Six Ways to Retain Your Best Customers in Tough Economic Conditions
As I speak to women entrepreneurs across the country, the same question comes up over and over: “In this tough economic environment, how can I hold on to my best customers?”
Everybody knows that the best way to retain customers is to follow through and do what you said you’d do. But that doesn’t really give you a competitive edge, does it?
So what are six other ways to hold on to customers?
Begin to over deliver as soon as you close the deal. When you sign a contract with a new customer, always think of one more thing you can do for them. And, right on the spot tell them, “You know, I’ve got one other idea I’d like to implement for you without charge.” This approach really hits home with customers because it is something that no one else does. Just think about it—when was the last time someone offered you something at no charge after you signed a contract?
Send a personal note to the gatekeeper. This may sound like old advice, but here’s the key: Don’t send a standard ABC Company note card. Go out of your way to find a card that reflects the gatekeeper as a person, and tell her so in the note: “I saw this card and just had to send it to you. It reminded me of all the things you do behind the scenes to keep Erin straight!” If you send notes like this, gatekeepers will go out of their way to do extraordinary things for you—just because you went out of your way to treat them special.
Never take them for granted. To keep them top of mind, create a calendar reminder for the first of every month. When this entry pops up, list your top five customers at that time and decide on a specific action you’ll take to strengthen your relationship with each of them. Then put those items on your calendar for that month. These might be standard activities, like taking a client out to lunch, or they might be something a little out of the ordinary, such as making a donation to their favorite charity, or offering to help their graduating son in his job search. The key is that you can do this without spending a lot of money, which most corporate decision makers aren’t allowed to accept. It’s all about doing something memorable that no one else is doing for them.
Take photos of your customers benefiting from your services. For example, if you help a customer gain a contract with Texaco, take a picture of him standing next to a large Texaco sign. Or if you’re a financial planner who has helped a client gain enough money to buy a new boat, get a picture of him with that boat. Then enlarge and frame these pictures and give them to customers—you can bet that you’ll see them prominently displayed the next time you visit their office. I use a modification of this approach when I hold launch events for my books, calendars and cards for women business owners. These events are often sponsored by key WBEs, and I have a professional photographer take a picture of the WBE with me and the new product. Then I immediately have it custom framed along with perhaps the invitation to the event and the cover of the new product, and give it to her. If possible, I personally take it out; but if she’s across the country, I have it wrapped and shipped to her overnight. The response to this has been phenomenal.
And speaking of pictures, always take your camera when you’re attending events with your customers. Your goal is to get a great shot of your customer having fun with you! Then enlarge and frame this and give her one copy while keeping another for your office. How great is it to go into your customer’s office and see a picture of the two of you having a blast? (And how disheartening to your competition?)
Become a card freak. Always be on the lookout for unique, quirky greeting cards and create a file drawer with cards categorized by occasion. Almost everyone sends holiday cards, so you should focus on unusual holidays. For example, I send my clients Valentines that say I LOVE working with you. And I send them Labor Day cards telling them I wouldn’t have a job without them. The cards I send are not so much business cards as ones that you’d just send to friends. And, since my clients are my friends, this is what I send.
The key to customer loyalty is to make every customer feel that he or she is one in a million. And the way to do that is through approaches that are out of the ordinary, communications that make them feel special, things that are just plain fun. Who said business had to be “businesslike”? I want my customers to think of me as a good friend who considers them special—because they are.
Mary Cantando is the Growth Expert of WomanBusinessOwner.com. A nationally-recognized expert in helping women start and grow their businesses. Mary has written four books; these ideas come from The Woman’s Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What it Takes to Grow Your Business, published by Kaplan Publishing. www.WomansAdvantage.biz
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