Mission 2010: Courting Customers & Keeping Them

Now that the hype, heartburn and hoopla of the holidays is just a fond memory, it’s time to get back to business.

I know, you’re probably not quite ready to emerge from celebration mode just yet. Sorry about that — just call me Ebenezer.

We all know that without customers, a business won’t survive. That said, it stands to reason that we have to do more than just court them with clever advertising — we must convert them into customers and keep them. Finding customers isn’t exactly rocket science — especially if you’ve done your market research beforehand (you DID do that, right?). The part that can get a bit dicey is in keeping the customers you manage to get, and maintaining an excellent business relationship with them.

So, folks — here’s your mission, should you choose to accept it. Court those prospects — tempt and woo them. But once those prospects hand over their hard-earned cash to you and become an actual customer, be prepared to treat them like your business depends upon them.

Because it does.

Making a List, and Checking it Twice
Santa knows a thing or two about making a list, and so should you. Don’t let the thought of creating a customer database be daunting to you, though. Open Office has a spreadsheet component to it that is compatible with Microsoft Excel, and it’s free. You don’t have to keep elaborate records — simply keeping track of their names and email addresses will enable you to send off the occasional mailing to keep in touch.

I Have a List…Now What?
So glad you asked. Here are a few tips to maintain those customers, and encourage them to use your products or services again:

Keep in Touch
Your customers are just like you — they get busy with day-to-day life, and may not always think about revisiting your site to check out what may be new and noteworthy. It’s your job to service those customers, and keep them up to date on how you may be of service to them. Whether it is a new software upgrade, accessories to an original purchase, new companion products or sales announcements, you can create a simple ezine to share this information with your customers.

TIP: Don’t make your newsletter an in-your-face sales pitch. Spice up your mailing with tidbits like seasonal observances and holidays, tips, resources of interest, or other morsels that will make readers look forward to receiving your mailings.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Without subjecting you to my lackluster Aretha imitation, you get the general idea. The art of old-fashioned customer service is nearly non-existent these days — on the rare occasions that a customer receives a thank you note or email, it makes an impression. Make your customers feel valued and appreciated, and they will consistently seek you out for their future product or service needs.

Big Things from Small Packages
Everyone likes to get free stuff. While this may not be an earth shattering revelation to you, it may be something you haven’t considered. Drop a promotional pen, business card magnet or notepad into an outbound shipment, along with a “thanks for your order” note. You don’t need to go crazy ordering lavish items; but, you do need to make sure that any token you offer includes your name, logo and contact information on it.

Give Me a Break
Discounts are always welcome. During these challenging economic times, a discount on a future purchase may well encourage a future purchase in a timeframe of 10-30 days. You may consider setting up an autoresponder series that mails recent customers a promotional offer to encourage a future purchase — or you may use your regular ezine to send out these offers to your “preferred customer list.” Again, this all goes back to making your valued customers feel valued.

Turn Customers into a Commissioned Sales Force
There is no stronger endorsement than that of a satisfied customer. If we’ve learned anything from the boom of social networks, it is that consumers will seek out the advice and feedback of their peers before making a purchase decision. Turn your customers into brand evangelists by offering them a discount or free gift when they refer a friend that makes a purchase. Most shopping carts allow you to add a custom field for data collection during the checkout process — this provides a simple way for shoppers to give credit to the friend who referred them.

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