There's no business that becomes successful without great efforts from the owners and those who work with them. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Aliko Dangote, and the rest of the business-owning billionaires spend a large chunk part of their time developing strategies to continue to exponentially grow by boosting their client retention. To get clients to connect with your business and begin to purchase your services now and in the future (and, hopefully, provide you with referrals), you, too, have to put in the hard word to develop and implement a client retention strategy.
Client Retention and Client Acquisition Are Two Halves of a Whole
Most business owners focus only on client acquisition. While attracting new clients to your business is certainly important, it shouldn’t be the only action you take. It’s just one-half of the big picture of success. If you can’t retain clients, you won’t be able to remain a sustainable entity. Therefore, client retention is the other-half of the overall picture.
If there are strategies that successful businesses always put in place to continue being successful, it's client retention strategies. And these strategies don’t have to be difficult. Or time consuming. Or costly. In fact, many are just old fashioned principles that rely on common courtesy and showing how grateful you are that they’ve chosen your business.
If you’re ready to provide your loyal clients with a better experience, we’ve got 5 tips that are going to help you retain clients!
Reward Loyal Clients
It's as easy as that. Give rewards to your clients that have been loyal to your business. They responsible for your success and they can also be a great source of referrals…particularly if they’re getting a small token of appreciation to do so. Take some time to check your records to identify these clients. Make a list of their names. Spend some time thinking about the type of rewards that you could offer that would be appreciated by your clients and cost effective for your business. You could have drawings for big ticket items and give away the occasional gift card to Starbucks, Target, or another local business. You can also provide discounted and free services if clients hit certain financial milestones with your business. You could also provide a free dinner for clients who provide you with a referral who converts into a new client.
The rewards can be simple. The goal is to show existing clients you appreciate them. This continues to encourage loyalty to your business.
Personally Interact with Clients More Often
One of the best ways to build client retention is to move from seeing clients as just 'clients' to seeing clients as people that you have the honor to serve. There's absolutely no better way to invite your clients to check out the competition by only interacting with them only when they show up to pay you. Always remember that you’re dealing with a person. This person has a life. They have needs. They have hobbies.
After you collect the information you need from them, consider reaching out to them over the phone, by email, or even on social media to thank them for trusting you. Personalized birthday cards, anniversary cards, and holiday cards are also a nice touch. It shows them that you’re thinking of them throughout the year and not just thinking about their wallet. And what about surprising these loyal clients with their most purchased service for free on their birthdays or business anniversary as a bonus? You could also just opt to provide them with a discount on their next purchase. This is a great way to improve your ROI.
Quickly Address Issues
We don’t mean that you must rush through your procedures for resolving issues that your clients bring to your attention. We mean that you should make it a priority to take care of client issues as soon as you can after you’ve been made aware they exist. It makes clients feel like you care. When clients feel like you care, you improve the likelihood of retention and could even possibly generate referrals. Happy clients tell other people.
If you haven’t already, create a system to log and monitor issues that are presented. You can keep notes about what happened and how the issue was solved. You can even create a written policies and procedures guide that explains to your employees what they can do to solve problems for clients. You should also have a plan in place to handle negative remarks, feedback, and reviews left on social media or review sites.
Deliver Quality Services
We know this one seems simplistic, but it really does make a difference particularly since clients have more options than ever. Successful businesses provide high quality services. While many people do believe that they get what they pay for, no one really likes to throw their dollars at a business that provides mediocre or even bad service. People will spend their money if they feel it is worth it. If your client feels like they had a bad experience, they may not patronize your business again. So, be consistent and provide great service so that your clients continue to trust in your business.
Be Ever Present on Social Media
One crucial advantage of using social media for your business is that it helps you to stay in touch with your clients. Most of them are probably on at least one social media platform where they interact with their family, friends, and even businesses. When your business is on social media dishing out valuable information in a way that is consistent, it can help create a better experience for existing clients and it could even help you establish your position as an expert in your field! Your clients also have a fast and easy way to reach out to you when they have a problem or even if they just want to reach out and say hello.
Get More Help & Focus on Keeping Your Clients Happy with Clients ARM
The soul of every business is profit. When your business is successful with client retention, you make more money. And Clients ARM can help. We provide a unique array of services that can help you have more time to focus on keeping your clients happy! If you’re ready to learn how you can have more time to focus on your clients, schedule your free, no obligation with our CEO. You’ll learn exactly how we can help!
