7 TIPS FOR GAINING LIFETIME LOYALTY IN TRYING TIMES
Now is the time where your mission, vision and values come to life. Who are you as a company?
Once we come out of this time, your customers will remember who helped, tried to help or extended a small gesture of kindness in this time of crisis.
They’ll also remember who was insensitive to their situation.
Here’s a list of 7 things you can do to gain lifetime loyalty and increase your lifetime customer value right now:
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1) Write your customer a handwritten note and mail it to them. Let them know you’re thinking about them, that you appreciate the relationship you have with them and that you’re there is they need anything at all.
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2) Give them something you make. Yes, cash is king and we all need sales in our business, but if you are working with small business customers especially their stress is just as high as yours. Send them a mug, a hoodie or a t-shirt along with your simple note of thanks.
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3) Buy from them. Purchase a gift card from your best local customers and send them to each other. This allows you to not only support their business, but also give them a gift to show how you are supporting other small businesses in the area.
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4) Write a review for them. Now is great time to write reviews online, whether through Facebook, Google, Yelp, OpenTable and the like. Consider writing a review on these platforms to let others know about how awesome their business is and let them know you’ve done it.
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5) Make an introduction. While we can’t shake hands, we can exchange emails and text messages. Consider connecting customers with others who you know can have an impact on their business or whose content they would appreciate. Don’t do it to benefit yourself, think about what benefits your customer and colleagues.
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6) Don’t ask for the sale. Shocking right, especially from a lifelong “salesperson” – I firmly believe in “asking for the sale” but only when the moment is right. If you ask for the sale at the wrong time, you not only lose a sale but you risk creating a negative experience. This experience can ruin a relationship and is much more likely to be shared via word of mouth. During this time give more than you get. Make opportunities for customers to buy but do it on their terms.
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7) Write a Survival Guide. You get it right? We’re doing this for the livelihood of our business and yours. Hopefully you appreciate the contents. I’d encourage you to move into action on some of these points. Hopefully you’ve connected the fact that you can “regift” a lot of these ideas and solutions.
Thanks to our colleague Josh Ellsworth (Senior Vice President, Dealer & Enterprise Sales, GroupeSTAHL) for putting this together.
4 years ago
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