Every business owner’s goal is to build a solid customer base with loyal customers for increased profits and financial growth. One strategic way to do this is to uncover who your loyal clients are, what keeps them happy to work with you, and of course, getting more loyal customers to work with.
The key to attracting more loyal customers is to focus on building a genuine, devoted relationship with them. Relationship building with your most valuable and loyal customers should be a top priority in your company. Sure, your loyal customers will increase your profitability, but the relationship benefits are where the real gold is.
3 Benefits To Getting Loyal Customers
Loyal customers are your biggest advocates. Your loyal customers are the ones who are out in the world, telling other businesses and potential clients about the amazing results from your products or services. They will happily refer other customers to you, who you can start to nurture and turn into potential leads. Loyal customers are your biggest cheerleaders in the marketplace.
Loyal customers will give you valuable feedback on your products and services – even if it’s something you don’t want to hear. As someone with a direct client experience with you, your loyal customers have insights into your business that you can’t always see from your vantage point. These valuable customers will tell you exactly what they want from you, giving you ideas on how to improve your products and services.
Loyal customers will stick with you, witnessing the growth and changes in your business and grow along with you. In essence, these customers become your partners in business, giving you feedback and support every step of the way.
What are your touch points?
Customer loyalty is built around people, emotions, and touch points. A touch point is any way that a client interacts with your business. This includes not just directly speaking with you, but also your customer service, website, your social media presence, and your emails. Some touch points we can control, and others we can’t. The list of potential touch points is endless, but each one is important … be it good or bad.
For example, think of your favorite grocery store. You go there because you NEED groceries. But what do you WANT?
What does the parking lot look like? Are there a lot of carts strewn across the lot? Is hand sanitizer available at the door? Do they have those fun carts for kids that make grocery shopping easy for parents? Is it difficult to find someone to help you find that one ingredient you need?
Your team of employees and the vendors you work with are also touch points, so you’ll want to choose them wisely and frequently evaluate to see if they are aligned with the experience you want your customer to have. Are your shipments arriving on time? It may be time to look into another delivery provider. Does your customer service team feel empowered to make decisions on your behalf? It may be time to do more training or hiring. Is your payment processor working properly? If it’s hard for your clients to pay you, that can definitely have a negative impact on your bottom line.
How to Get More Loyal Customers
Walk in your client’s shoes – and then go the extra mile for them. If you want your clients to be fanatically loyal to you, you will need to be fiercely devoted to them. Here is where your focus on customer service is crucial. To gain loyal customers, focus on their deeper Wants, not just what they Need.
I worked for Banyan Air Service, a private aviation company that consistently receives accolades and awards for being the best in the business and having outstanding customer service. Working as their HR Director, I was responsible for hiring the right person for the position and because they are a highly service driven organization all 175+ team members had to have that focus. The entire team was also trained to go out of the way for Banyan’s customers. One time, there was an older couple having trouble walking from their jet to the lobby. Bruce, one of our loyal employees, grabbed a nearby golf cart, helped them on the gold cart, and drove them inside, through the lobby right to the front desk. Now that’s devotion! They where elated!
Bruce could have done a number of things to fulfill the surface need of getting to the lobby. He could have walked with them slowly. He could have grabbed some wheelchairs. But Bruce surpassed that surface need and dived well into the want territory, making it easy and convenient for Banyan’s customers to get where they needed to be. Being wheeled into the lobby would have gotten them there, but what they really wanted was to be taken of and made to feel like their comfort was a priority.
How can you implement this in your business? How can you go beyond what your client merely needs and satisfy some of their deeper wants?
Empower your team
When a team is created with intention, empowerment for each employee is the next logical step. Empowerment is imperative because it enables the employee to be more responsible in their accountability and decision-making. With the right tools they have the ability to take correct action in problem solving leading to increased customer satisfaction and this is just the beginning of what empowerment can do.
You know what it’s like when you walk into a high performing business, this type of atmosphere or energy that can’t be explained but it sure can be felt. You just know it’s an exceptional business that conveys Customer Experience, Brand Loyalty, Creativity, Leadership, and Culture which when combined with Systems and Processes equal Big Results.
Empowering employees is a culture shift and an ongoing day-by-day process. By providing training, open feedback, trust, and purposeful communication your employees will become your greatest partners. By truly empowering your employees you are granting them the freedom to build genuine customer relationships and to create memorable moments for your customers.
Have a follow up system
Have a system in place for nurturing your clients. There are some very simple, straightforward tactics you can use to build authentic relationships with loyal customers. However, if you don’t have a strategy for doing so, it won’t get done. It could be as simple as:
- Set up a brief survey for your clients, asking information about them, what they need and most importantly what they want, and for feedback on your services.
- Offer an incentive for completing the survey.
- Schedule time for you and your team to have a brainstorming session on how to do something a little extra to delight your customers or to review your CRM, noting clients who are due for an order and reaching out to them or sending a thank you note to someone who sent you a referral. It has been my experience that the fortune is truly in the follow-up, and you’ll help your business stand out and stay top of mind with loyal clients if you take the time to do so.
If you need help building your customer base and discovering your loyal customers, click here to schedule a complimentary session with me today.