Why Aren't Your Customers Returning?

Don't nickel dime your customers

Many companies are offering discounts and rewards to get customers to return. This is great! It's important that you go about this the right way to entice customers and not turn them away. We all know times are tough, and businesses are struggling to recover lost revenue, however customers will see right through these deceitful practices and be even less likely to do business with you if you do the following:

• Inflate prices to accommodate your discounts.
• Don't except returns - it's more difficult for people to try before you buy, so when they buy and aren't satisfied, it's important to kindly accept their returns.
• Add exorbitant shipping fees.
• Attach add-on service charges for COVID, these could be built into your product or service price so that the customer doesn't feel taken advantage of. It's not the consumers fault that COVID happened hurt businesses and they shouldn't be held accountable for your lost income. Be grateful they have returned to buy from you and reward them!
• Overcharge for a small add-on items such as: side of sour cream, extra salad dressing, use of additional facilities. 
• Place too many restrictions on loyalty or discount coupons (If you have an expiration date make it large enough to read) 

We recently ate dinner at the Melting Pot on Friday evening for my birthday, always a favorite restaurant of mine. The food and service were great. The 2-4 Course Experience is great because everything that is included is specifically spelled out on the menu. It's not cheap, however the experience is worth it. Our server was friendly and helpful when we ask questions. We are great tippers and usually tip at least 20% when we have a good experience. When we got the check the tip chart was listed at the bottom with suggested amounts of 20%, 25%, 30%. We had a great experience, but since when did tipping 30% start? What happened to 15%, 18%, 20%? Also, the suggested tip should not include taxes. This is an example of how businesses may be trying to deceive or make customers feel guilty.

Once you start trying to overcharge a customer they won't return or refer which will ultimately hurt your business more than maintaining honest practices that motivate your customers to do business with you.

Are you unsure of how your customers view their experience with your company? Maybe it's time to hire a professional shopper to give you a customer's perspective. We at The Hart Experience can educate you on ways to increase revenue without nickel diming your customers. Contact [email protected] 602.717.3271 www.thehartexperience.com