5 ways to create customer loyalty

And why not doing these things might be showing your customer the door.

Regardless of your industry, the size of your company or the products you sell, one thing is consistent: there is nothing more important than keeping your customer base happy and sustaining customer loyalty.

Every business should always try and out-do the previous experience they offered their customer when having the opportunity to serve them again, especially if the previous experience wasn’t a good one. The statement often used by flight attendants rings true for every company, “we realize you have a choice when it comes to ‘insert your products/services’ and we thank you for choosing ‘insert your company name’. Your customers always have a choice and more often than not, you have a choice in their overall experience when they interact with your company.

Aside from the fact that some customers can be extremely unreasonable, unpleasant and downright impossible to please, these are a few things you can do or not do to sustain customer loyalty. Depending on what sells, not all of these recommendations may apply to your customers. These are some general ideas and things that you can do to differentiate yourself and your level of service in your market.

Keep your offerings fresh. Your customers want something new and exciting, the latest and greatest. Nobody is interested in dated products or packaging. Stay current and stay relevant. Offer new versions, models, colors, and sizes, if these types of options are possible. Market trends shift and economies change, so you may find yourself needing to adjust to the current climate. Change can be good for many reasons, but you need to prepare for it rather than respond to it.

Stay in touch. Between email, phone calls, social media, digital marketing, and so many other channels, there’s no excuse for not being in touch on a regular basis. What are you doing for your best customers? Take them to lunch or give them a quick call to check up on them. “How are things? We haven’t talked in a while.” is a simple way to gauge satisfaction. Don’t sell. Service. There are opportunities to sell and opportunities to build relationships. Know this.

Random act of kindness. Not everyone has the opportunity to speak to their customer on a regular basis. For your best customers, why not send them a gift or promotional item with a note of thanks. Alternatively, provide them with an unexpected discount on their next deal. Making your customer feel important for no special reason other than recognizing their loyalty can go a long way.

Watch your competitors. If you’re not watching your competition, you’re not watching your back. Pick your top 5 most relevant competitors and pay attention to the way they position themselves in the market, know what they sell and how much they sell it for. Get on their email marketing list. Learning from them, including what to do and what not to do, is a free lesson you can sign-up for right now. Staying on top of your competition and any surprises can help you proactively prepare for a war on your customers.

Automate your service and marketing communications. You can’t spend your days giving every single customer personalized attention, but if you’re not wooing your customer with routine customer service or ‘relevant’ promotional offers or important news, just know that at some point your competitors will be. Email automation is the best and most economical way to keep your services and brand connected to your customer. Think of it this way; if you’re not giving your spouse attention, someone else will.

 

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