Setting up a business comes with a cost, and one of the many ways to cover up these costs is good customer relationships. Every business targets customers, clients, or buyers to patronize them and pay for the purchased goods. This relationship is always a win-win as a matter of exchange – that is, the buyer gets value while the seller gives out a service or product. The diversity of dealing with people of varying needs and tastes brings more discourse about satisfaction to the fore than any other factor. However, getting to know the strategy that works best for more sales while you maintain a good relationship with your customers seems to always be the bone of contention, at least for proactive businesses. The influx of demands from customers depends on the type of buyer they are and what makes up the category they belong to.
“The basics of business is to stay as close as possible to your customers—understand their behavior, their preferences, their purchasing patterns, etc.”
– Indra Nooyi.
In every business, different types of customers come into contact for the exchange of values and money, but here are a few types of customers you should watch out for:
- Price buyers
They purchase your goods and services for the lowest price possible. This doesn’t have anything to do with their financial capabilities in most cases, and you only need to understand that this set of people always have it in their lifestyle to cut costs. As a seller, you need a lot of patience dealing with this set of people. Why? It would be best to understand that they won’t accept anything that would make them compromise their belief in a low price purchase.
- Relationship buyers
These customers need trustworthy and reliable relationships with their sellers. They believe their seller will or should provide them with excellent services, even when they are in absentia.
- Value buyers
These customers want their sellers to provide them with quality goods and services irrespective of the price, and their priority is getting quality goods and services.
- Poker player buyers
They are the highest to deal with, and they always want the best product quality with the lowest amount you can ever think of.
For a business to thrive, you have to understand the basics of customer relations, how to approach and win customers over, hints and tactics on how to provide and satisfy them.
How to get more customers without lowering the standards of your goods and services:
• Maintain contact with old customers
After every purchase by a customer, it’s always good to collect their contacts (phone number, emails address).
After a little while, you can decide to contact them or reach out to them if they need your goods and services. The chances are that they will reach out to you if they need it because you’ve yet again registered your product or service in their minds through that communication. You could give them an offer, something like delivering the goods to them at no cost. Also, one of the most effective means to maintain an old relationship with your customers is by sending an email during specific time intervals reminding them of your goods and services.
• Team up with similar businesses
To get more customers, you can also team up with similar businesses in your industry. This doesn’t appear very easy, though, but you must try to team up with a less competitive business, and the both of you can formulate a strategy for getting more customers. This penetrative marketing strategy allows similar businesses to pull their resources together for a common goal – getting the best out of a market strategically.
• Ask for Recommendation
One of the best and advisable ways to generate more customers is by asking for referrals or recommendations. This is, of course, a result of a good buyer experience.
Most people who patronize certain goods and products often have a relation with many people who also, after purchasing your services by customers, ask them to recommend your brands, goods, and services to their families, friends, or workmates.
Satisfied customers can only make recommendations, which gives more reason why you have to satisfy your customers.
• Create A Network
Networking has been one of the best strategies that bring more jobs and sales of goods and services. You should try to create a network of connections with people you meet, attend networking seminars or events related to your industry, meet different people, and interact with them.
• Maximize social media
Another way you can also get more customers is by leveraging social media.
Social media is an online platform where people meet, relate, make friends, buy or sell from all over the world. People make purchases online without even meeting the seller physically. Give your business a brand name, create an account for your brand, write a good description that is eye-catching to intending buyers, upload videos or photos of your goods and services, relate with intending buyers and make more sales.
It may often appear not easy to manage social media; you can employ a social media manager to help you manage your brand account.
Habits that Drive Customers Away
Every business is always having a target of selling their goods and products. Customers are the people that patronize a specific business, and they buy goods, ideas, and services in exchange for an agreed monetary value.
Having customers is crucial in every business, but brands sometimes unconsciously engage in habits that drive away customers.
Some customers may decide to comment on these habits, while some will just walk away.
Below are habits that drive customers away:
- Delaying customers Unnecessarily
One of the habits that drive away customers is making them wait unnecessarily. Most customers may have an appointment or be in a hurry. They’re forced to wait, and after a long wait, they become angry or frustrated.
A typical example of this habit is when other or regular customers are given special treatment in a queue.
You must adhere to due process to avoid driving away customers while trying to please other customers.
- Delivering Bad Quality Product
Delivery bad quality products drive customers from your brand.
The number of sales you make depends majorly on the quality and price of your goods, product, and services.
Remember, your business has many competitors, and customers tend to patronize brands with the best quality and price; even when your price is higher, most customers still prefer higher quality.
Most mistakes new brands make is that, when they first start to sell their products, they make quality products at a meager price to make more customers. After a while, they reduce their quality. It’s always a good reminder to note that customers are always watching; any compromise in the quality tends to drive them away.
- Late Delivery
One bad habit that drives away a customer and business reputation is the late delivery of goods and services.
Before a customer makes an order, both parties should have agreed upon the delivery date already. If the date is not feasible, request a shift as most brands tend to make mistakes by choosing a non-feasible date, all in the name of making more sales.
- Impolite customer service
When hiring people to work for you, it is always advisable to hire professionals or make them go through certain professional courses. Your attitude towards customers determines how far your business would go, and it’s safe to say that any impolite attitude from them can ruin your brand.
Customer care services ought to be patient and polite when dealing with customers. Every customer deserves to be respected and listened to, and these are some of the pillars of a successful business brand.
Customers reciprocate attitude. If they are treated well, they patronize you more, and if otherwise, they walk away and opt for your competitors.
Always remember to apply the “customers are always right” rule at some point.
- Inconducive, Or Insecure Environment
If your shop, warehouse, or industry is located in an inconducive or insecure environment, you are bound to lose more and more customers. Everybody wants a safe, secure, and comfortable environment. The fear of insecurity or getting robbed makes them walk away. Also, your shop must be conducive, and it must be kept clean and tidy. Some customers are allergic to dirt, which drives them away.
Steps To Retaining Your Customers
Customers are best said to be individuals who buy goods and services from a seller or producer. Customers should be the most significant assets of every business that wants to thrive well. One of the best strategies that can be used to improve your business’s sales is customer retention. Customer retention can also be the act of keeping or holding on to people who purchase your goods and services.
Retained customers have about a 60% chance of buying or patronizing your goods and services.
Most businesses ignore the customer retention strategy, forgetting that more business still lies ahead. These businesses channel most of their energy into marketing or converting new buyers, whereas if there were a good customer relationship, customer retention is an effective strategy not only to make sales and profit but to make do with what you have before marketing starts yielding.
Why You Should Retain Your Customers:
• High Chance Of Patronage
Research shows a 65-75% chance of selling more to your old or retained customers, compared to a 6-20% chance of selling to fresh or new converted buyers.
• Easy Leverage
Leveraging on old customers to improve sales and profits appears easier than prospecting new buyers.
• Time Saving
Old customers have become accustomed to your goods, services, and products. They know the price and most times have a “regular” product, new buyers are hard to convert, it wastes time a lot, price haggling, product testing, and other procedures before finally agreeing.
• Recommendations And Referral
Old customers that are satisfied with your products can make recommendations or refer people to patronize you.
You can also ask them to make a recommendation or a testimony video for you.
The following are the steps to retain your business customers.
- Appreciating customers
Appreciate customers who patronize you, thank them, and give them a discount on the goods and services bought.
- Interact Regularly
Interacting with old customers tends to make them patronize you more. They feel important and satisfied with your brands.
You can collect their emails send them new promotions, updates, discount programs, and other exciting content.
And also, if you haven’t heard from particular customers, reach out to them personally; with this strategy, your brand always comes first in their mind.
- Solve Their Problems
Some customers have minor issues or problem that needs to be fixed; they may need your goods in another dimension, try to listen and hear them out, solve their problems, they become delighted in you, and the next time they come knocking on your door.
- Customer Care Service
One of the most common habits that drive customers away from your brand is poor customer service. Customers are to be respected and handled politely. How you handle their departure decides if they will patronize you again. Always end a transaction with your customers on a good note.
- Build Your Customers Trust In You
One of the pillars that hold business transactions between two people together is trust.
While selling your goods and services to your customers, building their trust in your brand is a good business practice. One of the best ways to do this is to sell them quality goods and services, interact with them, and create an opportunity to trust you.
Research shows that customers often like to patronize brands that they trust, believe in their goods and services, and make recommendations or referrals to such brands.
When customers find that your brand is not trustworthy, they tend to purchase from your competitors and make harmful recommendations about your brand.
• “Customers Are Always Right” Rule
One of the most used business strategies is the “customers are always right” rule, do not argue or fight customers; you make them right and try to enlighten them, making them see your point in the best light.
Conclusion
Making your business stand the test of time says a lot about the relationship you breed with your customers or strategies you put in place to keep them. However, every business decision should aim at bringing your service closer to their needs, which matters in business. With the careful practice of these tips, everyone wins.
