How to earn Loyal Customers

The journey from prospect to customer is a rocky one.

It’s fraught with perilous pitfalls, numerous squeeze pages, lumpy and bumpy mail, creative calls to action, imaginatively crafted emails and endless attempts at closure.

So, why is it that after all of this we then just sit back and say “That’s one down, next please!”, but in doing so we totally forget that we now need to transform our new customer into a regular customer - one that will buy numerous times, purchase additional services and go out there and become that all important ambassador for our business/service and refer more customers.

The game’s not over, it’s only just begun!

In short, it’s all about paying attention to them and keeping them engaged. Here are just a few of the key nuggets that I’ve picked up over the last few months:

1 - Fuel their ego
Although often hard to admit, it is true that most people like things that resemble them in someway, so it’s worth keeping this in mind when you’re crafting your communications to your customers; match their pain points, goals and aspirations.

2 - Reciprocation
Remembering that when a customer makes a purchase, this is an opportunity for you to go above and beyond, give outstanding value, in turn this will create the confidence in the customer to reciprocate, and so the relationship develops.

3 - Outstanding value
Offering outstanding value doesn’t always have to be costly to your business. Sometimes the smallest, but well thought out gestures can wow your customer, and are well worth investing time and energy in.

4 - The personal touch
It has been proven that a waiter can generate an extra 25% on top of his tips just by returning to the table with a second set of mints. Does this make the mints magical? Or is it the personal effort made by the waiter to make his customer feel just a little bit more special?

5 - Quality over speed
A recent study shows that customers are more likely to re-engage with a service or product that they considered to be courteous, willing and helpful as apposed to the speedy option – good to know…

6 - Customer engagement
Smart businesses know that encouraging their teams to spend more time engaging with their customers will actually re-enforce the business relationship. Customers that feel they are a part of what you do and are on first name terms with your team will be longer and more valuable than any other.

7 - Make it easy for your customer
I know that you know that every customer is different and that every customer prefers a different method of communication, so making it easier for your customer to engage with you by using their preferred channels and platforms for communication is a smart move.

9 - Keeping ‘em loyal with loyalty schemes
Loyalty schemes can be an immensely successful way to keeping your customers coming back. However, the hardest part is always getting them started. Remember when you first went to Tesco and the person behind the till said ‘Do you have a loyalty card?’ - the thought of spending time filling out a form and getting a card made you say, ‘No thank you’ before they’d even finished their sentence.

Fast-forward to present day, when have you ever been to Tesco and not had your loyalty card in your hand ready at the till? It’s all about getting them started – and the easier/fun you can make it for your customer, the better!