You’ve heard it before but I’ll say it again. It takes a whole lot more energy to find a new customer than to nurture a customer you’ve already converted.
Think back to you favorite customers. Those customers you hope to find more of. Your ideal customer.
Now let’s talk about how you can maximize your profits from those customers by reaching out to them and helping to solve their problems.
The goal here is to build loyal customers, a raving fan base. These are the folks you want to dedicate the majority of your resources because they’re the folks who you have the potential to make happiest. And that means they’re the folks who have the potential to make you happiest.
Follow these 3 simple steps to building loyal customers who come back for more and more and more…
Step 1: Start with 100% Satisfaction
This should go without saying, but you can’t expect anyone to want to come back for more of what you have to offer unless what you deliver is absolutely top notch. A major focus of any business needs to be excellent delivery.
To accomplish this, articulate exactly what your customer should expect, and then work your hardest to over deliver. If you don’t define what it is you agree to deliver first, how will they know when you’ve blown your goals out of the water?
Step 2: Give, Give, Give
What better way to build brand loyalty than letting your customer know that because you have loved working with them so much, you want to work with them again?
Offer them a discount! Tell them you love them and want to save them some money on their next purchase! Seems overdone but that’s because it works. Everyone wants to feel special. Why shouldn’t you let your best customers know you love them?
Speaking of feeling special, there is only one way to make your favorite customer feel more special than giving them a discount and that is giving them a free gift. Remember that the goal is to build a raving fan base. That will not only result in repeat purchases, but it will also result in your loyal customers raving about you to their friends and family.
So give them something that brings them value. Note: it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.
I like to give away free eBooks and articles that give my favorite clients helpful and practical tips they can use in their business (like this blog post). Bonus points if your free giveaway helps showcase why your expertise is head and shoulders above the rest…
Step 3: Write a Love Letter
Not the roses are red kind. I’m talking about an email. Many folks think email marketing is dead but it turns out the return on investment of email marketing is over 40-fold. That means that for every dollar you spend on your email marketing campaign, over $40 could come back to you.
Share with your favorite customers the latest about your company and industry. Give them a random tip or tidbit from time to time. They’re your favorites. Treat them as such. Email is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to keep your favorite customers engaged. It’s a natural and casual bridge keeping you connected.
The moral of this story is that to make your customers love you, you have to show them how much you love them. Give them everything you’ve got and they’ll turn right back around and give it back to you tenfold!
They might even bring along a friend when they return…
