Turning One-Time Customers into Lifetime Customers

While it’s important to attract new customers, retaining your repeat purchasers and building a loyal customer base has to be at the top of your list!

Your most loyal customers will not only support your business financially, but will be your best referral sources as well - so giving them a VIP experience helps both of you.

Loyalty Programs

Reward-based programs such as punch cards, buy x get y free promos, or cards that identify a certain number of points are all ways that loyal customers get the benefits of being a “regular.” These perk programs allow your best customers to get a special experience or a small treat for always coming to you for a product they seek.

How? These programs take on a variety of forms. Think of how your customers would like to be rewarded based on your offerings. Is it a discount? A free item? A photo on the wall?

Say you own a coffee shop - a punch card that allows customers to get a free drink after 9 coffee purchases is a powerful tool to keep people coming back for more. You can print your own, go through a local printing company, or order them online through a medium like Vistaprint for around $10.

Successful Use: Speaking of coffee, Starbucks uses its coveted Gold Card to encourage and reward repeat customers by sending customers who have earned 30+ stars (made 30+ purchases) a special Gold Card. This car earns rewards like free drinks, special offers, and a customized card with your name on it so the barista knows your name as soon as it’s handed over. It’s a VIP experience that makes the customer feel special and part of the company’s inner circle.

Offer a Great Product Every Time

Product inconsistency is a red flag for your customers. If the quality isn’t consistent, you lose trust from your buyers, which isn’t good news for your business. Guidelines, training, and a clear set of standards ensure every customer gets the same fantastic experience each time.

• Train each new employee.

  While time is often a resource we simply don’t have enough of, training is essential for each and every new staff member. Proper training allows your team to understand the process and execute their job to the best of their abilities. This also allows the new hire to get familiar with the business and sets standards for quality, service, and presentation.

• Make guidelines for your staff.

  Guidelines and directions will help guide your team through daily tasks and situations in case you aren’t there to field a question. It also helps ensure consistency. Take a restaurant, for example. Each chef needs to know the exact measurements and ingredients to make a meal taste the same every time--so a hard copy recipe needs to be available for reference.

• Host on-going group trainings.

  Your employees shouldn’t stop learning after being hired. Group trainings make sure everyone is on the same page and create a space for questions to be answered. Learning as a group throughout the year keeps skills fresh, betters communication, and is an opportunity to learn something new.

Provide Great Customer Service

Each and every customer deserves to be provided with a high level of customer service because it’s just as important as the product itself. Going above and beyond should be leveraged from the local perspective, as this personal touch is something you can provide in greater quality and quantity than a big box store.

So much of exceptional day-to-day service comes down to tone – ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’ and ‘What else do you want?’ are in essence, asking the same thing, but are wildly different in terms of tone. In other words, great service not only depends on execution (that you asked in the first place), it also depends on perception, or how you communicated with the customer. Getting that right is the first step in building a business people love interacting with. – Gregory Ciotti, Help Scout

If you doubt the power of great service, keep these stats in mind:

• 89% of customers have stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service. [RightNow Technologies]
• It takes 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one negative experience. [Parature]
• 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. [McKinsey]

How to do it? A few foolproof tips:

• Greet your customers by name

  It feels good to be remembered, doesn’t it? Recalling your customer’s name is an easy way to impress your customer and let him/her know you value their presence.

• Remember repeat orders

  There’s nothing better than being able to walk into a business and be asked, “The regular?” Even if you have to keep a cheat sheet, this tool is an easy way to make your customers feel special.

• Build relationships

  Remember names and orders, but don’t be afraid to take it a step further and learn a bit more about your customers. Ask questions like, “Where are you from?” and “Have any family in the area?” to build rapport and relationships with your customers. This also provides content for future conversations.

• Make exceptions

  As a local business, you have the power to bend the rules a bit to keep your customers happy. If someone asks for an item or a variation - you can grant that wish if you’re willing.

• Think of the little things

  If you sell cupcakes, why not throw in some extra birthday candles? It’s the little details that make a big difference.

• Deliver (literally)

  Delivery is one of those special local offerings that can mean a variety of things based on your business. Maybe it means you make a house call for an interior design disaster or you’ll bring product to your customers’ homes to make life easier. Catering to the audience is a service large stores can’t always provide.

Having a Solid Presentation

This one seems like a no-brainer, but keeping your business clean, visually appealing, and in tip-top shape is extremely important. Your business’s presentation is a reflection of the products being offered, the staff, and the owner.

• Hire cleaning help

  If you don’t have time to do a deep clean regularly, hire a cleaning service to come weekly or monthly to do the intensive scrub-down and cobweb snatching.

• Replace burnt-out lights

  Lighting on both on the interior and exterior of your building (signage included) should be fully functional.

• Keep restrooms clean

  Clean restrooms are more than functional - they’re stocked with toiletries and are funk free.

• Remove stains

  Saints on walls, carpeting, ceilings and furniture will make your business look sloppy and dated.

• Organize

  Keep your office(s) tidy with filing systems and proper storage.

If your business can convert first-time customers into forever customers, you’re golden. These loyal supporters will be a referral engine, and your high standards for the products, service, and presentation of your business will continue to impress new customers - keeping the traffic flow steady through your front door.