If your business is using most of its marketing time and money trying to sell to new customers, perhaps making sales is much harder than it needs to be.
The most valuable resource in any business is the people who’ve already bought from you.
They already know you and your product. It’s quicker, easier and less costly to encourage them to buy more.
Sounds simple. But loyal customers don’t appear by accident. Your need to be really good at what you do.
The greatest marketing program on the planet can’t cover up a poor product or service.
Assuming you’ve got that covered, try working on these 5 key moves
- Get to know your customer better, and let them know you
- Encourage feedback and two way communication so you and your team make a real connection. If all your communication is purely transactional, it’s harder and takes longer to build trust and confidence.
- Share useful information that’s relevant to what they do, and what they buy from you.
- Anticipate needs
- Suggest other products – upsell, cross sell accessory, related product or service – did you know we do this?
- Craft special offers that are genuinely helpful and valuable , not just a random sales pitch
- Reminders to re-order for consumables
- Handle Problems Well
Train your team to listen, understand exactly what the problem is, and resolve it quickly and generously - Show You Value Them
Say Thank You – by phone, by email, by snail mail, or with a personal gift - Make yourself shareable
Give them something valuable for a friend – people love sharing ideas, great finds, and helping their friends.
A business that’s absolutely brilliant at creating repeat buying, referring customers is Charles Tyrwhitt, a British online shirt and clothing retailer. Their website is extensive, the product range is huge, and the tone is friendly, but that’s not the only reason for their success.
They use regular online and offline communication to turn people into repeat buyers.
How do they build customer loyalty and get great word of mouth referrals?
- They have great value, high quality products
- Included with the first delivery is a beautiful welcome booklet with useful information on all their products, and a discount coupon to encourage another purchase, or share with a friend.
- A thank you letter (on high quality paper) from the owner is mailed shortly after the first purchase with another offer coupon.
- Every customer receives a multi-page catalogue in the mail multiple times a year, always with an attractive offer on some products.
- Customers who haven’t bought for several months are sent another letter– this time with a very hard to resist offer to start buying again.
- Of course every customer receives frequent email updates on new products and special offers
Make everyone who buys from your business feel really welcome.
Then you’ll be the only one they think of in your category – and they’ll be busting to tell their friends.
