How to Nurture your Customer Relationships
Building brand loyalty and deep, lasting relationships between you and your clients & customers is essential. Your success and the prosperity of your business depends on it!
While comparing sales to marriage and one night stands may be a bit of an attention grabbing headline, the principles are pretty similar.
A customer’s experience with your small business can’t be the occasional, one-off ‘wow’ feeling. Sure, instant gratification is in our DNA. That one-time experience can pleasantly surprise and provide a warm fuzzy feeling, but as we say, it will only ever feel a bit like a one-night-stand unless you put the effort in.
So how do you ensure they want to go on that second or third date - plus tell their friends and family how great you are.
Below are my top tips to creating that long-lasting relationship with your customer
Do your research
Not in a stalker-like way, just get to know what they like!
- Who is your customer?
- What do they want and need from you?
- How are you going to help them?
- What objectives do they have?
- How will you help them achieve their goals?
Nurture the relationship and get all the feels
Dating, going out for meals, hanging out, texting … whatever you do, it’s all about getting to know the person and making it personal.
Customer experience is all about the relationship you have with your customers, and how they experience your brand, whether this is conscious or subconscious. It’s also the feeling your customer has when interacting with your brand because experiencing is a feeling, an emotional connection.
Be consistent
Obviously, being consistently great is important.
If you have an offline business and online presence, make sure that they are seamlessly integrated and equal.
Create processes that give the customers what they are looking for, preferably without having to think or do too much.
Keep talking....and always listen
They say the key to a happy marriage is effective communication (and a few presents of course - never forget that anniversary!).
People just want to be listened to.
A customer is looking for guidance or a solution to a problem. So it’s important to actively listen in order to make that person feel truly heard, understood, and served.
The more empathy you have with your customers — the more you listen to them — the more they will value their relationship with you and the product and services you offer.
So a happy marriage in sales means you need to focus on the entire customer lifecycle, with emphasis on deepening your customer relationships to build loyalty and advocacy. It is about keeping in contact, and understanding that you are building long-term commitment.
Be proactive and invite repeat business, just as you would a second or third date! We learn a lot from personal relationships and can apply these to business. After all, sales is totally about people - and all about the quality of relationships.
And finally...
Invest in yourself
Just as a happy and fulfilled person enjoys better relationships, the same goes for your business.
Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.
Find a mentor or consultant who can help you - whether this be in sales, finance, HR or anything business related.
I would love to share more sales techniques and a whole community with you. Join my free members group on Facebook to meet and interact with other small business owners - a safe space where, put simply, there are no silly questions or wrong answers.
Hope you enjoyed the blog! Now, relax and go connect with your wonderful customers.
Enfys
