Getting & Keeping Good Customers
Okay, so you’ve signed the deal, sold the product, got the payment. How do you keep them coming back for more? Here’s five ideas:
1. Set expectations early and often (and in writing). This is particularly important if you’re providing a service. For example, your idea of “timely response” is likely different than your customer’s. People are usually pretty reasonable, as long as they know what to expect.
2. Verify what you heard is actually what they think they said. People have different perspectives and communication styles. (Not to mention quality of the medium varies - cell phone anyone?) This can be as basic as the pizza guy repeating back the order. (This would have really saved me and some teenagers at the local pizza place some frustration last night.)
3. Make ‘em feel special. Keep in touch and not just when you want to sell something. Send flowers on an anniversary. Write a quick “congrats” note on a promotion, and so on. Oh, and make it hand-written. Sure, if it’s like mine - your handwriting has gotten terrible in this computer age…but it means more that you took the time and tried.
4. Think how you can help them, make their lives easier - other than just for your services. For example, an executive suite here offers dry cleaning pick-up and delivery as an option for its members. You may not make any (immediate) dollars off the information/referral…but people will remember you.
5. Throw in a “delight” freebie with purchases. This doesn’t have to be complementary or even related to your business. Helping someone find the perfect site for their retail store? Personally give them a small plant with a (handwritten ) card, “here’s to growth, in all its forms!” (or some such, personalized to the person, and make sure it’s a nearly impossible to kill plant.) Teach cooking classes? Give them a herb plant as they leave. Selling landscape photos? Add a page on the history of the location. Just closed a major laptop purchase agreement? Send a thank you note with a $10 or $20 Starbucks card in it. And, so on.
Have ideas of your own? Let me know.
View the Blog Roll