What Does It Take for Legacy Businesses to Make the Next Generation of Lifelong Customers?

By: Paul E. Roberts, Principal – Roberts Statistical & Consulting Services, Los Angeles

Throughout my years in the distribution business, I had a mantra: “You are only as good as your LAST sale!” To me, this has meant a lot of things:

·???????I had to keep hustling.

·???????If I needed to pivot, it had to be based on the data available so I could make an informed decision on what to do next.

·???????When a sale could not be made, could I find an opportunity to get that customer the information they needed? In essence, could I “make a friend” who could potentially do business with me in the future?

But most of all, we had one very important task:

KEEP OUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY!

Happy customers keep coming back to do more business with you. Lifelong customer relationships are the most valuable asset to you and your team, because they not only provide you with the consistent sales and profitability your organization needs, but they also supply data and information on what is happening downstream in the marketplace. This data is equally important to your own business as it is to the vendors who provide the goods and services that your business sells.

Lifelong Customers are the Lifeblood of Your Business:

What does it take to make a lifelong customer?

Today, it takes more than just the standard salesman/client relationship of the past.

Back in the day (some would call it the previous century!), lifelong customers were nurtured through in-person and phone communication. They expected to receive promotional flyers in the snail-mail, by fax, and eventually by email. Showroom visits, in-person seminars and demonstrations were de-regur. The idea was to pull your customer to your company to have them engage and buy.

Today, there are so many more options and opportunities to engage with your soon-to-be lifelong customers. New technology, including the advent of social media, provides platforms that now allow your organization can go where your customers want to be engaged. They include but are not limited to:

·???????Websites & Blogs

·???????LinkedIn

·???????YouTube – Including Recorded, Live Events & Replays

·???????Facebook & Instagram

·???????Twitter & Twitter Spaces

The list goes on and on, and never has it been easier to find creative ways to market your business. And no, your executive leadership does not have to become entertainers on Snapchat or TikTok to successfully market your business on social media.

Understanding Your Customer’s Needs and Wants:

When it comes to making lifelong customers, let’s start at the beginning. Customers seek out vendors that help them supply the products and services they and their clients are looking for. How did they hear about you? The sources are many and varied:

·???????Word of Mouth

·???????Industry Resources

·???????Competition

·???????Online and on social media

·???????Sales Department Cold Calls

To create what will become a lasting relationship, your company needs to meet your customers on the platform of Their choice. What used to be handled via an in-person visit, phone, fax, email, or snail-mail has now morphed into online ordering, video calls, social media posts, and chatroom like communications.

While some of these changes may look like a negative, especially with that lack of a personal touch that can come from an in-person meeting, what they do bring are even more opportunities to expand to markets previously untouched by geographic restrictions and company travel budgets.

Most often, what we are seeing now is a hybrid of some or all these interaction platforms. What is important to note here is that the customer chooses how they want to do business with you and your organization, rather than the way around. Therefore, your company needs to have the infrastructure in place to meet your customer’s needs and expectations.

Product and service availability and price are important as well, but today, they are not the only reason a person or organization will choose to do business with your company. Sometimes, price may not even be a factor with the relationship’s organizations choose to build with you, which is why you must meet your customers on the field of play they choose.

Keeping Your Customers Engaged:

Sales has just onboarded a new customer, and your relationship has begun! They are ordering regularly, but there is more business that can be done with them. What are some other tools that sales and marketing can use to drive more client engagement?

These days, a lot of interaction with clients occurs online. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer companies the opportunity to engage with their customers on a more personal, informational, and even educational level.

I’m sure you have seen posts on various social media platforms that state, “call us today – we have the products you need at the price you want to pay.” Yes, it’s always good to let your current and potential customers know what products and services you have available. It’s even better when you can Engage with your customers about your company’s products and services!

Why you? What makes you stand out from your industry competitors? And most importantly, why should they say yes to you right now?

Creating a conversation, no matter the platform, keeps a customer happy and connected. While informational posts have their place, they can only hope to pull the client into a potential conversation. Creating a Call to Action provides the push many people look for to engage with their stakeholders. This can occur in many ways. For example:

·???????Online video and audio testimonials

·???????Sending a video of a product/service in use and tagging the participants

·???????Highlighting a sales team member doing the extraordinary for a customer

·???????Turning a product into something that can become viral

This type of customer engagement, on the platform of their choosing, makes them feel like your business is not only their supplier, but their partner, mutually benefitting from the experience.

Partnering with your Customers:

Making your customer part of your process brings them closer to your organization with each engagement opportunity. It can start with bringing in a special-order item or service for their needs and expand from there. Large volume customers will appreciate connections and call when your procurement department is ready to place their next order. These clients understand that they are a vital part of your organization, just like your own employees.

Customers that are part of a mutually beneficial partnership with your business bring several dividends for each partner. Regular orders bring more certainty to the procurement process and ensures that there is enough supply. Your company becomes the first contact for all customer needs, even the products and services you do not regularly offer. Your company also, through word of mouth by way of your relationship with these engaged customers, becomes the go-to for others in need of these special products.

This gives leadership insights into additional market share, categories, products, and pivots that can be made to let clients know how important they are. It keeps you in the front of your customer’s mind.

We as humans are an emotional bunch. We like to deal with others that we believe have our back and will do whatever is necessary to have us all succeed. As they say, “a rising tide lifts all boats!”

How Do You Plan to Make Lifelong Customers Now?

It is the nature of sales and marketing to do whatever they can to get the sale. The question becomes, is this a planned activity within your company or is it everyone out for themselves and their clients?

Lifelong customers have incredible value if their goals with your company are aligned. When partners are not in sync, it can become a burden for one side, or for both! It is critical to keep the lines of communication open and consistent. Transparency is vital to the ongoing benefit of all stakeholders. How and what you convey to your customers is as important as when that information is provided. Clients like to have options, giving them the power to decide what is best for their organization.

Lifelong customers are a resource that should be cherished and nurtured. Understanding and documenting the needs of these clients makes for smoother operations and communication. With less estimation and more certainty, your business can focus on additional opportunities to create even more lifelong customers in the industry, markets, and territories you serve.

Does your company need a business plan? Is your existing business plan due for a refresh? Has your company lost focus and you are looking to re-energize it? RobertsSCS is here to work with you to bring your business processes into focus. Call us today at (310) 972-8243 or reach out to us at [email protected]

About RobertsSCS:

Roberts Statistical & Consulting Services ─ RobertsSCS ─ offers results-oriented strategies, mentoring, and insights to optimize operations for legacy companies looking for 21st Century upgrades to improve profitability, increase sales growth, and future-proof systems for sustainability.

Using 30-plus years of operating and management experience, RobertsSCS works with businesses with $1-30 million in revenue to create better efficiency, synergy, and outreach.?We provide developmental, strategic, and executable plans of action at multiple levels: wholesale, retail, B2B, and B2C for organizations desiring to maximize industry market share.

Knowing the market environment and the status of each business we work with allows us to provide customized insights on growth and profit opportunities at the local, regional, and/or national market level.