You will hear me talk a lot about the Customer Relationship here at ThinkBlot. That’s because in my opinion, attracting your Right People and then building a long-term relationship with them is mission critcial to the success of any business.
But that isn’t nearly as simple or easy or you may think because of one simple truth.
Like it or not, your relationship with your customer is Conditional.
It is not unlike your personal relationships. When you are fulfilling all of their needs and wants, you will find that they are always there when you need them. There is a familiarity between you because you are making them feel special, important, and valuable and they, in turn, are giving you their attention and their business. It’s mutually beneficial and it feels great.
That’s what we all want in our relationships right?
Once we have that relationship established, there’s an expectation that we will get that kind of attention all the time. Plus, it’s a hassle to have to find someone new, so we have a tendency to stay in those relationships with little thought about what else may be out there.
But the moment we start feeling taken for granted, doubts enter our minds. That small crack is all it takes for someone else to slip into the room and grab our attention.
If you ignore your customers, they will feel like you’ve left them no other alternative. You see, it’s not that they didn’t like you, or that at some time you were in sync together, but right now, the only thing that matters to them is that they don’t feel that you are best fit for them anymore.
So they leave.
When things swing out of balance, and we lose focus on the relationships that got us to where we are, we both lose.
One of the easiest ways to keep our existing customers happy is to show them as often as we can that we are there for them and that we are listening.
If we are providing the value that they have come to expect from us, they won’t ever feel the need to have to look elsewhere.
Don’t take your customers for granted. Build feedback mechanisms into your business that measure your customers’ satisfaction regularly and take action to keep them happy.
Then watch your relationships grow and flourish.
What are some of your favorite ways to show your customers you care?
?
(photo credit Alaskan Dude)
Completely agree, Christy. The automotive industry faces customer loyalty on a daily basis at the dealership level. In fact, a great deal of marketing campaigns center around stimulating the customer to return to the dealership for repair work or simple service.
I found a blog that offers ways to nurture that loyalty and drives sales upward.