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Business Tips for your Women Owned Business: The Guide to Client Retention
Acquiring clients is the first step toward realizing business success - but if you can’t retain them, then your business will flounder and fail. Once a strong client base has been developed, you have both the potential for repeat sales and for new clients through word-of-mouth referrals. That being the case, nurturing your existing clients is a critical step toward sales growth and stability in today’s highly competitive market.
Although the acquisition of new customers is something that every women business owner strives for, it’s even more important to cultivate the relationships that exist with current clients. Your marketing strategies should be focused in this area, and that means the willingness to go the extra mile. When you think of the time, effort and expense that you put forth to gain their business to begin with, it’s only logical to continue to tap into that potential sales pool. The company who makes their customers feel as though they’re special in some way is the company who will, ultimately, become successful.
One of the things that customers appreciate most is consistency. They don’t, for instance, want to give their patronage to a company that treats them like royalty in order to gain their business, only to push them to the back burner once they’ve made the commitment to a purchase. No repeat sales can be expected from such treatment, and a true professional would never do business in that way. In order to retain clients, you need to show them that your company is dependable, reliable and truly concerned with their personal satisfaction.
All too often, customers – or potential customers – will seek information from a company, only to be forgotten. Follow-up is an extremely important part of customer service, and consumers will simply give their business to your competitors if they’re made to wait overly long or feel that they’ve been ignored. Although you may scoff at the thought of having to be reminded of this, you might be surprised by the number of companies who are guilty of doing this very thing.
One of the reasons that small, family-owned businesses tend to thrive for generations is that they tend to become personally acquainted with their customers. Big businesses could learn a thing or two from these smaller enterprises, since the bottom line for a lot of consumers is that they’d like to be appreciated on a personal level. In other words, learn how to connect with them and gain an understanding of who they are and what needs and goals they’re looking to have met.
If you’re scratching your head, trying to figure out how to satisfy your customers, pay a visit to the nearest Chuck E. Cheese. Why? Because the key to making your customers enjoy working with you is to provide a fun, casual atmosphere. The staff at this particular pizza chain becomes so involved with their customers that they dance and sing with them. In short, they know how to have fun and, as a result, do a booming business. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, as a business owner, you have to be stiffly professional in order to get the job done. That’s not to say that you have to don a goofy costume and romp around the showroom, but you’ll have greater success by providing a bit of levity.
Clients appreciate ongoing support. By establishing an open door policy and communicating that they can come to you at any time – regardless of the amount of time that’s passed between business dealings – they’ll be much more inclined to seek you out in the future for additional business. They’ll see you as a sort of safety net in the business world, and will appreciate that type of special consideration. As a result, they won’t be easily lured into doing business with a competitor.
Every now and then, you may receive a note in the mail – or even an e-mail – asking for your opinions regarding the type of service you’ve received from a particular company. This is actually a very good customer retention strategy, since the average consumer appreciates the fact that their opinions have value. Customer feedback is an important part of soliciting continued business, and helps to cement the relationship with your clients. Be sure to give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improving future business dealings, and engage in regular input scenarios that will allow you to keep your finger on the pulse of your target audience.
Sometimes, it’s smart to go beyond the confines of your own business in order to meet the customers’ needs. For instance, during casual conversation you may discover that he or she has been looking for a particular type of gift for an upcoming occasion, and you just happen to know a place that carries such a product. By passing on that information to the client, you’re developing a more personal relationship with them and expressing the attitude that they’re more than just another bookkeeping entry in your company’s financial software application. This type of approach is one that will ensure a sense of customer loyalty that will lead to solid customer retention.
Regardless of the fact that you’re a business owner, you’re also a consumer. We all make purchases on an ongoing basis, and you – just like every other customer – enjoy the benefits that come as a result of being a long-term client. That’s why companies which initiate reward programs have much less trouble maintaining a solid client base. Examples of this would be the upgrade in their membership status (such as a “Gold Card Member”), a 10% discount on future purchases or a generous coupon that gives them a significant reduction on the next item or service that they buy. After all, who wouldn’t appreciate being rewarded for their loyalty?
Progressive thinking and ongoing education are two critical tools in the endeavor to ensure customer retention. Those who tend to stay with the traditional, tried-and-true methods of practicing business are often outdone by their more contemporary rivals who know that customers will respond much better to a creative approach. That’s one of the reasons why the phrase, “Think outside of the box,” represents such a successful philosophy. If you can’t adapt to that type of mentality, then your business probably won’t last long enough for you to worry about it, anyway.
One of the best examples of the “think outside of the box” approach is DivaDesignWorld of Portland, Oregon – specializing in marketing and advertising. We’ve developed this concept into a fine art and, as a result, have built a solid reputation as one of the best in their field, and have enjoyed a great deal of success. Due to our pioneering methods, visionary concepts and the energy and willingness to go the extra mile for a client, customer retention will never pose a problem for us.
About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency, DivaDesignWorld.com, a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design, consulting, and a wide variety of creative services. She is also the founder of divadirectories.com,a free online resource designed to promote the growth and development of women owned businesses throughout
Oregon,
Washington, and the Northwest.
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