Retain Loyal Customers

TO GET LOYAL CUSTOMERS, THINK LIKE THEM

In an organisation, whether big or small, we tend to spend so much time thinking like sales and marketing experts, we sometimes tend to forget to think like our customers.  We must not and never forget our customers.  We must periodically remind ourselves of how they think and what they value, so we can best tailor our deliveries to their needs and desires.

Standing from your customers point of view

One of the best ways to know how your customers think, is to be one of them. So as a customer of your organisation, ask yourself some questions like: How would you like to be served?  How would you want your end product to be?  Where can I get all the relevant information I need? If it is tough for you to get all h above answer, then it will definitely be tougher for your customers.  This is where you should improve on.

Do not reject feedbacks

Customers feedbacks are the most valuable report cards.  These feedbacks not only feed our organisation with valuable post-sale experience, they also feed us with things our organisation should improve on. For example, our products, our information accuracy, our service and our pricing.

Whether using surveys, questionnaires or phone calls to follow up, we have to make sure that these customers are favoured for their time and effort to respond.

Good feedback = Work motivation

Negative feedback = Room for improvement

Focus group

One of the best ways to think like a buyer yourself, is by forming a focus group of your key customers. Knowing your key customers type is also important. What you really need in this group of key customers, is their willingness to offer feedback on the variety of aspects of your sales in your organisation. Whether this group is virtual or not, it does not matter. Their input from this focus group will help your organisation save thousands of dollars or more.

Statistic company can also play a part in this focus group result. Statistical analysis can give your organisation the insight into shopping and  buying patterns of your targeted customers.

By knowing the patterns of sales, cycles of repeated products and progression of sales, you are able to understand the trend and relate to your own industry.  With all these information, you are able to promote the right products at the right time, especially during "down time".

Communications

Communication with your customers is a vital tool to compete with your competitors. Nowadays, more and more organisations are relying on emails, website, newsletters and mailers to communicate with their customers.  Other organisations try to train their customers to revisit their website for their latest products and information.  Just like airline companies, which offer special internet rates. Therefore, face-to-face communication is always the best way to keep loyal customers, as they will feel more appreciated.

Your organisation now not only competes with other businesses, also with virtual business. With such tough competition, your organisation need to match a certain level of service in order to compete or be competitive.

By thinking like your customers, you will be one step ahead of the competition as you vie to satisfy their needs.  Don't think like your competitors, think like your customers.