It is known to almost every entrepreneur or businessman that long-term relationships with customers increase sales and also help in increasing the number of customers. Not only that, satisfying and retaining customers for a long period of time leads to overall business growth and energy improvement. See, every company or seller works hard to make customers, as well as spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising.
And when someone is becoming a customer with such difficulty, should he just let it go, but the growth of the entrepreneur’s enterprise lies in retaining his existing customers. That is to say, the long-term loyalty of existing customers can be the key to a successful enterprise. According to one figure, the marketing and advertising expenditure or effort made by an entrepreneur to acquire new customers is twenty five times more than that of retaining existing customers.
Therefore, keep in mind that any entrepreneur or businessman has to deal with customers. “If you don’t come, someone else will come” Shouldn’t behave like that. Any entrepreneur who is successful in retaining his existing customers and the customers are satisfied with his product or service and buy those things again and again, then the entrepreneur avoids the cost of marketing, advertising and new customer acquisition. And the branch of his business also becomes good.
Because he has loyal customers as his achievement, it is more comfortable and economical to sell his service or product to existing customers than to create new customers then sell them. The entrepreneur may have already spent a lot of money to acquire new customers, so now that the entrepreneur has customers, he should focus more on retaining existing customers than in creating new ones.
Now every entrepreneur or businessman wants to retain the existing customers but does he also take proper steps for that. That is, are the efforts, decisions taken, steps taken by the merchant to retain existing customers correct? Keeping this problem of entrepreneurs in mind, today we are trying to give information on how to make long-term business relationship with our customers through this article.
1. Provide Real Time Support
Provide support to your customers through real time support such as live chat or phone numbers even after the sale of the service or product. By providing this kind of support you can ask the customers about their problems and provide them with proactive support to enhance their experience. This will increase a sense of trust in the customer’s mind towards your company, because when you give the assurance to a customer to rectify their shortcomings, then the company’s credibility increases in his eyes.
2. Maintain Contact with Existing Customers
Entrepreneurs need to allow their support team to connect with their existing customers, understand their needs and feedback. And bring a sense of fulfillment to customers’ needs and provide a great experience.
3. Make Customers Feel Special
Make Customers Feel Special However, if you are selling your product or service through a shop etc., then many times it happens that your existing customer brings two or three more customers with him. In such a situation, do not ignore him, but make him feel special, to make him feel special, you can offer him tea, coffee or cold drinks etc. As far as companies are concerned, companies should send thank you cards etc. to their existing customers.
4. Talk to the Personality of Customers
Entrepreneur should know about the personality of his existing customers because different customers can have different personality, some like to talk long and some like to talk short. If the entrepreneur is successful in knowing about the personality of the customers then he can talk to them according to their personality. So that it will help in maintaining business relationship with them for a long time.
5. Use Advanced Tools for Customer Engagement
Using advanced customer engagement tools like live chat, social media, co-browsing, etc., entrepreneurs can assist customers in real time and quickly identify what they want. Entrepreneur can provide effective personalized solutions to their existing customers at first contact and also establish friendly relationship with customers through direct communication.
6. Know the Customer’s Preferences
It is very important for any entrepreneur to know that customers give preference to something in whatever product or service the entrepreneur is selling. Because when the entrepreneur is able to know the preferences of the customers, then he will also be able to retain them for a long time. However, customers must be provided with the option to opt out as per their preferences. Keep in mind that if the product or service provided by the entrepreneur meets their preferences, then the confidence of the customer increases in the brand of the entrepreneur.
7. Understand the psychology of the customer
Customer service psychology is related to customer satisfaction, when the entrepreneur is able to understand the needs of his customers, only then he is able to increase the customer satisfaction rates as well. If the entrepreneur wants the customers to stay connected with him for a long time, then he has to understand their value, and he has to inculcate the habit of listening patiently, and in case of any problem, he has to assure that the problem will be repeated again in future. Won’t go
8. Prioritize Customer Experience
It should be the endeavor of the entrepreneur that once he becomes his customer, then he should provide such services related to the product or service that the customer experience compels that customer to buy the product or service of the entrepreneur again and again. According to one statistic, brands with a better customer experience generate more than five times more revenue than other brands. If the customer’s experience about a product or service is better, then they not only buy from that entrepreneur themselves but also attract new customers by telling other people about that product or product.
9. Understand customer needs
Do not think that you are manufacturing the product according to the customers, but make a habit of listening to your customers carefully and patiently. And through their actions, reactions, try to know that what is most important to them? Then look for opportunities that can provide you opportunities to help them.
10. Educate customers about your product or service
In the present era, many marketing tactics are adopted by the business units or companies to woo the customers. But customers are more likely to trust those brands or companies which provide them complete and complete information about their product i.e. try to educate them about the product or service.
There are many products in which the customers are not aware of the complete system due to which they have to face many problems. Therefore, the entrepreneur should educate the customers well about his product so that they do not face any kind of problem in using it smoothly.
11. Use Positive Word Sentences
After analyzing various customer feedbacks, it has come to the fore that a lot of customers change their brand due to untrained and rude agent. That is to say, the brand or company whose representatives are untrained and rude, and they do not know the taste of talking to customers, then they are more afraid of eating customers. More than 70% of the way customers choose a store or brand is based on how they are treated.
That is why even in common parlance, you must have heard that some knowledgeable person tells us to buy that particular item from there, because the behavior of that shopkeeper is good. That’s why it’s very important to be courteous to customers, and use better words and sentences. Avoid using phrases like I don’t know, no problem and use words like I’m sorry, we’re sorry.
12. Listen actively to customers
If the entrepreneur wants his customers to stay connected with him for a long time, then he has to practice listening to them actively. Make the most of every opportunity to make your customers feel comfortable, valued and appreciated. One advantage of uninterrupted listening to customers is that it helps them pinpoint their exact problem. That is to say, only by actively listening to the customers, they can get to know about their opinion, feedback, expectations. And the entrepreneur can force the customers to retain his product by making changes accordingly.
13. Show Gratitude to Customers
When it comes to customer service, it is said that these two words named Thank You are nothing less than magic. When the entrepreneur or his representative uses words like thank you and please, it inculcates a sense of appreciation in the customers. And it helps to build stronger and longer time between customers and business so always be sure to show gratitude to customers.
14. Show Empathy
The customers are they have spent money in buying the product or service of the entrepreneur and now if they have any grievance related to it then the entrepreneur should be patient and assure to solve their problem fast through sympathetic statements . Admitting my mistake and I’m sorry for this, I should try my best to communicate with the customers by using sympathetic words.
15. Provide Multiple Means of Communication
Provide customers who are using your product or service the option to communicate their concerns to the company by providing an easy means of communication when they have a problem. Social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, email, phone etc. Provide all means of communication to your customers and also act on them at a fast pace. And also inform your customers that they can contact the company by using email, live chat, social media, phone etc.
16. Use Customer Relationship Management Tools
If we talk about Customer Relationship Management, then it is a customer centric business strategy which is designed on the basis of revenue, profit and customer satisfaction. Under this process, an effort is made to understand the customers because the more the entrepreneur understands his customers, the easier it will be for him to target new prospects and increase his sales.
Customer Relationship Management acts as a powerful tool that helps in keeping records of customer likes and dislikes about the product, spending patterns, location, age, gender, income etc. Therefore, the entrepreneur can use any customer relationship management software if he wants.
17. Appreciate Loyal Customers
Keep in mind that loyal customers are not less than any business’s assets, they tell people about your business and product through their mouth, which attracts more people to your product or service. Therefore, the entrepreneur also needs that he can motivate his loyal customers to maintain their long-term relationship with their appreciation by providing them facilities like incentive, premium service, quick access.
18. Take Feedback From Customers And Act On It
Take feedback from your existing customers about your product, service, support, etc. and act accordingly. That is to say, if the entrepreneur wants his existing customers to stay with him for a long time, then the entrepreneur will need their feedback and opinion.
The customer is the only real person who will put the real picture of your product or service in front of your eyes. And if the product or service is changed to suit the customers, then the customers will be more likely to stick with you for a long time.