One of the best sources of growing revenue in your business is to have a solid base of people who buy from you over and over. Serving repeat customers allows you to develop a better understanding of what their likes and dislikes are, making your marketing, sales and customer service efforts more effective and targeted. Studies show that companies with customer retention programs typically experience net income increases of up to 50% versus those who do not.
According to Emmet C. Murphy and Mark A. Murphy, authors of the book Leading on the Edge of Chaos, acquiring new customers can cost as much as five times more than satisfying and retaining current customers.
There are many ways to ensure that you get repeat sales for your business. Below, I’ve listed several simple step to move you in the right direction.
- Provide Quality Customer Service. Happy customers tend to be repeat customers. If you under promise and over deliver in the service department chances are you will stand a better chance of getting repeat business from your clientele. As a society, companies known for great customer service always have bigger sales. It goes without saying that great customer service is an easy way to ensure that your clients will more than likely do business with you again. However, often times small business owners take for granted that if I customer is happy with your service, they will automatically buy from you again. Therefore you must always check with your customers during and after the sales process to make sure they are satisfied.
- Get Customer Feedback Regularly. The easiest way to gauge how your clients feel about your business is to simply ask. Many times business owners fail to ask their customers or clients what their opinion is about their product or service only to find out things were not as good as they thought. Following up with your clients to ask what they liked or didn’t like about their experience with your business will give you the information you need to improve or tweak your offerings.
- Update Your Clients about New Products and Services. Many times your clients may be unaware of all the ways you might be able to assist them or address whatever their challenges are. If you’re a service based business owner, make certain that your clients know about new programs or services that you have introduced. If you’re a product based business, make certain that your clients know about any new products that you have as well as special sales, discounts or promotions. Your goal should be to consistently educate your clientele about what you have to offer.
- Offer Incentives. Everyone likes a bonus when they buy something. It’s called giving a valued added benefit. After all, who doesn’t like a good deal? The best way to get current customers to buy again is to offer them an incentive. Whether you give a discount on your services or bonus something that your target audience will find of value, providing an incentive is a sure fire way to get customers in the mindset of spending.
- Make Recommendations. Many times, people need and want suggestions about what to buy and when. Consider making direct contact by phone to let your customers know you were thinking of them and you had a specific recommendation in mind for them. You could even email them a suggestion about a particular product or service that you recommend, however a phone call is more personal and goes a long way.
If you follow these easy tips, you will definitely experience an increase in repeat sales for your business. Not only that, you will also have very happy and loyal clients. Remember, it’s a lot easier to build your customer base with repeat buyers rather than trying to constantly get new customers week to week or month to month.
Now it’s your turn. Leave your comments and tell me what are the sure-fire ways you have gotten your clients to do business with you over and over again? I can’t wait to hear from you.
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© 2012 Quality Media Consultant Group LLC – All Rights Reserved
This article is written by Lori A. Manns, President of Quality Media Consultant Group LLC. You may not republish this article without permission of the author.
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What a valuable topic! I actually have a system in place to do all of those things you mentioned above.. It’s a strategy that really takes no time but provides such an emotional benefit to both you and your clients!
Thank you for the reminder that I need to keep my clients updated on new services and products. I am SURE they will be very excited by my soon to launch online Fertility in Bloom Program, but they need to know about it!
It’s amazing how something simple, like making a phone call, can make such a huge difference in custom satisfaction and repeat biz. So few business folks use the phone anymore that when you do, you’ll stand out.
I’ll never, ever forget when I cancelled an order with an entrepreneur because I decided it his teleclass wasn’t a top priority for me at the time. Within 24 hours, he called me. Not to try and change my mind, but to simply say that he’d processed the refund and I should see it on my statement soon.
I was so taken aback by his willingness to reach out and call, that I changed my mind again and decided to take his class. It made that much of an impression.
It’s so important to stay in front of your customers… and yes a simple reaching out can really help you! A call to your past clients should be on your agenda at least every month or so… and a great way to get client testimonials too! Thanks Lori
Good post, Lori. Great ideas to keep in touch with clients. Thank you so much.