Customer Retention Getting customers to come back

The third step in growing a successful business is probably the most important and has the most effect on the profitability of your company.  This is the “After” stage of the sales cycle or the customer retention stage.

At Local Media Marketing, we assume that when a customer walks out of your door, unless you have done something exceedingly good, or extremely bad, they will never think about you again. We know that sounds harsh, but in this day and age, it is not far from the truth.  If you did something exceedingly well, they might remember you for a bit, and even tell a few friends.  If you did something extremely bad, or even somewhat bad, they are probably going to tell a few people, if not everyone they know or come into contact with.  It’s just the way it is with the negative news media coverage and the general philosophy of many people.

As a business owner, salesperson, or sales manager, what are you going to do?  Well, it is your job to remind that customer why you are the place that they should come back to again and again and tell their friends and family to come to you as well.  That is customer retention.  This shouldn’t be blatant grandstanding like the pro football players scoring a touchdown, but something a little more subtle.

One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter.  While an email newsletter is a start and appears to be a cost effective solution, sending a printed newsletter may actually cost you less.  It all depends on the response you get.

Besides newsletters, there are other things to do as well.  How about a thank you note mailed out right after they visited or purchased from you? What about reminders of upcoming needed services like you 6 month dental checkup, your 3 month oil change, or even your annual physical?  What about a fun voice broadcast?  I know you hate those recorded messages, but if you have built a solid relationship, a quick, fun message is a great way let your customers know about a special promotion or event that you have going on.

The one thing that I haven’t mentioned in all of this is the fact that you need to be collecting customer information from the start.  Your database of customers is the heart and soul of your follow up system.  How else are you going to know who has purchased from you and determining your best customers so that you can reward them, and then going a step further, to find more that are like them.

If you would like more information about how Local Media Marketing can help you keep in touch with your customers and get to come back again, give us a call today.