Have you ever heard someone rave about a business or product that they love? That business must have done something right. If you are interested in long-term success, closing sales will not be enough. Instead, focus your attention on creating loyal fans who are taken by your product or service. Let’s walk through a few steps to making your customers fall in love with your brand.
Treat Them Well
Without customers, your business idea, however great, will only be a pipe dream. That’s why you should invest time, effort, and thought into creating a memorable experience for your customers every step of the way. Make quality customer service a staple of your company culture. Create a customer loyalty program and reward repeat customers. Train your employees to value and excel at customer service relations and create a culture that rewards workers who excel at it.
If a customer has a query or concern, move fast to address it. Make your customers feel like they are the kings of your business, and you would go to every length to make them happy. For instance, if customers are giving you their data, you have the responsibility of keeping it safe. You should invest in secure file transfer methods such as eFax to keep your customers’ information away from hackers.
Listen to Your Customers
The best businesses are the ones who pay attention and listen to their customers. True, you may have a groundbreaking idea or service, but it’s the customer you are serving, and your idea will only thrive if it serves your customers. You can use any of the following channels to get feedback from your customers:
- Surveys
- Social media
- Polls
- Web communities
- Focus groups
- Point of Sale
- Observation
The feedback from these channels can help you design products and adjust your strategies to suit your clients’ tastes. Customers feel valued and important when they feel their opinions matter to you and, more importantly, that you are willing to make changes to ensure their satisfaction. The information gleaned from such interactions can also help you see what’s working and which parts of your business need a makeover. Read more about listening to your customers in this article.
Build Trust
Trust is the currency of business. Once you lose the trust of your customers, your business is as good as dead. The advent of the internet and search sites such as Google and Bing have made customers even more informed and incredibly savvy. You will only be selling yourself short if you deceive or mislead your customers. That’s why honesty is very important in building a business. Do not promise clients anything that your product or service cannot deliver. Exaggerations are very expensive in the business world: they can come back to haunt you. Be upfront with clients about the limitations of your product, if any. If you give your word to your customers – and make sure that you honor it, no matter what.
It’s Not Just About Your Company
Socially responsible companies are a favorite for many shoppers, particularly millennials and Gen Z-ers. Little wonder companies such as TOMS shoes, Warby Parker, and Better World Books give away some of their products with each purchase customers make. This philanthropic model makes customers feel like they are part of changing the world. Of course, you don’t have to give away products with every purchase, but your organization should find ways of using your profits to help make the world a better place.