5 Steps to Excellent Customer Retention

For your business to thrive you need customers.?Your customers are likely to fall into two types, retained for whom you work regularly and those who use you on an ad hoc basis.??Most customers are good for business and it’s important you look after them, after all getting a new customer is more costly and time consuming than re or up selling to your existing ones.

Step 1 –?Create Loyal Customers

Loyal customers are your ideal customers.?They’ll refer others to you, they’ll tell others what you do and they are in many ways your best marketing tool.?You could call them raving fans.?It’s worth regularly reviewing who these customers are within your business to make sure you’re saying “Thank you” to them.???You don’t need to spend a fortune doing this, it’s the thought that counts, so a card with a personalised note or a box of chocolates,?flowers, or similar would work well.

Step 2 –?Deliver Great Customer Service

Don’t be afraid to ask your customers if they’re happy with the service they’re receiving and make sure that you listen and act upon any feedback you receive.?You can’t deal with a problem?you’re not aware of and it’s equally important to act quickly when an- issue does arise.

Step 3 –?Don’t Be Afraid of Goodbye

We’ve all experienced customers who turn out to be more trouble than they’re worth.?Letting go of those customers who create extra work and problems for you, could be bad payers, or people who are forever haggling over the price, will free up your time to concentrate on those who really do add benefit to your business.?It’s worth remembering that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers so it’s easy to see the benefit of going the extra mile for this group of customers.

Step 4 –?Convert An Ad Hoc Customer into a Regular Customer

This is all about cross/upselling selling your products and services to your existing customer base.?It is after all far easier to sell another service to your existing customers, as they already like and trust you, than undertaking a campaign to generate new business.?To do this effectively you need to review which customers buy what from you and work out which of your additional services might be of interest to them and then talk to them.

Step 5 –?Communicate with your Customers

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and speak to your customers, your sales team should be in regular contact with your customers, but there’s also a place for you, as the boss, to speak to your customers.?This is a great opportunity to check in with them and also get to know them better.?During your conversation take the time to find out how their business is doing and learn what they might need help with.?You might not be able to service them directly but it’s likely that you’ll have contacts who may be able to help.?This enables you to build a relationship and also helps the customer?feel?that you’re looking after them.

Need help putting a customer retention strategy together for your business then let me know and we can arrange a telephone call to see how I can help.??Click here?to send me an email, or give me a call on 07952 112432.