Sticking in The Minds of Your Clients; The Simple Truths!
Let’s face it, signing up a new client is not the usual door-pushing exercise we naturally slide into. Once that is achieved, we dance, make merry, and maybe cut cake – because we acknowledge it is definitely an uphill task. However, there’s the need to stick in the minds of your clients at all times.
How do you stick in the mind of your clients?
Losing a customer happens real fast, it’s heartbreaking and one of the lowest moments a business can experience. Trust me, it can crunch a heart. To avoid this, it’s highly important that it’s you they have in mind when need arises. Chances are if the customer is satisfied with your rates and services, they become undyingly loyal to you.
Keeping customers is easier in contractual instances or in services that recur over time, like say water delivery to offices and homes. This is because they are constantly engaging with you. The invoices and delivery notes you submit is a reminder of your existence and what you do. At a given time, the customer will be somewhere where your service or product is required and they will be like; “here is someone you could call,” and just like that you land yourself a new customer.
If anything, you and I can agree on the benefits of word of mouth advertising. A sale is almost guaranteed. Having a long term engagement with your customer is a sure way of being on their mind. But what about the businesses that engage only once and that’s it?
Completion of the sale shouldn’t be your wind up. For this kind of businesses, the best way is to keep your customers informed. This includes information about new trends, new updates, or even how to get the best results from using the product. Most businesses with such a model do not care about the customers they have already sold to. They might not buy from you ever again but they have the power to refer you to their network and their network is what you’re after. The key here is communication.
With the rapid growth of social media platforms, consumers have become tech savvy. They expect to be engaged and receive the complete customer experience at every level. This has been made easy by the many communication channels you have at your disposal. Emails, for example, work best in situations where information is long. For shorter and brief descriptions, SMS is more efficient.
To avoid spamming the customers’ inboxes, don’t bombard them with information every other day. Also ensure you’re not trying to sell to them again since you already have. Instead, make a genuine follow up on how they are finding your product. If you’re dealing with a wide range of customers, you may consider using a customer relations management system. This helps keep track of your oldest customers and also prospective ones. You can then be able to deal with them differently with ease.
Sometimes consider rewarding loyalty. The oldest customers want to feel appreciated. This can be in form of discounts or even small free gifts; whatever suites your situation. It may seem unnecessary at first but if you’re dealing with products that will still be in the market in the long run, the benefits might surprise you.