How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly do you know why they are loyal customers?
Customer loyalty has been a buzz term in marketing for some time and with good reason. Estimates suggest it can cost 5 times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.
Think about your business as having a bucket of customers. The customers you lose leak out a hole in the bottom of the bucket. Understanding how big the hole is for your business is the crucial first step to improving your customer loyalty. The second step is understanding why some customers stay and why others leave. Here's a simple way to measure the size of the hole in your bucket.
Take the number of customers who bought from you last year. Then take the number that bought from you this year. The difference between the two figures is your net gain/loss of customers. So if last year the number was 5,000 and this year it's 4,600 your net loss is 400 customers. If you know the value of a customer each year then you can work out what the lost revenue is. Coming back to the customer bucket the hole is big enough to leak 400 customers a year. So why are they leaving?
Common reasons customers leave include:
- bad service
- perceived indifference
- better offer elsewhere
- no longer need your product or service
Some reasons you can do something about, some you can't. When you know a customer is leaving or they haven't bought from you for a while see if you can find out why by asking them. Try an open ended question like 'thanks for being our customer, so we can continue to improve our service can I ask why you are leaving'. Not everyone will respond and that's OK. But those that do may give you valuable insights into things you can improve about your business. Take action on what you find.
You should also be asking your loyal customers why they stay with you. You might be surprised by the answers you get. Often people stay for simple reasons. I get coffee from some places because the staff are friendly even though there is better coffee elsewhere. The friendly service makes the coffee taste better than it actually is. Have you had an experience like this?
So make it your mission to find out why customers stay with you or leave you. When you see patterns that make people stay keep doing it. when you see common reasons people leave fix them. Good luck.
Get a customized and guaranteed online marketing strategy for your business. Your first consultation is 100% free but I can only do a few of these each month so claim yours now!
A specific group of people you will focus on selling... Read More
Are you on track for hitting all your business goals... Read More
Have you clearly defined your target audience? These are the... Read More
Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you... Read More
What is a company profile? ... Read More
Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the... Read More
Ten Marketing Pitfalls By Stuart ReidIf you want to make... Read More
If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and... Read More
Referrals are an extension of Networking. If people like you... Read More
Recent studies concerning the "new world of women" have been... Read More
You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second... Read More
While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way... Read More
Things have to change. Cross selling is not going to... Read More
A church in my community provided me with one of... Read More
As the American economy emerges from recession, many businesses are... Read More
Just like there are reverse dictionaries, there is a reason... Read More
As a small business how do you compete with the... Read More
Many service business owners these days are "giving away" their... Read More
Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More
Every business person who has any kind of product or... Read More
Entrepreneurs pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of... Read More
You know who you are and what you want and... Read More
After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered... Read More
In business we have a number of ways or tools... Read More
Our business environment has changed dramatically. Companies must now be... Read More
How to Create Strategies That Work In Today's Markets. Of... Read More
How well do you know your customers?What is the primary... Read More
Small business marketing is not like taking a family vacation.Did... Read More
My niece recently graduated from high school, and my family... Read More
A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic... Read More
For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing... Read More
One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original... Read More
One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business... Read More
New Year's is a good time for strategic planning or... Read More
In building and running a professional practice (or any small... Read More
Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are... Read More
Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting... Read More
Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail... Read More
The REAL key to successful marketing of any product is... Read More
"Buy this magazine or we'll shoot the dog," went a... Read More
"There are those who get things done and those who... Read More
Marketing calendars are used by many businesses to help keep... Read More
As a business professional, you probably realize the value of... Read More
Why does your business need a business card?Business card is... Read More
Almost every small business marketer knows that they should gather... Read More
Some people are happy with just a business card. For... Read More
Some of the most successful package introductions have come from... Read More
The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has... Read More
Good business is about communication... not just what you say... Read More
It's crucial to know your prospects if you want to... Read More
Marketing Marketing |