Words: Aki Kalliatakis. This article appeared in the April/May issue of Your Business.
Winning your customers’ attention and staying in touch is key to encourage loyalty…
Every year on February 14, I receive an SMS from my cellphone provider. It reads: Dear Valued Subscriber, happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at We-Scorn-Our-Customers CC. My first thought? If I’m” such a valued subscriber, why don’t you know my name? And then again, why don’t you call rather than SMS?
As a small business owner, this ‘fail’ represents a massive opportunity to gain a competitive advantage over the big guys. You can take these encounters with your customers and personalise them.
The benefits of staying in touch are clear:
• This communication serves as a reminder of your service and should reinforce the reasons they chose you in the first place.
• It’s cheaper to market to existing customers than acquire new ones.
• The more you communicate, the better the relationship. Customers know that this is not a ‘hit and run’ relationship and will start to trust you.
• If you stay in touch, your customers are more likely to stay with you for the long haul. This has the knock-on effect that they are likely to spend more by being open to further sales. If they’re happy they will also recommend you to others. Another benefit of loyal customers is that they are less price-sensitive and are likely to share their opinions, perceptions, and ideas with you. They are also more likely to be forgiving of any occasional mistakes.
• Personal attention wins every time. You need to make them feel special, appreciated, and recognised. The ‘law of reciprocation’ says they will buy from you in return. Much of the communication I receive from potential service providers leaves me feeling like just another name in a database.
When and how to keep in touch
So what should you be doing to make sure that you get it right? Here are a few tips:
Start by making a list of your top customers.
Not according to how much they spend, but rather in terms of how often you want to stay in touch. These are the people you want to reach out to as often as possible.
Offer alternatives.
When you increase prices, consider offering your loyal customers more affordable or enticing price options. Finding new customers means incurring costs, so it makes sense to keep your existing customers happy.
Do it regularly.
The longer the gap between communications, the more likely it is that the relationship will peter out. And don’t limit it to customers only, do the same for prospects. Reach out to your top customers at least once a month.
Make it personal.
Handwritten is much better than computer-generated, and ‘in person’ on the phone is best. Your database should contain personal information that can be used and must be kept current.
Make it fun, useful, and topical.
What you send out should be of interest or useful to recipients. They should want to file it away
for future reference. A personal note on a post-it attached to a gift, SMS, emails, snail mail; the list of ways in which you can communicate with your customers is endless. Videos and live presentations are options too.
Use the principle of single-minded repetition.
Don’t assume that your most loyal customers are aware of all the products and services you offer, remind them regularly of what you have to offer.
Create an opportunity for conversation.
End your communications with something along the lines of: If there’s anything else I can help you with, please just let me know. Later on, once you have built a rapport, you will have earned the right to ask them for more sales or referrals.
Schedule your communications.
Draw up a schedule to ensure you reach out regularly and remember to include all ‘special’ days too.
At the end of the day, sales success and repeat business is a numbers game. The more you talk, the more meetings you’ll get, and the more meetings you have, the more business you’ll get. Reason enough to stay in touch.
Aki Kalliatakis is managing partner of The Leadership LaunchPad, a specialist in customer service, building repeat business and service-led marketing.
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