never
wears out, or it never needs to be purchased again? Do we really want the
customer think that we still don’t care about them? This brings us to the third
step.
Happy customers will refer business to us. We want, and
need, referrals. This is unpaid advertising. We must thank everyone who refers
anyone else to us, even if we do not close the deal. The next referral from
that customer might be the biggest deal we ever write. We must always ask a new
customer how they knew of us or who, if anyone, referred them. This will show
that we care about our customers, including when they refer someone to us.
In addition, capture every customer’s date of birth and anniversary,
along with their spouse’s date of birth. Never ask for the year, just the month
and day. Then send them a birthday card and an anniversary card, including both
spouses in the anniversary card. Also, consider holidays which can provide an
opportunity to brighten a customer’s day.
Finally, when we lose a customer (and we all do), send them a
thank you for their business, and tell them how sorry we are that we will not
have the pleasure of serving them in the future. If we do not know why they
have left us, ask them why stopped being our customer. (It does not mean that we
will change anything. We should always know why we lose a customer, even if we
did nothing wrong or there was nothing else we could do to please them.)
Gratitude Marketing is a fairly easy and
inexpensive way to retain our customer base. It sure is a lot easier than
listening to the door slam as they leave. It also can lead to more customers
through the referrals our customers will send to us. Please leave me your
comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com,
or call me at 360-314-8691.
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