Customer Appreciation: Do You Love the Customers You Have?
Almost everyday I receive a piece of correspondence in my mail with enticing offers for services. I'm especially amazed at the wide-ranging offers I receive from one Service Provider in particular who's been trying to woo me back or just woo me as a new customer. This is the same company whose Customer Service Department I contacted several times over a three-month period in an effort to reduce my bill for a combination of three services. The response was not positive so I took my business elsewhere.
It's likely that almost everyone reading this has or know someone who has had a similar experience and it begs the question, “What are these companies thinking? “Have they not heard of customer appreciation?” “Doesn't customer loyalty mean anything to them?” “How does it make you as a current customer feel?”
Instead of paying thousands of dollars to lure new customers, wouldn't it be a less expensive proposition to do whatever is possible to keep your current customers happy? Interestingly Brian Woolf, the author of Customer Specific Marketing-The New Power in Retailing and a loyalty marketing expert, noted in his research that only 1% of new customers become the best customers of a business. It means that it would be in the best interest of the business to show their current customers that they appreciate them.
As a small business owner, solo-professional, or entrepreneur you recognize that your customers and clients have a large number of options on where and with whom to do business. What do you currently do to encourage customer loyalty? Do your customers and clients know that you appreciate them? I'd love to hear your responses. We learn from each other…
Hello Yvonne: I usually add a personal note to the invoice and I try to send a little something extra with the purchase. I let my customers know that when they need additional gifts or if they have any questions or special requests, they should feel free to contact me.
1Obviously, that entity has still proven that it fails economics. It is MUCH cheaper to retain an existing company than it is to acquire a new one.
2To me, it’s blatant common sense. If you treat your current customers or clients right and show them how much you appreciate them, they’re going to send you REFERRALS. For crying out loud, it’s not a hard concept to wrap your brain around! And it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to show appreciation. Sometimes a simple ‘thank you’ will suffice.
And yet …
Everyone I talk to is constantly complaining about “lousy” customer service experiences — myself included. You know what I think the problem is, Yvonne? Apathy. There just seems to be this general undertone when you’re on the phone with a customer service department of “I don’t care about you. If we don’t get your business, we’ll just someone else’s business.” I find this to be true of larger companies and corporations, especially — like telephone, cable T.V., or internet companies.
Small business owners would be wise to treat their customers like ROYALTY. At a minimum, we should treat others the way we want to be treated (and appreciated).
3That’s the kind of customer service that will definitely encourage loyalty, Daphne, because your clients or customers know that you care. Beautiful website that showcases your creativity.
4So true, Roy. It does not make sense economically to spend five times as much to get new customers as it is to show some love and appreciation to your current customers.
5Exactly the kind of company I referred to, Melanie. Unfortunately some of the attitude displayed is an employee issue, but it reflects on the company nonetheless. I had a customer service business in my home for almost two years and I cannot begin to tell you how many times I received calls from customers who were given incorrect information, even though everyone had similar guidelines.
We know that large organizations must continually build their customer base, but the problem we have with them is that many companies offer the world to new customers and thumb their noses at their current ones. May we as entrepreneurs not fall into that trap!
6Our clients or customers keeps the lights on to our business! My goal is always turning them into raving fans. Always appreciative and thankful.
7That about sums it up, Lynn. Without our clients or customers we do not have a business. Thanks for sharing your insight.
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