by Michael Harrison
For many business owners, times have been very tough these past couple of years. Businesses have gone to the wall, and those that haven’t will almost certainly have suffered a downturn in revenue from a dip in customer orders.
The real key to maintaining profitability, especially in a down economy, is to make certain your regular customers don’t start looking elsewhere. The issue of pricing is obviously important here, as is the quality of the product you supply, but assuming your customers have been happy thus far with your services, what can you do to ensure you don’t fade from their memories when it comes time for them to place new orders? How can you prevent them from “ringing the changes” and looking somewhere else?
Keep in touch
Your customers may be very busy people who are not as organised as you might like them to be. This may mean they don’t automatically think of you when it comes to repeat orders. They may not even be aware that you offer other services that could be useful to them.
In business terms, absence does not make the heart grow fonder; it is far more likely to cause a previous customer to broaden their horizons and take their business somewhere new. Their initial pleasure at a job well done by you may fade with time to the point that they feel confident you are just one of many who could perform to such a level.
To counteract these issues, you need to keep in regular contact with your customers – at least four times a year. And remember to ascertain at the outset whether there are certain times of the year when your customer must make purchases, so you can say hello just prior to them doing so. This is the same reason insurance companies you take quotes from always ask when your renewal date is; so they can bid for your business before you give it to another provider.
Remember also that in this technological age it is still possible to pick up the phone and speak to a person. You don’t have to always email or text a customer. Verbal contact is very effective, and sending a good old-fashioned paper letter can work wonders as it demonstrates a level of service and effort that is largely overlooked these days.
The balance you are looking for is to provide useful communication that serves you both, but not to enter into stalker mode where the customer is so peeved by your constant contact that they wouldn’t buy from you even if you were ten times better than the rest.
Ask questions
Customers like to see that you are interested in their business not yours. Of course you are talking to them because you want their custom, but providing a service is all about catering to the other person’s needs, and this is the core principle of the most successful ventures in the world. If the customer feels they are being understood and taken seriously, they are more likely to come back for more.
Asking questions shows that you are keen to meet their exact requirements, and may even uncover important issues that weren’t in their mind. Being able to do this is a great skill and demonstrates that your interest goes beyond making money for yourself. It marks you out as a service provider whose business is based on satisfying client briefs. In many cases, clients sometimes don’t know themselves what they really need, and this is why they come to you in the first place – for your expert input.
Not asking questions can lead to problems further down the line when the client does not receive the correct product or service from you. However, there is no percentage in asking questions just for the sake of it. If all points have been covered, then further questioning may simply appear dumb.
Be memorable
This means standing out from the crowd, and however you can do this – short of becoming annoying – will be good for your business. The bottom line is that you should be memorable because the service or product you provide is so outstanding that it sticks in the mind. But beyond that, there are smaller tricks you can employ.
You might want to make contact with them and include a gift. It doesn’t have to be much. You could include a free sample of your wares to keep your business fresh in their mind. If you are a service provider and don’t have products as such, then turning the customer’s business card into a luggage tag and sending it back to them is a great idea. A pen, a keyring, anything that marks you out as different and willing to offer that little bit extra. Remember that a few cents outlay now could bring in a big contract at a later date.
Michael Harrison is a consultant, marketer, and business generation specialist dedicated to assisting professional services businesses to grow and increase revenue, margins and profits. He can be contacted at Strategies Plus
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