Ideal Marketing Company Blog

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

Many of the business books will tell you about offering outstanding customer service.  In my experience, most companies can survive and make a good living by being barely adequate. 

Perhaps because we don’t like complaining much, mediocrity is everywhere we look.  A sandwich shop that doesn’t have fresh bread – but it’s the only one in the village.  A petrol station that is filthy with surly service, but it’s located by a busy road.  A restaurant with poor service that gets by because of limited choice in the local area.  All of these businesses succeed through lack of competition; they may survive for years as they are and make a decent living – without providing proper customer satisfaction.

But imagine the difference if they really tried?  If they really embraced their customers?  If they worked out what their customers wanted?  If they really went out of their way to serve the customer?  What would happen when a new competitor opened up nearby?  Would it affect them?  Possibly, but if they had followed the ideas contained here, it would only have a very limited effect because their business would be built on a strong foundation of customer loyalty. 

The more loyal your customers, the stronger your business.  With loyal, happy customers, much of your marketing is done for you.  Much of your new business is taken care of and much of your profit is predictable.  If you decide to expand, you will be able to do so confident that you have a highly successful business model that you can replicate easily.

It all starts with appreciating that your customer is king.  Your customer is the most valuable asset in your company.  Keep your customer happy and wanting more.  Give your customer what they want and they will keep coming back to you for more.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

34. Encourage referrals.  What gets rewarded gets repeated.  If you send a thank you letter and voucher when a new client is gained as a result of a referral, do you think your customers will do it again?  By making it clear that you appreciate the effort they have made to refer business to you, you are making it much more likely that you will continue to receive business in this way.  It is not so much the gift; it is more the fact that you have taken the trouble to acknowledge the kind referral from a customer.

35. The most important people in your company are your customers.  Accept this, believe it and make sure everybody else in the company believes it too.  In some companies, customers are viewed as an inconvenience that gets in the way of getting the job done.  There would be no job, no wages and no company without them so remember who pays your mortgage, for your holidays and puts food on your table. Thank them and be grateful for them every day.

36. Get together with customers at social events, restaurants or other places away from the office or factory floor.  This change of scenery help you to be seen as more of a friend than a supplier and helps to foster deeper, more productive long term relationships.

37. Avoid silly mistakes.  When we rush it is all too easy to make simple mistakes.  These reduce your credibility in everybody’s eyes.  We all make the odd slip, but concentrate on making a great job of everything you do.  Don’t accept mistakes as inevitable, many of them can be avoided with some thought, preparation and attention to detail.  Remember, in most cases, the quality of the job will be remembered longer than the time it was delivered in.  

38. Aim for consistency.  There is a large telecoms / cable company I deal with that is 90% bad and 10% OK when you call them up for service. The few times I get my hopes up, only to be dashed when the promised delivery never arrives or the scheduled repair man doesn’t turn up.  As customers, we like to know where we are.  That’s why we like dealing with one person organisations - if that one person is good.  We know that we will get a good level of service from them.  If you have a good attitude towards customers, it’s important that any new staff you take on are briefed and trained in this.  Wouldn’t it be great if your customers felt that ‘no matter who you talk to, someone will help you out?’  There is nothing worse than playing Russian roulette with a company’s call centre.  One day you get a little star, the next you get somebody who would clearly rather be elsewhere.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

28. Introduce a money back guarantee scheme.  If you do business by post you need to offer a 30 day money back guarantee anyway.  Smart businesses do a lot with this.  Most companies try to bury it in the small print.  If you are selling something that you are proud of, you shouldn’t want people to pay for it if they don’t want it anyway.

29. Exit survey.  Why has that customer stopped using you?  What did they like, what did they hate?  When most customers leave we have no idea why they went.  If you take the time to ask them, there is statistically more chance that they will one day come back (if only to see if you have smartened up your act) and you will stop others going the same way. You should already be doing this with staff who move on, so why not find out why customers are too?  You might uncover some uncomfortable information, but it could be key information that could turn around your company.

30. Keep your word.  If you say you are going to do something, then do it.  Become known as the person who keeps their word. Ask customers what they want from you.  Do they want more contact, less contact, more / less information etc.  It’s always a good idea to be led by the customer; because what you think might be a useful regular update might be time wasting junk as far as the customer is concerned.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

25. Thank you.  Every time somebody gives you business, make sure you say thank you – and mean it.  These are two words that everybody likes to hear.

26. Don’t create a product and figure out a way to sell it.  Find out a need and work out a way to satisfy it.  What do your customers genuinely need?  Ask them what it is and then work out a way of either adapting or creating a product to fill that need.

27. Customer charter.  Create a customer charter or guarantee that sets out to any customer and member of staff exactly what should be expected.  Set your standards high and do everything in your power to stick to them.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

25. Thank you.  Every time somebody gives you business, make sure you say thank you – and mean it.  These are two words that everybody likes to hear.

26. Don’t create a product and figure out a way to sell it.  Find out a need and work out a way to satisfy it.  What do your customers genuinely need?  Ask them what it is and then work out a way of either adapting or creating a product to fill that need.

27. Customer charter.  Create a customer charter or guarantee that sets out to any customer and member of staff exactly what should be expected.  Set your standards high and do everything in your power to stick to them.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

22. Customer care manager.  Do you have one?  I know of companies with only three staff who have a customer care manager.  Even if it’s not a full time role, it shows your customers that you take their concern seriously.

23. Be innovative and different. In today’s crowded marketplace it is important to stand out from the competition.  Make sure your customers remember you for being the company that is always changing, always improving, always coming up with great new ideas.

24. Exceed expectations. It is no longer good enough to be OK.  If possible, always aim to exceed your customer’s expectations.  Promise to deliver by Tuesday, but deliver by Monday lunchtime. Deliver extra items with no charge.  Drop off personalised gifts such as mugs or calendars. 

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

19. Be positive.  We’ve all got problems, but if your customer asks you how you are, don’t use that as an excuse to talk about all your problems or badmouth your other customers.  I have stopped using companies because (even if I didn’t ask) the owner seemed to use me as an agony aunt for all the wrongs in his world.  It wasted my time and left me feeling depressed every time I called him!

20. Be good at what you do.  At the end of the day, you have to be good at what you do if you are going to retain customers for the long term.  Every piece of training you and your staff undertake will help to retain customers.  Don’t short change your customers by skimping on the constant training or re-training of your staff.  Invest in the best systems, equipment and people that you can afford to make sure that when people come you, they are getting the best and can be confident that you will do everything you can to stay the best. 

21. Innovate.  Earl Nightingale said that “it’s not good to get into a rut because a rut is nothing more than a grave with the ends kicked out.”  If you are not constantly looking for new, faster, cheaper, more exciting ways of doing things then the chances are your competitors are.  And if you look at what happens to companies without competitors, you see what unwieldy, slow moving, bureaucratic organisations they become – until competition comes along and offers a better service for half the price.  Always be looking to innovate and give your customer a better deal.  

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

16. Don’t worry, be happy.  Do you like your customer? If not, what are you doing talking to them?  If you know you are a grumpy, backroom boy then spend as little time talking to customers as you can and put somebody who loves dealing with customers in the front line.

17. Be honest.  Be honest with your customers at all times.  If you ever try shading the truth or telling an outright lie it will come back to haunt you in the end.  If you can do something, tell them, if you can’t, tell them, if you are too busy to do a proper job, tell them.  Your customers will appreciate your honesty and admire your integrity.

18. People buy from people.  Remember that you don’t really buy from companies. You really buy from the people who work for that company.  If a customer leaves, it is often because the person (account manager, shop worker etc.) just wasn’t giving them the service they required.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy

13. More is more. One of the reasons we love going on holiday to Crete is that when you go out for a meal, you often receive more than you bargained for.  Puddings will turn up without being ordered or a bottle of dessert wine will arrive with 2 glasses.  In Greece it is a sign of friendship.  How lovely to receive a little something extra that is unexpected - try treating your customers to more than they bargained for. Demonstrate care.  If you care for your customer, show them.  If you don’t, perhaps a competitor will.

14. Employ good staff.  If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys as the old saying goes.  Your staff are your company in the eyes of many customers.  What are your staff like?  Would you be proud to have your company represented by them?  Do they have an excellent attitude – always keen to help and sort out a customer’s problem?

15. Sort mistakes FAST.  We all make mistakes and errors happen.  One of the ways that a customer judges your business is how quickly you accept that you have made a mistake and how quickly you sort it out.  If you have got something wrong, it is down to you to correct it as quickly as possible, minimising its impact on the customer.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

Marketing Seminars – Keeping Customers Happy - Help that is above and beyond

10. Source new suppliers.  Does your customer have problems with some of their suppliers?  If you know of a good alternative, pass those details on.  Make a habit of collecting details of reliable and good value suppliers who you can pass onto customers if the need arises.

11. Be easy to do business with.  Do people have to spend ages chasing you down?  Does everything have to be done in triplicate?  Are your opening hours restrictive and your staff suspicious?  Break down all barriers and make it as easy as possible for anybody to do business with you. Make them feel significant and wanted every time they want to part with their hard earned cash.

12. Take action.  If you are asked about something that you don’t know the answer to, say you will get back with the answer and make sure you do.  Get known as a person who follows up words with actions and results. 

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.