It seems one only has to listen to the news on for a few minutes to hear doom and gloom about the economy. Yet as business owners we only survive when we have customers buying products and services from us. Regardless of how the economy is doing around us we need to find ways to get our customers buying from us on a regular basis. Here are 5 things you can do to get your customers to buy more often from you despite economic challenges and in the process recession proof your business.
1. Celebrations and Special Events for Preferred Customers:
Every business has its best customers that it wants to continue to have relationships with. By treating these customers as special and recognizing their value to your business you can enrich the relationship by inviting them to special events. These events should be fun, timely, and personable. You may wish to introduce new products, services or have special pricing. The best thing for your business is that when done properly everyone wins! Your customers are recognized by you as important and as a result often end up purchasing more of what you have. Additionally, your customers want to be associated with a business that is thriving not declining. Putting effort into your celebrations brings your business to life in the minds of your preferred customers.
2. Follow Up on Sales:
One of the lost arts of selling is the follow up. How often do you get a call after you have made a purchase from the vendor just checking in to see how you are doing with it. Follow up calls can be huge in terms of building loyalty, trust, and making customers feel comfortable with you and what you have sold them. You are reducing their risks because they know you care and thus are more likely to buy from you in the future, and recommend you to others. When times are tough, we need to go that extra mile in ensuring that our customers are happy with our products and services, following up on sales is one of the best ways to build relationships.
3. Loyalty Programs:
Loyalty programs seem commonplace now and many customers expect a loyalty program when they are buying from you. But think about your loyalty program, are there ways that you can make it extra special. It might be in the delivery of the program; it might be in the wording. It is in the recognition you have of your customers ability to spend their hard-earned money with you. Loyalty programs don’t have to be complex, in fact they might be as simple as a punch card. The key is to give your customers a reason to come back and buy again from you.
4. Next Step Recommendations:
When we are dealing with our customers, we build a relationship as we provide our products or services. Often, we can see what the next steps are that they need to take to get to where they want to go. In order to help them achieve their goals, it is in their best interest and ours to suggest what that step is and to start the process of selling that step to them. This not only gives our customers reassurance that we understand their needs but keeps us top of mind when they are really ready to take that next step.
5. Put Your Customers on Autopilot!
While many businesses wait for customers to contact them, smart businesses put their
customers on autopilot. In other words, their customers are locking in for service or product for longer periods of time. This can be done by offering automatic shipping, automatic billing, lifetime service contracts, or service agreements that make it easy for your customers to stay with you. When your customer understands the value to them of entering such an agreement the benefits can be mutually beneficial.
In challenging times, keeping your customers happy can go a long way to ensuring your business is healthy and profitable for the future. Now is the time to invest in that future and those customers and in the process recession proof your business.
Dave Fuller is an Award-Winning Business Coach and the Author of the books Profit Yourself Healthy and Pivotal Performance and a partner in the firm Pivotleader Inc. Need help to recession proof your business? email dave@pivotleader.com