Almost every business is built on returning customers. It’s the reason why point cards are
offered at gas stations and we all have that embarrassingly large stash of canadian tire money
in a drawer somewhere. The truth is having a solid base of returning customers secures the
financial future of your business and with the right tools it's a lot easier than you think to
maintain a strong relationship with your customers. To help we have compromised a short list of
tips and tricks that can take you a long way!
1. ENewsletters
Ever hear the old saying out of sight out of mind? Monthly E-newsletters allow you to
stay in touch with out having your customers feel overly bombarded. Starting an email list is as
easy as having a software to keep email addresses and basic personal information that can be
acquired at the time of checkout . This opens a doorway to introduce the new monthly special or
just give general new on topics to ensure that when the time comes and they may need your
services again that your are still fresh in their mind. For example a hair salon might send an
Eletters talking about the latest trends, or a clothing boutique may be offering a buy one get one
special for this week only!
2. Follow up calls
Follow up calls allow a sense of a personal touch, just think of how happy you are
getting a call from an old friend! Keeping a call list of people who have inquired of services and
those who have completed a transaction is very important. For those who haven't gone through
with a sale there is the potential to close the sale, ask what's holding them back and try to find a
solution that works for both parties. For the completed sale inquire on how its going, are they
satisfied? Maybe they may want to upgrade to a better package or will have another issue they
would like to fix. Either way they will appreciate that you went the extra mile and it instills that
they are in great hands the next time for their needs.
3. Referral bonuses
What could be better than having a repeat customer? Having two of course! Referral
bonuses are a great way to bring in the friends and family of existing customers and it gives
them a chance to get a good deal. Everyone’s happy! Referrals have a butterfly effect and can
quickly have referrals introducing more referrals due to the nature that people trust their friends
to introduce them to reputable businesses giving you a solid seal of approval.
4. Reliability
Especially as a small business your reliability is everything. Big brands have a reputation
that is already established but even they keep records to ensure that customers needs are
thoroughly met. Keeping track of customer interactions ensures that you don’t miss a beat. Your
clients will see the best side of you and that you deserve their hard earned money. You may
want to keep notes of any concerns so that its not repeated or something as simple as a
preference that they have indicated. Having a file that is searchable upon the client's name will
take your professionalism to the next level.
Ensuring that you have a dependable software to keep track of your consumers is the
first step to creating a lasting relationship. It will appear professional on your part to pull up
previous interactions and recall them with ease or make presenting your new offers a breeze.
We have given only 4 ways but the possibilities are endless once you have established a
system to maintain contact.