Every business is in the sales game, but how can you build a lasting relationship with your customers? Here are some of our favorite ways to do so. Customer retention is a way to gain lifelong customers after making a sale. There are seven ways to do this. The first step is to have the right product, then you need to know what your customers want and need, and finally, you should be able to give them what they want and need. What is the most crucial aspect of a successful business? For the most part, it’s all about sales. Even poorly operated companies may earn if they have enough clients. Of course, selling isn’t always straightforward. A prospect may need multiple interactions with you before they are ready to purchase from you. However, it is significantly simpler (and less expensive) to keep a client than to acquire a new one for virtually all firms. According to research, boosting client retention by 5% may increase a company’s profitability by up to 95%!
Because they’ll purchase from you repeatedly, loyal clients have a high lifetime value. That is why acquiring client confidence and maintaining it after a purchase is critical. Despite this, most firms have significant gaps in their customer service. They spend so much time improving their conversion rate for the first purchase that they neglect to improve what occurs after the transaction. When things go wrong, this leads to many poor, if not horrible, experiences (which they do on occasion). According to a consumer survey conducted by Mattersight, only one negative customer experience drove 70% of customers to avoid buying from that business in the future. The majority of those negative encounters might have been avoided. However, most organizations fail to see those unhappy customers aren’t the only ones complaining. According to a study conducted by the Dunvegan Group, 20% of consumers who are “happy” with their purchase will move to a rival in the future. So, not only do terrible customer experiences reduce loyalty, but even good ones cause a significant percentage of your consumers to go to a rival. Now is the moment if you haven’t considered how your customer experience influences trust and loyalty after the sale.
Seven keys to retaining consumer trust and winning their loyalty:
1. Is it indispensable to say it?
The most common reason clients abandon a brand is because they dislike the product or service they get. According to research, 68% of consumers would quit purchasing from a company. When dealing with consumer complaints, your first aim should be to enhance your customer service. Make every effort to ensure that your consumers are satisfied. Using a procedure to solve problems: Thousands of dollars have been spent over the years to figure out the best way to handle consumer concerns. You may still gain a customer’s loyalty if you do an excellent job correcting an issue, as long as an accident rather than carelessness created the problem. If you do any research, you’ll come across a slew of various customer resolution models, each with its catchy acronym: HEART, LAST, and so on. Despite the differences in letters, they all refer to the same stages:
When a consumer approaches you or someone on your team with a complaint, you should respond as follows:
- Listening – Don’t attempt to solve an issue before the client has had a chance to vent and explain it. Instead, allow them to take as much time as they need.
- Empathy – Always look for methods to connect with and relate to your customers. Instead of the initial “you versus. the client” position, it becomes a “us vs. them issue” one.
- Apologizing – You must strive to provide every client with the most satisfactory possible service. A simple apology goes a long way when anything goes wrong. People are more receptive when you speak like a person rather than a company.
- Solving – First, inquire how the client would want the issue to be resolved. Alternatively, you may provide your options for them to pick from. To increase your chances of keeping that client, go above and beyond.
Call your procedure anything you like, but it must have at least those four aspects (in a similar order). The two most effective methods for encouraging consumers to speak out are: Here’s something that could catch you off guard. Only 4% of unsatisfied consumers reach out to the typical company.
That implies the overwhelming majority of dissatisfied clients will never contact you. That is an issue. You may, however, double or treble this response rate by making your customer service more accessible. Some businesses make it difficult to obtain customer support contact information, or they force their clients to sift through useless documents first. That is not something you should do. Your customer service contact information should be prominently displayed on your website as well as in any emails or letters you send to your consumers. If they have any complaints, you want to hear from them. That’s your sole opportunity of resolving the issue and retain a client. Yes, hiring an additional customer care representative will cost you more money upfront, but you’ll earn ten times as much in the long run from the consumers you keep. Don’t be oblivious to what’s going on around you. The kind of touch is also essential. According to research, most individuals prefer to talk to a natural person when they have an issue.
This implies that having a toll-free phone number is the best alternative for you. You’ll also want a few additional ways to reach those who don’t want to use the phone. Having a live chat option on your website, particularly for anything software-based, is, in my view, the most complementing technique. Customers should locate both of these alternatives as quickly as feasible. Consider how HostGator presents its contact information in its header:
What about electronic mail? The last option you should consider providing is email. According to the survey I referenced earlier, roughly one-third of respondents like using email. Email is often used for non-urgent matters. However, if a significant issue has to be addressed, they want to speak with someone as soon as possible. If you provide email assistance, make sure your clients don’t have to wait more than a week for a response. Within a day, they should get some form of an answer. Go above the bare minimum – follow up: When someone calls to report an issue, they’re frequently agitated, furious, or annoyed. They’re upset, and it’s obvious. This is beneficial since many individuals will not tell you about their difficulties until they are sufficiently emotional. However, most people will calm down after the first outburst. Even if your first option didn’t work, they’re not going to inform you about it. That is a significant issue. Because if they don’t like your answer, you’ve already lost their trust. You must follow up with every consumer who complains. Here’s how Groove responded to a client who was having problems integrating Twitter with their software:
They received a response from the client, who said they had been distracted and had forgotten about the issue. They’ll forget about your product and won’t purchase from you again if they fail the difficulty. Take the time to follow up with your client to check whether they are happy with your solution. Encourage them to contact you again if they haven’t already. Tip: Contact them in the same manner that they contacted you. If they emailed you first, send them a follow-up email. Give them a call if they’ve phoned you.
2. Become a psychic for your clients.
What if you could predict consumer complaints ahead of time? You might then take steps to reduce the number of complaints and negative experiences. Many consumer complaints stem from a lack of understanding of purchasing. It might be because the sales page isn’t clear or because the consumer is making far too many assumptions. In either case, the consumer does not get what they had hoped for. For example, you’ll be irritated if you believe you’re getting an iPad and instead receive a Surface tablet. So, what can you do to avoid this from happening? Before a buyer purchases a product, you must answer all pertinent inquiries. If customers still want to purchase once any misunderstandings are straightened up, they will have a far better experience. It’s important to remember that there’s never just one query from a prospective consumer. Even if you only get one or two complaints about a particular issue, numerous additional customers may be experiencing the same difficulty. However, by including a basic FAQ (frequently asked questions) section on your sales page, you may minimize a substantial proportion of these negative encounters. Here’s what you’ll see on LeadPage’s FAQ page, for example:
Even though all of the questions are wonderful, I chose two that I believe are particularly essential. “Can I use WordPress to publish my pages?” – Some clients may expect that the landing pages would function on WordPress since, after all, WordPress is used for everything. It does work with WordPress in this scenario. But what if it didn’t, and someone purchased a membership on the mistaken impression that it did? They would be dissatisfied. “How do I know whether the code I got from my supplier will function in your system?” – Any landing page software you choose must be compatible with your email marketing service. You’d be irritated if you purchased the software but couldn’t get it to work with your email system because you couldn’t utilize it. This would set you off LeadPages, and even if they resumed supporting your email marketing provider, you’d be reluctant to purchase from them again. Another excellent example of a FAQ: When a FAQ is fantastic, it addresses many prospective purchasers’ questions. Not only can helpful FAQs increase your conversion rate, but they will also give all of the required facts to ensure that your prospective consumer understands the product thoroughly, enhancing their whole experience. Nathan Barry promotes “Authority,” a training and development on cultivating an audience. He has the following FAQs on his landing page:
He provides various options, and I can see how a tourist may be confused at first. Then, one by one, they come across the packages on the landing page, such as this:
Nathan clarifies that there are different packages and that some are better than others by addressing the question “Which bundle should I buy?” in the FAQ. This stops someone from clicking the first “Buy” button they see, assuming they are all the same, only to discover they have purchased the incorrect thing. This is simple to remedy if they contact you, but many will not. Instead, they’ll be dissatisfied and may be misled, and Nathan won’t be able to gain their trust.
3. Sensation exploited is the worst feeling in the world.
Everyone is familiar with this sensation, and everyone despises it. Let’s suppose you see someone paying a lot of attention to you, and you assume they like you. They then cease paying attention to you as soon as they get anything from you. That is until they need another item in the future. Don’t allow this person to ruin your company. It’s a connection you have with your prospects and consumers. It’s more than simply obtaining money from them in exchange for your goods. They must understand that your principal goal is to enhance their lives and the lives of those like them, not merely to generate money. Consider the brands you most passionately support. You probably do so because they seem to care about the people who work for them, their customers, and the world at large. Tesla, for example, is attempting to develop environmentally friendly technologies to benefit the globe rather than earn fast cash. In the eyes of your clients, you may construct a similar picture of your company. Giving more than you take is the first step. Keep the following in mind while preparing your sales pitches: Almost every competent marketer these days uses email marketing to perform the bulk of their selling. You’ll almost always develop a sales sequence when advertising a product you sell through email. This series of emails offer information on your product case studies and address any issues your subscribers may have. The problem is that it often devolves into a pitch competition:
A company will send out many emails to sell a product (offer emails). A marketer may spend an average of one email per day throughout this cycle, which may run anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. By the campaign’s conclusion, a certain proportion of subscribers will have purchased the product. What happens to the emails, though? They come to a halt. They don’t arrive quite as often, at the very least.
Here’s what the new client notices:
- They’re bombarding me with emails on how this product may help me with my issue.
- They make a compelling argument.
- Okay, they seem interested in assisting me, so I’ll purchase it.
- … (2 weeks later and zero communication or one email)
- They only wanted my money, that’s all.
And that’s how you lose a consumer for life in one instant. Your consumer will feel exploited if you send many emails shortly before they purchase something and then go silent. Instead, keep sending them emails with complimentary answers to additional issues they may be experiencing. In essence, this is content marketing. Ramit Sethi, for example, is the creator of the seven-figure company I Will Teach You To Be Rich. He recently advertised his course “Zero to Launch.” What did he do when he finished the course? That’s true, and he returned to delivering applicable free content:
Let’s take a moment to imagine how a consumer could feel in this situation. Ramit claims that his training will have a significant influence on your life and that it will be beneficial to you. You take his word for it and purchase it. He provides you with your goods, but he also offers you additional free knowledge about tackling other issues rather than cutting off the connection. That needs to give you the idea that he isn’t only interested in the money. It demonstrates that he cares about delivering value to you to enhance your life.
4. Before going ahead, provide support.
One of the worst things you can do when you have a new client is to cease engaging with them. That was simply something we noticed. Another major blunder you should avoid is marketing a new product before they’ve even gotten the first. When someone purchases goods, they are exchanging their money for it. If they bought anything online, though, they might not receive it for a time. It usually takes at least a few days if it’s a tangible product. They’ve given up money but received nothing in return, leading them to believe you owe them anything, which you do. However, if you just ask them to purchase extra things at this point, they will assume that you don’t care whether they get what they are due. It seems that you are simply interested in generating money from them. It’s a sure way to lose a client. Let’s imagine someone approached you and begged you to lend them money. Consider how you’d feel if they returned the following day or week, demanding more money without having repaid you the initial amount. The majority of individuals will be insulted, upset, or irritated. The takeaway: Before going on to any other items, you must care for all parts of your customer’s purchase. A good friend never forgets to check in — As someone who has sold both items and services, I like watching how they enhance my clients’ lives. It’s a fulfilling aspect of the job, and I hope you love it as much as I do. All you have to do now is demonstrate your interest—show that you care. After a reasonable amount of time has passed, check in with your consumer (enough to receive and possibly try the product). Dell, the computer business, is one company that does this. A customer support representative will phone the client two to three weeks after the PC is delivered to check-in. The primary goal is to ensure that the computer arrives in good condition and has no significant difficulties. This is also a great approach to find out about complaints you wouldn’t ordinarily hear about. Prograde, a supplement firm, is another example. They urge you to contact them if you have any concerns in an email sent after you place a purchase.
5. Case studies aren’t merely for promoting products.
Whether someone has recently purchased something from you or is contemplating purchasing something from you, you want them to believe one thing: They will be making a good choice if they are buying it. It will bring them joy. Several elements contribute to that emotion, but one of the most important is watching others’ outcomes. If you include satisfied consumers in your case studies, your new buyers will feel like they made a good choice rather than having buyer’s remorse. The more comfortable a customer is after purchasing one of your items, the more likely they will buy from you again in the future. By giving them a pleasant sensation, you may increase their loyalty. Case studies are, of course, practical sales tools. They have the potential to have a significant influence on your conversion rate. They are beneficial in two ways. Ramit is an excellent illustration of this. He sent an email after his sales cycle displaying several clients who had purchased the product and were now doing well:
In one email, he had roughly ten distinct minor case studies. So I highly advise you to use case studies in your content marketing and sales efforts. They’re one of the most efficient ways to earn your readers’ trust. Here’s how to write killer case studies, in my opinion.
6. If you only accomplish one thing, make it this.
All of the topics we’ve discussed so far have to do with correcting errors. And you should go ahead and do them. But there’s something we haven’t spoken about yet. How can companies remain successful even when they make these errors? Sure, they could make more money, but they’re already doing well. They have a decent product, is the response. And if you have a terrific product, the other factors we’ve discussed are less critical. So even if anything else is slightly wrong, your clients will have a pleasant experience if you have an excellent product.
Most importantly, if you offer a product that is much superior to that of your rivals, clients will have no option but to remain loyal. Even if they tried your competitor’s goods, they’d soon realize that yours is much better and return to you. Finally, deliver on your promises: Anyone can make a product seem appealing, but can you keep your promises? “Kopywriting Kourse,” a famous copywriting school, is a fantastic example of making huge claims. The developer lays out all of the modules that someone who purchases the course receives on the landing page.
Anyone may claim to have amazing tricks and skills, but delivering them is another story. Further down, he provides his phone number to demonstrate his commitment to his product:
That’s about as certain as you can bet that he’ll follow through on his promises without purchasing the course. You have various options for delivering: Some components of your product or service may be impossible to standardize. Nathan Barry’s “Authority” course, which we looked at before, is a fantastic illustration. In addition to all else he promises, he includes a one-on-one call in one of his packages.
All of the books and lessons are simple to distribute. He has the option of having them sent automatically. Those are pre-assembled items. The phone call, on the other hand, isn’t. If you make a promise subject to change, such as a phone call, you must meet or exceed all expectations. A prospective client would expect to schedule a call within a reasonable time after purchasing, perhaps a week or two. They’ll also anticipate a whole hour. The phone call is one of three critical possibilities for delivering the goods, each with dramatically different consequences.
Consider the following hypothetical scenarios:
- Nathan is sluggish to deliver — it might take a few months for the call to be scheduled. In the future, the client may simply find better service elsewhere. In this case, Nathan failed to deliver.
- Nathan performs as predicted – this is acceptable, and many clients will be pleased.
- Nathan goes above and above – he not only schedules the call whenever the client is available (during the first few days of the next purchase), but he also spends an additional 30 minutes with them.
The last choice takes 30 minutes of his time at first, but that’s how you blow a consumer away. They’ll trust you no matter what since you didn’t just keep your commitments; you went above and above. Those 30 minutes saved will very certainly result in thousands of dollars in income in the future. The takeaway: Make large claims about your items, but make sure they are fulfilled. Go above and beyond their expectations if at all feasible.
7. Everyone wants to be treated as a unique individual.
Customer loyalty may be rewarded, one of the most efficient strategies to enhance it. Based on the reciprocity principle, if you offer your consumers anything more, they will feel a little obligated to you. Most people will feel compelled to repay you in some way. Some may inform others how fantastic your items are, while others will do so by being a devoted client. In any case, a tiny initial investment might pay off big time. Your selections may vary depending on your industry, but there are four significant sorts of incentives you can provide.
Example 1: Exclusive offers: No one enjoys being sold anything. Unless it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance that only they receive. One of the online flower stores is ProFlowers. Around significant events, they send out large discount offers, but exclusively to their returning consumers.
Receiving an offer like this is a gift for most consumers since they know they’ll purchase flowers regardless. They will save a lot of money as a result of this. When they need flowers in the future, they’ll not need to go anyplace else.
Example 2 – Loyalty programs: If you offer regularly reordered items, a loyalty program might be a terrific method to keep consumers coming back. Fast food restaurants are the most prevalent and successful instances of this. You purchase 6-12 of anything, like a sandwich, and get one free.
This sort of application is often used by online shops. For example, customers may become “goal club members” at the soccer retailer Soccer.com. If they agree, they will get reward points, which may be used to gain discounts on future purchases. They also get the following advantages:
If someone is a member and wants to purchase soccer equipment, they will undoubtedly go to this business.
Example 3 – Fun additional events: Anything you can provide your clients that is possibly free is a good thing. GrubHub, for example, hosts an annual “Yummy Rummy sweepstakes” on their website. Anyone who has placed three orders in the past is eligible to participate. The consumer selects a card and has a 25% chance of winning a little prize, such as a drink, dessert, or another small item.
This is no different from a Monopoly game at McDonald’s. However, it provides clients with an additional incentive to visit them rather than a competition.
Example 4: Another technique to thank clients is to surprise them with free samples (if possible in your niche). Bodybuilding.com, for instance, often includes modest, accessible selections of supplements that consumers like.
Although they aren’t worth much, customers enjoy the samples, which improves consumer loyalty. They’ll purchase workout gear from this business if they need it in the future since they’ve been offered free items in the past. Find a method to show your consumers that you value their company in whatever manner you can. That is how you will make them feel unique and gain their trust.
Conclusion
Selling anything is indeed challenging. Your effort, however, does not stop there. You must convert a new consumer into a loyal, repeat customer if you want to maximize the value of that customer. To do so, you must demonstrate that you are deserving of their trust and allegiance. I’ve shown you the seven most important steps to gaining client trust and loyalty following a transaction, which you can do right immediately. Start with one or two and work your way up to the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you build long-term relationships with customers?
A: One of the best ways to build long-term relationships with customers is by using a customer feedback system. This will allow you to listen to your customers and learn what they want from the company.
What ways can you use to gain more customers and increase sales?
A: You can use your marketing budget, advertising, and social media to get the word out about your product.
What do you say to customers after sales?
A: Congratulations, you have just purchased a great product. I hope that you enjoy it!