Thursday, August 28, 2014

Create Customer Loyalty to Improve Sales



How to Attract Return Customers to Your Small Business

It is no secret that customer loyalty is directly related to higher sales. When a customer is loyal to a company or business, they will go out of their way to make purchases with that organization. Creating customer loyalty is especially important for small businesses – larger companies attract enough one-time buyers to continue to hit their sales numbers but small businesses need to rely on repeat business to make a profit. What many small business owners struggle with is creating the customer loyalty and developing customer relationships that keep consumers coming back time and time again.

Develop the Best Customer Service

One of the keys to creating customer loyalty is having great customer service. Although customer service is something that every business prides themselves on, more often than not customer receives bad service which discourages them from purchasing from the organization again. Make sure to develop a great customer service culture within your business – set the bar high for how customers are treated, make sure they are greeted in a friendly manner and their needs are taken care of quickly and effectively. Customers will remember great service and be more likely to purchase from you again.

Be Careful Not to Oversell

While it is important to try and sell your products and services to a customer, it is important to also try to not be pushy or overbearing with your sales pitch. Consumers who feel that they are bullied into making purchases or hounded by a sales person are not likely to return to that business again. A better approach is to focus on how your business, products and services can help improve the customer’s life – when consumers feel as though a business owner truly cares about them, their needs, and their wants, they are much more comfortable and happy to return to the business to fill their needs in the future.

Stay in Touch

Once you have developed a rapport with a customer, make sure to be in regular communication with them. Develop a key customer list and send emails or direct mail pieces to let them know about specials or sales in your business. Also, it never hurts to send a note just checking in with them if they have not done business with the company in a while. Consumers want to know they are cared about and really appreciate a business or an owner who reaches out to them on a personal level. Developing these kinds of relationships will easily transition into customer loyalty and can truly help boost sales overall.

When a business has loyal customers, they usually have higher sales. Loyal customers not only make regular purchases from the business but they also suggest the company to their family and friends. Consumers who are happy with a business’s customer service and the relationship they have with employees or the owner are much more likely to tell others about their experience and encourage them to also make purchases. When a customer’s loyalty is combined with the word of mouth marketing they can provide, the possibilities for growth and increased sales are endless!

Need helping make your legitimate home business more successful? Maybe you need to give Stacy O'Quinn a call! Stacy has helped dozens of small business owners and he would love to help you too! For more information about Stacy, click here.

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