Leads are like ripe and ready seeds. They’re extremely valuable, but, like seeds that grow in the ground, they need nurturing to turn them into loyal customers. With 57% of customers now spending more on brands to which they are loyal, loyalty is more coveted than ever. This is because it leads to consistent sales and profit.
The initial interactions with a lead, and the company–lead relationship, are precious. It is no wonder that professionals are anxious and confused about how to proceed.
Yet, there are many ways to grow customer loyalty, and boost sales for the future. Nourish the lead in the right way, and it will grow into a loyal customer who buys regularly.
Below are six ways to build customer loyalty through lead conversion.
1. Approach the potential customer right away
As soon as you have the details of your potential customer, don’t delay. Making contact sooner is better while the customer is available.
Today’s technological society is lightning-fast. For example, you can do conference calling for free in a matter of seconds. Customers have higher expectations than ever when it comes to speedy responses.
The graph below reveals the results of a study conducted in late 2017. More than 1000 US consumers were surveyed about company response times. Over half said they expect a response instantly via online chat, chatbots, face-to-face, telephone, and apps. Over a quarter expect an instant response via email, similar to how quick one can sign over a transaction using an electronic document signature software.
So, responding as fast as possible can meet these customer expectations and even surpass them.
Leads are the lifeblood of a business. Train salespeople to respond to leads as a priority over all other work. This training can be carried out via an online virtual environment or video meeting (you can video chat for free).
This isn’t a one-time race. Consistent quick customer communication is vital. Businesses can shape the customer perception of the brand and thereby cultivate loyalty. Responding quickly only at first is not good enough. Instead, communication should be consistently quick and effortless. This allows the customer to keep their interest.
2. Make a good first impression with a strong brand voice
Branding is of great importance when it comes to how to build customer loyalty. Increasingly, customers want to feel that the values of a company align with theirs. Their first introduction to the company needs to intrigue them. They need to believe that they will be achieving something that they desire. A positive first impression is everything when turning leads into loyal customers.
There are many different ways that brand voice can be expressed.
The above chart shows four different branding options. But there are endless possibilities. The voice will depend on your customer’s own personality and habits. Communication should make them feel as though they are talking to a friend. This includes all communication channels, including emerging trends in communication.
Make sure your voice is genuine and that you are not just following trends. New and popular methods of communication by big brands may be attractive. Yet, this will be transparent to potential customers.
There are many ways to use psychology to retain customers. But, this one is core to a business’ daily operations. Integrating this persona into the center of the business means loyalty will be easier to come by. As a positive side effect, the messaging will be linear across platforms.
It is possible to develop this voice over time using social media marketing and an email newsletter service.
3. Contact customers using their preferred communication channel
What is the best way to contact customers? This is a key element when assessing how to build customer loyalty. Conducting market research on this is a good idea. There will likely be different approaches for different customers. Staff should be aware of any customer segmentation. Provide a guide for how best to communicate with customers.This can be based on data such as their age, profession, or country of origin.
The above graph (2018) reveals the country-specific differences in preferred communication channels. For example, live chat is moderately popular in the US, Brazil, and the UK, but a lot less popular in Germany and Japan. This is something that companies must be aware of. This is particularly apt when a company has operations in multiple countries.
Communication over the phone is a more personal approach than email. But, it can be more costly to follow up on leads and find virtual call centers to employ. On the other hand, because emails and text messages can be sent en masse, customers are less likely to respond to them.
Something as simple as the appropriate method of communication is important. It can make the difference between repeated sales and a reluctant recipient.
4. Be prepared to sweeten the deal
You may be wondering how to build customer loyalty after securing the customer’s attention. A powerful way to persuade customers is to offer them a sweet starter deal. Customers may feel indebted to the company and buy more in future. In a 2018 study on consumer habits, 80% of people said they would feel encouraged to buy from a previously unknown brand if offered a discount.
Introductory offers are best used with subscription-based sales. Yet, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be used with other sales. Give the lead a chance to try your product and see how good it is at a discounted rate. You may see them come back for more at the regular price.
You could also place a time limit on the discount. This will make customers more likely to take advantage of the offer, as they perceive it to be exclusive.
Companies must be sure of their product’s value and what it can bring potential customers.
Sales teams need to be empowered to provide customer assistance, such as competitive discounts you may propose through any proposify alternatives.
They should also be sure to check in with the customer following the discount. Review what they liked and what they didn’t. Then, offer them a product that meets their needs better if you have one. Keep following up and nurture the relationship.
5. Make them feel as though they belong
For endless customer loyalty, people need to feel like they are part of something. They need to feel like they are part of a group of like-minded people.
This is what motivates people to queue for hours for a new product and stay up to date with product models. It keeps customers coming back for more each time.
Get in early with new customers and quickly start building this reassuring sense of belonging. Using this approach, companies can get to the root of how to build customer loyalty quickly.
To create this feeling of belonging, companies can send interactive content to customers. Providing a forum for customers also helps customers feel a sense of community. These will help customers engage with the company and its products.
An example of an effective interactive content campaign is quiz marketing. This involves customers receiving fun quizzes which sort them into groups.
Create a lasting and personalized relationship that is complex and involves remembered information. This can be as simple as a salesperson remembering what a customer ordered before and what their experience was. These personal touches encourage customers to develop psychological connections. They will form a relationship, not only with the representative but with the brand by proxy.
Nowadays, customers buy into experiences, not just products. They will align themselves with you if you create this sense of belonging for them.
6. Finally, measure customer loyalty to check it’s all working
One of the most appropriate measures of customer retention is churn rate. High churn rates mean that customers who have bought from you before stop buying. This could be for a variety of reasons. These include poor customer support, ineffective brand messaging, and poor customer targeting.
Other measures include net promoter score (NPS) and customer loyalty index (CLI). Businesses can gather these using surveys targeted to existing customers.
Choosing the right metric for your case is essential. Every method measures the business in a slightly different way.
Diagrams and models for monitoring and assessing business performance are also useful.
The above diagram, from a 2017 research study, demonstrates how customer loyalty can benefit a company. Apostles will share news of the company’s services thanks to them being in the Zone of Affection. Meanwhile, Terrorists are disloyal and may damage the company’s reputation.
Using diagrams such as these, and measuring customer loyalty against them, will help to track how well lead conversion is being performed.
Go beyond converting leads
The journey doesn’t end there. Checking in with customers post-purchase, using the best small business phone system, is just as important. All factors above can help companies to grow a lead into a loyal customer, but this is only the first step.
Make sure that your customer is completely satisfied. Ask about their experience continuously. How can we make them happy and secure sales for the future? This will help to build and perfect the product, as well as improve the customer experience.
It is simple to learn how to build customer loyalty. But continuous work is required. What starts as one loyal, returning customer can turn into legions of fanatics. These people will care about your vision and have a stake in your products. Maintaining customer loyalty over years, decades, and generations is something that few brands master. With continued relationship building over time, this can become a possibility.
