Best Practices: Creating Customer Loyalty
Last week, I launched a mini-RX-series about best practices in customer service that focused on ideas for keeping your employees engaged and happy at work. In this post, I’d like to offer three more ideas to create trust, customer loyalty and keep your customers coming back for more.
- Ask your customers why they buy from you.
According to sales guru and author of “The Little Red Book of Sales,” Jeffrey Gitomer, “People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.” And they buy things “for emotional reasons and justify the reasons by using logic. Next time, rather than launching quickly into all of the details, features and benefits of your products, start the conversation by asking them what they are looking for and why? You’ll quickly learn what is important to your customers and what to focus on throughout the conversation.
2. Listen more and talk less.
When speaking with your customers use the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time listening and 20% of your time speaking. Ask them about their business, their successes and challenges and then listen to their answers. Show your customers that you care about them and their business and you’ll have a customer for life.
- What you say last, lasts!
Peak-end theory describes how people tend to judge past experiences based on two points: the most intense point and the end point. So, while you always want to make a good first impression with your customers, it is equally, if not more, important to make a great last impression. Commit yourself to end every conversation with your customers on a positive note. Even if a customer expresses that they’ve had a sub-par experience with your company, make sure to let them know that their feedback is important to you and that you will be using it to make improvements.
Extend a hand to them as they leave. Invite them back and tell them what positive changes they can expect. For example, “Thank you so much for the feedback regarding the noise! We apologize for the construction, but when you return we will have a brand new lobby with a beautiful fireplace for you to enjoy. Come again!”
Dr. Susanne Gaddis
The Communications Doctor
web: www.CommunicationsDoctor.com
email: gaddis@CommunicationsDoctor.com
phone: 919-933-3237
