There is a current article on Enterpreneur.com titled “Woo Loyal Customers for Life With 4 Winning Ways”
- Play Detective– find advocates by looking at frequent purchasers and those who post positive reviews on Social Media, for example.
- Reach Out Proactively– recognize your best customers and offer them special deals or incentives. Ask for their opinions on what they like and what they would like to see improved. This approach makes sense because you are acknowledging the 20/ 80 rule. This rule states that 20 percent of your customers account for 80 percent of your business and profit. Accomplish this 80% metric through both direct sales and advocacy. Keeping connected to your best customers will have tremendous payouts for you. Plus, you will also create a greater community of supporters.
- Embrace Naysayers– there is an old adage: the sale begins when the customer says no. Engage people who are dissatisfied and address their concerns in a forthright and speedy manner. Empower customer service to fix what is wrong.
- Keep it Interesting– Create buzz and excitement. Build your brand by building an inclusive community. Share information that is not necessarily part of your overall campaigns. Make your customers and prospects feel special as if part of a special group or club. Show them that you care and mean it.
Ultimately, it is about a culture that builds a Customer For Life brand for your company. These companies focus on hiring the right team members, training them and then empowering them to interact with customers as if their jobs and livelihood depended on it.
Employees’ jobs depend on customers being happy. This is not just, because of the threat of termination. The real power is with our customers without whom, we cease to exist.