While tips on winning a first time customer gets a lot of press, turning one-time customers into repeat customers is equally as important and should not be neglected. Delivering good service once is not enough to ensure repeat business in today’s competitive, global marketplace. Instead you need to have a strategy in place to ensure repeat customers.
Consider a One-Time Customer a Qualified Lead
One-time customers should be considered qualified leads and treated as such, for other products you sell and for subsequent purchases. Apply the same tips you would use for first-time buyers to encourage repeat business. Nurture that lead so that the customer purchases a different product or repeats the same.
Use a Contact Management System
Use a quality contact management system consistently. By logging details of each and every interaction with your customers, you will have exactly the information you need at your fingertips to:
- Deliver the best customer service,
- Know your customer’s need, and
- Offer something new.
A cloud based phone system like Halloo gives you the contact management system you need, along with your business phone service.
Follow Up
A good business practice is to follow up with your customers after each sale. This seals the customer service experience as a good one, gives them an opportunity to ask questions, and leaves them feeling that you care. It is also a great time to suggest a complementary product or service, gauge their interest in any other items you offer, and generally collect information that can be valuable for future sales opportunities. Document such information carefully in your contact management system.
Use Content
Every qualified lead, especially every customer who has purchased from you at least once, should be receiving content of some kind from you on a regular basis. Depending on the customer and the industry, that could be:
- Facebook or Twitter posts
- Emails
- Newsletters
- Snail mail
Make sure your communications are useful, provide actionable information, and are not salesy. You want the content you create to be read, not ignored because it is another sales pitch.
There are several main purposes behind creating content aimed at your customers.
- It reminds them of who you are and what you offer. This is especially important if your company sells things that are expensive and purchased infrequently. Customers can actually forget who they purchased from last time. But if you are in regular contact, they will be more likely to remember you.
- With quality content, you establish yourself as an authority in your field. Customers gravitate towards providers who are knowledgeable and known in their industry.
- You actually have the opportunity to drive sales and control demand, to a certain degree, when you regularly communicate with your customers. Good deals or special discounts for existing customers offered during low periods can spark a surge in business.
By putting these strategies to work for each and every client, your ratio of return customers is sure to skyrocket.