Customer Loyalty
- July 20th, 2008
- View Comments (5)
What keeps your customers loyal to you? How do you ensure that another less scrupulous consultant won’t be able to swoop down and take customers right out of our customer base? The answer is customer service. If you build a strong relationship with your customers and listen to their needs and wants; they won’t dream of buying their products from anyone but you.
Some great ideas for maintaining customer loyalty range from packaging their orders beautifully and with care to remembering things like birthdays and special occasions. In the past, I have not been good at making pretty packages. I’m getting better at it and people love opening their orders when it looks like a gift! I got this great idea from a director in my area. Wrap each item of the order in tissue paper and apply a seal. Nashville Wraps has “thank you” seals. I love this idea because isn’t that what they do at high end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom? Why should we be any different?
Another customer service measure I take is remembering birthdays. I have birthday postcards that I send out to my customers at the beginning of each month. It wishes them a happy birthday and offers them a 25% discount on anything they wish to order in their birth month. Not only is the useful for customer loyalty, but it is a good way to generate some sales.
Here is a very good idea that I am the worst at. Calling customers every so often (but not too often!) to tell them what is new and/or to see if they are low on any products. I would only do this if the customer has told you they want you to call them (some specify they only want contacted via mail or email; oblige them!). I am working on getting into the habit of always contacting those I’ve sent the quarterly catalog just to confirm they received it. Then I ask if anything caught their eye.
These are just a few ways to keep your customers loyal to you. If anyone has more ideas to share, please do! 
Tags: Customer Service, Sales Techniques, Selling
Pink Biz
Shades of Pink
Stumble It!
Nashville Wraps Rocks! I get most of my packaging from them!
Thanks for commenting on my pedicure post (at Chic Critique). If you are going to Charlotte, I will be happy to tell you how to get to the greatest pedicure but if you go near home, I definitely recommend asking for the paraffin dip if it is not already part of the package!
Thanks, Sarah! I think I’ve had a paraffin dip before and yes, they are very indulgent!
I’ve never really been the “foof it up” type, but as I’m sitting here thinking about it, the “wrap it in tissue paper idea might be a good one for me. I have several out-of-state customers, and it occurs to me that this idea might not only improve presentation but also provide additional protection while in route. Thanks!
NP, Kare! I’m not good at gift wrapping, I’ll admit, but a little tissue paper goes a long way.