Create Loyal Customers and Business Will Thrive

First sales are always more difficult than repeat sales.  So, small business owners are always looking to build a loyal customer base.  Regardless of what you sell, there are a lot of ways you can maintain a loyal customer base.  Here are some tips:

Stay Professional by Keeping Your Training Up to Date 

Never stop learning about what you are selling.  It is important to always be perceived as the expert in your field.  Since information is so readily available on the Internet, customers are becoming more and more knowledgeable every day.  You don't want a situation where your customer knows more than you, the perceived expert.  So read the updates and take the courses you need to always be up to date on what’s going on in your industry.  Your commitment to lifelong growth will be rewarded by loyal customers. 

Resolve Customer Problems Quickly 

Customers rarely tell you straight out if they perceive an issue, so it is important to stay intuitive.  You might want to take your customer’s pulse periodically by reaching out and asking if everything is going well, or if there are areas that need improvement in your working relationship. 

The most important advice is to never point blame when you hear of a problem and use the SODDI defense (some other dude did it).  As the owner of your business, all problems end up with you, so take the blame up front gracefully.  Then rapidly solve the problem.  Customers are more used to excuses than fast action so your commitment will be noticed.  Instead of the error being foremost in their minds, the amiable resolution will keep them returning as repeat customers.  In fact, it is often that case that those “problem” customers often end up referring new business your way because of their satisfaction with your service. 

Help Your Customer Recall the Reasons They Picked You 

Don't be timid: it is critical that your customer is reminded of the advantages of choosing you over your competition, and you should praise them for their wise choice in you.  Everyone deserves a little praise, so why not also take the opportunity to remind your customer of your competitive advantages while praising them for making a good choice in you. 

The ultimate goal when creating loyal customers is to give them service that is so good, everyone else pales in comparison.  Give them such great service automatically, and they will demand the same for years to come.  That is when you have a loyal customer. 

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