| Lawson Chamber of Commerce Monthly Newsletter |
Customer Retention
7 Ways to Attract and Keep Past Customers
By Michelle Salater
Why do businesses have trouble getting and keeping loyal
customers?
Owners and employees forget the cardinal rule: it's not about you-
it's about your customers. If you treat your customers as treasured partners
instead of dollar signs, you'll have the competitive edge every time.
While there are a thousand and one ways to deliver stellar customer service, the
following 7 tips create a win-win for your customer and your business, whether
your business is online or offline.
1. Hire the right people.
If you don't have the right people, you can't fully serve your customers. Period.
Take your time hiring, and pay employees well for their expertise. Better yet,
give them a piece of the pie for excellent performance. Invest them in your
business, and they'll represent you well.
Listen to your employees, especially those on the frontlines with customers.
They're the eyes and ears of your business, and you ignore them at your peril.
2. Do what you say you're going to do.
If you tell Mrs. Brown you're going to call her about her leaky faucet tomorrow at
10, you'd better be on that phone at 9:59 dialing her number. Or better yet, go to
her house, and look at the faucet yourself. Go above and beyond, and you'll be
remembered.
Customers talk. Make sure they're saying good things when they mention your
name.
3. Pay attention.
Learn who your customers are. Greet them immediately by name when you see
them, and ask how their families are. If you have an online business, drop them
an occasional email to see how they are and how your product or service is
working out for them.
Connect on a personal level, and you'll have more loyal customers than you'll
know what to do with.
4. Help your customers with all their needs.
Mr. James loves your mechanic Tim but really needs someone to detail his car
next week. Put him in touch with a good detailer, and you've just solved another
problem for him. You're the hero.
Make sure your referrals are top-notch, and that you're paid a commission every
time your referrals buy. In turn, give anyone who refers business to you a
commission. This type of joint venture is a win-win-win.
5. Know how to handle complaints and upset
customers.
Your front-line staff plays the most visible and critical role in the customer's
experience. Be sure they know what to say and do... and what not to say and do.
Create written guidelines for handling every type of complaint and get staff
involved. Properly handling complaints separates successful businesses from
failures.
6. Stay in contact.
Collect email addresses, and start a monthly newsletter to keep customers
informed. Create a short, simple "What do you think of our company?"
questionnaire using Survey Monkey. Questionnaires and newsletters give you
the opportunity to anticipate and identify customer needs.
Customers don't buy products and services-they buy solutions to their problems.
Buying decisions are made emotionally and justified logically, so appeal to both
sides of the equation.
7. When in doubt, err on the customer's side.
This is not to say the customer is always correct, but the customer's perception
needs to be that he or she is treated fairly. If you have a conflict, do what you can
to resolve it.
Often the customer just wants to be heard and wants to know that you
understand. Sometimes a small tweak, like changing a due date, is all the
customer needs. It's always a good idea to use The 10 Words of Great
Customer Service: "what can we do to make it work for you?"
If you have a customer that just won't work with you-and it will happen-consider
refunding his money and letting him go. If you argue or refuse to refund his
money, he will tell everyone he knows about it. If you part on friendly terms, he
might tell everyone he knows, but there's a chance you won't look like a greedy,
bad person if you treat him fairly.
Having good customer service is crucial for every business to stay alive, but
having great customer service will make your business thrive. Customer service
is everyone's job, no matter where he or she works. Your business will not and
cannot exist without happy customers.
Discover simple marketing strategies to attract and convert prospects. My
bimonthly ezine, Sumer's Secrets, is packed with tips on how to improve your
web copy, promote your website, and market your brand. Sign up and receive a
FREE report on creating web copy that will increase sales and site traffic.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Salater
7 Ways to Attract and Keep Past Customers
By Michelle Salater
Why do businesses have trouble getting and keeping loyal
customers?
Owners and employees forget the cardinal rule: it's not about you-
it's about your customers. If you treat your customers as treasured partners
instead of dollar signs, you'll have the competitive edge every time.
While there are a thousand and one ways to deliver stellar customer service, the
following 7 tips create a win-win for your customer and your business, whether
your business is online or offline.
1. Hire the right people.
If you don't have the right people, you can't fully serve your customers. Period.
Take your time hiring, and pay employees well for their expertise. Better yet,
give them a piece of the pie for excellent performance. Invest them in your
business, and they'll represent you well.
Listen to your employees, especially those on the frontlines with customers.
They're the eyes and ears of your business, and you ignore them at your peril.
2. Do what you say you're going to do.
If you tell Mrs. Brown you're going to call her about her leaky faucet tomorrow at
10, you'd better be on that phone at 9:59 dialing her number. Or better yet, go to
her house, and look at the faucet yourself. Go above and beyond, and you'll be
remembered.
Customers talk. Make sure they're saying good things when they mention your
name.
3. Pay attention.
Learn who your customers are. Greet them immediately by name when you see
them, and ask how their families are. If you have an online business, drop them
an occasional email to see how they are and how your product or service is
working out for them.
Connect on a personal level, and you'll have more loyal customers than you'll
know what to do with.
4. Help your customers with all their needs.
Mr. James loves your mechanic Tim but really needs someone to detail his car
next week. Put him in touch with a good detailer, and you've just solved another
problem for him. You're the hero.
Make sure your referrals are top-notch, and that you're paid a commission every
time your referrals buy. In turn, give anyone who refers business to you a
commission. This type of joint venture is a win-win-win.
5. Know how to handle complaints and upset
customers.
Your front-line staff plays the most visible and critical role in the customer's
experience. Be sure they know what to say and do... and what not to say and do.
Create written guidelines for handling every type of complaint and get staff
involved. Properly handling complaints separates successful businesses from
failures.
6. Stay in contact.
Collect email addresses, and start a monthly newsletter to keep customers
informed. Create a short, simple "What do you think of our company?"
questionnaire using Survey Monkey. Questionnaires and newsletters give you
the opportunity to anticipate and identify customer needs.
Customers don't buy products and services-they buy solutions to their problems.
Buying decisions are made emotionally and justified logically, so appeal to both
sides of the equation.
7. When in doubt, err on the customer's side.
This is not to say the customer is always correct, but the customer's perception
needs to be that he or she is treated fairly. If you have a conflict, do what you can
to resolve it.
Often the customer just wants to be heard and wants to know that you
understand. Sometimes a small tweak, like changing a due date, is all the
customer needs. It's always a good idea to use The 10 Words of Great
Customer Service: "what can we do to make it work for you?"
If you have a customer that just won't work with you-and it will happen-consider
refunding his money and letting him go. If you argue or refuse to refund his
money, he will tell everyone he knows about it. If you part on friendly terms, he
might tell everyone he knows, but there's a chance you won't look like a greedy,
bad person if you treat him fairly.
Having good customer service is crucial for every business to stay alive, but
having great customer service will make your business thrive. Customer service
is everyone's job, no matter where he or she works. Your business will not and
cannot exist without happy customers.
Discover simple marketing strategies to attract and convert prospects. My
bimonthly ezine, Sumer's Secrets, is packed with tips on how to improve your
web copy, promote your website, and market your brand. Sign up and receive a
FREE report on creating web copy that will increase sales and site traffic.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Salater
Welcome to this edition of the LCOC newsletter. In keeping with the mission of
the LCOC (to promote and create an awareness of the Lawson business
community), the purpose of this website, and this newsletter, is to communicate
with LCOC members, other businesses in the Lawson community and beyond,
and our Lawson consumers of all the wonderful resources we have right here in
Lawson.
Need candles? ice cream? prime rib dinner? a flashy new purse? a red and
purple hat? tires? realtor? custom business attire? child care? banquet hall? tax
advice? banners? web design? school supplies? a cruise-worthy tan? nutritional
products? insurance? ........
NO NEED to go to Walmart, or the city, or even the internet. It is all right here at
home. Be sure to check out the "ARE YOU A LOCAL" page to find 10 reasons
you should want to keep your $$$ in Lawson if at all possible. Towns like
Lawson dry up and blow away when their citizens and businesses spend all their
money out of town. To keep Lawson thriving, we have to keep Lawson business
thriving. THINK LOCAL! BUY LOCAL WHENEVER POSSIBLE! BE A LOCAL!
For those who own and operate our local businesses, we need to appreciate
our customers, and honor them with incredible customer service. At the end of
this newsletter, you will find an excellent article about customer service. We hope
you find it informative, not of things you didn't know, but of things you might have
put on the back burner during these tough economic times.
Please join us if you haven't already!
In Service & Partnership,
Lawson Chamber of Commerce
Deb Claussen
2011-2012 President
816-935-3715
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