Whether you are just starting your business from the ground up or you have been in business for years, you may understand how important it is to create loyal customers. After all, you can spend a small fortune constantly trying to bring new customers into your establishment. With new customers, you may need to compete against other companies for business, prove that you have the best product or service and take other efforts, and these efforts may be extremely costly.
Loyal customers, however, may know and love your products, services and team members from past experiences. They may even praise your company to their own friends and neighbors, providing you with free word-of-mouth advertising. There are a number of post-sale techniques that you can use to create loyal customers and to enjoy the many benefits they can provide to your company.
Follow Up on Their Buying Experience
First, within a few days of the sale, it is important to follow up personally with your customers. Thank them for their business, and ensure that they are not having any problems with the product or service they purchased. Remind them that you are available for on-going service and support, and state that you would like to stay in touch.
Depending on the nature of your business, a postcard, letter, personalized email or even a phone call may be appropriate. For example, if you sell cars, a phone call may be more appropriate. However, if you sell shoes, an email or postcard may be effective.
Respond to Questions and Concerns
In many cases, your follow-up correspondence after the sale will receive a positive response from your customers. Many companies simply do not take the time to thank their customers for their business or to ensure their satisfaction after the sale has been finalized. Because of this, you will immediately differentiate yourself from other companies by taking this step. However, if the customer states that there are questions or concerns about the product or service, it is imperative that you follow through on these concerns.
You may be able to answer the questions yourself, or you may need to have another party in your company contact the customer. If this is the case, a second follow up may be necessary to ensure that the matter has been resolved to their satisfaction. While time-consuming, this is an effort that the customer will certainly remember.
In addition, your extra effort may be enough to get your customers talking to their friends about their positive experience with your company. However, if you drop the ball with this step, it could negatively impact your relationship with the customer.
Provide Support and On-Going Communication
Even after the final follow up to the customer, it is important to note that the customer will continue to live with your product or service. Therefore, factors like reliability, quality and service offered by your company will work to either create or destroy customer loyalty. If your product or service demands it, setting up a support department may be beneficial. In addition, you can continue to follow up periodically with the customer about making upgrades or other changes as the customer’s needs change.
The fact is that loyal customers can be a true benefit to your company in many ways, but it can cost time and money in order to effectively serve customers after the sale has been completed. You may consider applying for business funding or seeking capital in order to create the infrastructure necessary to continue to serve your customers after the sale. This extra step may be the factor that sets you apart from the competition.