We all know that “it is more expensive to acquire a customer than to retain a customer.” The good news is that retaining a customer is not difficult and costs very little, but you must make it a priority in every aspect of your business. Here are a some tips to ensure that your customers will stay with you:
Keep in touch after the sell. You must always take the time to meet with, talk to, and more importantly, listen to, your customer. Stay in touch through a social media network like Facebook, or with an email, or a special handwritten note – always give your customer the means to allow YOU and your team to be a part of their lives and businesses.
Keep your business in front of your customer. Customers like to see your name and logo even when they don’t need your services. Make sure you keep in touch with an eblast, a Facebook post, and an enewsletter. Use a professional service to do this so that it is done on a regular basis.
Acknowledge your customer with a “thank you”. This old-fashioned business practice doesn’t even have to cost you anything. All you need to do is to send a simple “thank you” with a discount for their next visit. This can be done with an email or even more effective is a hand-written note.
Know who your customers are. You must anticipate that your customer will be looking for your services in the future, you must find a way to keep track of all your clients — past and present — so that you can easily and quickly contact them. Consider hiring a professional direct marketing service to help you achieve this organizational goal.
The final and most important tip for customer retention is this … Keep Your Promise. Make sure that your honesty and integrity ring true in your services and in your leadership and expertise. You must surpass your customer’s expectation each and every time they choose you. This is the key to winning your customer forever.
