Building Long-term Relationships With Customers

Cultivating strong relationships is a surefire way to create loyal customers. If you do not focus on building relationships with your customers, they are more likely to go elsewhere.

People want to feel valued, In order to keep your customers coming back, they need to know they matter to you. And to ensure that they do, you have to develop an authentic connection with them and invest in your relationships.

Many Surveys and reports have proven that “customers who have an emotional relationship with a brand have a higher customer lifetime value” than those who don’t. So, what does this mean for you?

It means that the relationship you develop with someone will keep them loyal to your business long after they buy your product or use your service for the first time. It also signifies that building relationships with customers and creating brand loyalty is key to business success.

So how do you establish a strong customer relationship? More importantly, how do you continue to foster an exceptional customer relationship over time that creates a strong sense of loyalty?

Below are a few ways I personally do to establish, grow, and nurture strong customer relationships through organic human connection.

Get to Know Your Customers

It might seem simple, but when you begin doing business with someone, it is crucial to relationship longevity that you get to know them on a personal level. People are more than just a sale, and they want to feel that way.

According to?Forbes the core of the customer experience is that people want to “feel seen, known, and valued” by the businesses they are buying from and from and the person they are interacting too.

During the initial conversations, take some time to focus on this piece of the customer experience and really listen to what your customers have to say.?Maybe they mention how long they have been with their company, a problem they are having with your product, or what is coming up on their calendar.?Keep track of this information.

When it is time to follow up, reiterate some of the details from those initial conversations. This shows your customers that they have been heard and that they are valued as unique individuals.

Exceed Expectations

One of the ways you can begin building relationships with customers is by creating a positive customer experience upfront.?How do you do this? Be above average and go beyond what your customers are expecting.

Doing so will garner an amazing rating because you are always doing something positive consistently. Remember our brain is designed in a way to appreciate and remember positivity.

So, what are some ways you can exceed expectations to provide an above-average customer experience?

?? Include a personal touch with your product: We are all busy people. So, show your potential and current clients that you?value them. Express your gratitude for them taking time out of their day to meet with you.

You can also use this as an opportunity to showcase your listening skills by?recapping?what you have already talked about. Then, you can move on to mapping out?the next steps.

??Don’t just meet immediate needs — always go one step further: Your journey with your clients?doesn’t end?once the closing, sale, or purchase is complete. If you want?lifelong customers, you need to cultivate strong relationships with an amazing?customer experience. And that starts with gratitude.

??Reach out regularly to ensure your customers are getting the most out of your product or service.?Follow up on their responses and ensure to take timely Feedbacks. Doing this builds a very strong emotional connection with your customer, as his subconscious mind would always remember you as a Problem Solver.

??Provide an exceptional customer experience that exceeds expectations throughout the customer journey: It is very important to ensure that you provide a response to all customers quarries, ensure to reply to his emails. I always recommend that you ensure to pick up the phone and talk to your customers.

Show Gratitude

Showing your customers that you are genuinely thankful for them will go a long way to create a genuine connection, especially at the beginning of a relationship.

When someone feels genuinely appreciated, they are more likely to stay in a relationship over a longer period of time.?If your customers know you are grateful, it will help them feel like your business is really worth their time and effort.

Continuing the practice of saying, “Thank you,” over the course of building relationships with customers is also important to longevity and loyalty. So do not forget this step as you continue to cultivate longer-lasting relationships as well.

Communicate Often and Honestly

In order to build customer relationships, open and honest communication is crucial.

In any customer success role, you are bound to encounter a variety of questions and genuine problems with your product every day. It is important to communicate well by listening with empathy, being straightforward and sympathetic when delivering bad news, apologising genuinely, clearly identifying solutions or answers, and following up after you’ve solved a problem or answered a question.

And, while we know it is important to communicate with your customers when they need you, it is just as important to reach out when they do not have a problem or a question. This will help to remind them that you are still there to provide support.

So, what are some ways to remind your customers that you’re still around?

?? Check-in via phone, email, social media and text. Not everyone communicates the same way so try to use multiple channels of communication to meet people where they are comfortable.

?? Send relevant content to train and educate your customers on product updates and new feature launches.

?? Reach out and remind customers that you are available for product help and additional training.

?? Send updates on customer progress and congratulate them on hitting certain milestones.

Above anything else, clear and consistent communication is the core of great customer service and lasting customer relationships.

Showcase Your Human Side

Continuing to develop a strong customer relationship requires a real connection. And you can create a deeper level of connection with people by showing your human side. People are not perfect and real relationships are not perfect, either.

Humanise yourself by sending personalised communications to your customers on a regular basis. A Phone call will help them become familiar with you. The real you. Phone helps to convey your intent, empathy, and tone of voice. (This is especially important when problems arise, which they inevitably will.)

The more your customers see your face, hear your voice, and get to know your human side — the more likely they are to feel like they know you personally. This feeling of familiarity helps to create trust and customer relationship longevity.

Focus on Customer Retention

When you think about customer lifetime value, you have to consider the cost of retaining customers versus the cost of drumming up new business. And acquiring new customers is not cheap. In fact,?it costs multiple times more than keeping your existing customers.?You need to keep your current customers coming back.

What are some proven ways to avoid churn and keep your current customers coming back?

? ?Encourage product usage through training and education.

?? Track and share customer feedback from both current customers and cancelled accounts.

?? Surprise and delight your customers throughout their experience with your product.

?? Create a good referral strategy. The more a customer refers you to others, the more often they remember why they like doing business with you.

?? Deliver an above-average customer experience.

By building relationships with customers and continuing to nurture those relationships, you are focusing on customer retention rather than customer acquisition. Making this a key part of your business model will save you both time and money in the long run.

Provide Value Over Time

Building relationships with customers should happen over time. You should not wait until their contract is up or it is renewal time to connect with them. It is important to create a connection by doing more for your customers than just selling them your product or meeting their immediate needs.

Creating and sending video email campaigns provides your customers with something of value.

Rather than focusing on your business, focus on what your customers may need during a specific time in their lives. Providing them with useful information such as updates or news specific to their industry, details about local holiday events, or helpful seasonal tips will keep you top-of-mind when this knowledge comes in handy.

When you send video email campaigns, including a?call to action?will also leave the door open for ongoing communication. This ongoing communication is how you will be able to maintain a relationship over time.

Summary -?Companies can not simply rely on delivering a top-notch product or service anymore. In crowded marketplaces, it is the quality of the relationship you create with your customers - and how you go about building it - that can really make a difference.