Learning to make your customers and/or clients love your business is not as hard as you might think. It will take some effort, sure. It may challenge you to think outside the box to do so. But the concept of doing this is something innate in most of us. I liken it to romance. Let me paint the picture for you.
You have a new love interest that has captured you. Your thoughts, daydreams, heart, and hopes are all wrapped up in that person. They hit you in the feels. They get all your attention, effort, and best-ever wooing efforts. And you won’t stop until that person realizes just how magical you are! You pursue him/her with notes, gifts, cards, and dates to the point that neither one of you wants to imagine a life without them any longer.
This is the type of effort you need to put forth not only for the clients you wish to “marry,” but you absolutely must do the same for the customers you already have. Otherwise, the ones you already have will end up feeling like that ignored spouse that remembers what it felt like to be pursued by you. All they really desire is just to feel pursued by you again. No one likes to feel ignored or less than. Yet, if you do not work as hard for your existing customers/clients, this is exactly what happens.
Here is a meaningfully tangible example of this – cell phone companies. First-time customers get offered the best deals on the best cell phones with the most perks. As a long-time customer of AT&T, I was always so annoyed when I had to call their customer service to see if I could be a part of the deals being advertised. I was so irritated because I had always been met with apologetic denials. “These deals are just for first-time customers,” they would tell me. That always infuriated me. As an existing customer, I should be privy to those deals before a new customer!
Recently AT&T just announced that all customers, new or existing, now have access to the same promotions. It sounds like they listened and they got it. So what about you? How are you treating your customers? Do your existing customers miss you? Have you set them on autopilot? How do you go from where you are now to a state where your clients/customers love you?
As your outsourced marketing agency, we would be glad to guide you on how to do that. For now, though, here are a few strategies to get you started.
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Loyalty Programs
If you don’t have one in place, this is a major misstep. Plan, design, and implement one — the sooner the better! Think about where you spend your hard-earned money. From grocery stores to printing companies to suppliers of major pieces of equipment, who are you most likely to do business with? For me, I am going to the places that give me an incentive to continue to do business with them. Your customers are no different.
There are competitors in every sector of business. Do not let your customers be lured away by them. Hindsight and perspective are valuable teachers. Then again, so is staying ahead of that curve. You can avoid paying “stupid tax” (one of Dave Ramsey’s key phrases) now.
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Stay Connected
We are all getting lots and lots of emails these days. Even still, do not underestimate the power of reaching out to your clients/customers. How frequently you should do this varies. At the bare minimum, your customers should be getting a “touch” from you at least once a quarter. With an email or e-newsletter, even once a month is acceptable. At the bottom of the monthly message, you could include an opt-out option as well. This way if the emails come too frequently, they can choose to remove themselves.
This makes the quarterly offline touch even more important. Staying engaged with the person managing your email distributions efficacy will be key. Over time, you can tailor your touches to be more informational or educational to add value to their relationship with you and your company.
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A Word of Thanks
Pause for a moment and think of this – when was the last time you received a thank you note from a company you do business with? Or how about any other notice other than an invoice?
This simple, handwritten, heartfelt practice can go a long way with helping your clients fall in love with your company.
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Delivery and Authenticity
To either win customers back or cause them to be a raving fan from the beginning, you must deliver on time every time. And if an impediment arises during the process, be authentic enough to let them know ahead of time. Advising them proactively models your care and concern for them. As you begin to deal with the blocking issue, follow-up with them, and do it again and again to ensure positive results.
A delivery failure not only makes you look bad, it impacts your customers as well. As Teddy Roosevelt wisely stated, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
What’s Your Next Step?
The beauty of this list is that all of the items are easy to implement. They are simple action items that perhaps you hadn’t thought of or felt like you didn’t have time for. If these “why-not” reasons ring true for you, this is the moment to click this link to reach out to Imphasis and make us your marketing agency. We specialize in customer and client relations — we specialize in you!
