Customer Retention Methods for Small Business
pQuite a few businesses focus the majority of their efforts a href=http://www.motomessage.com/maximize-customer-retention/ target=_blanksmall business marketing/a and searching for new clients or consumers.nbsp; While this is a necessity to promote growth, you also canrsquo;t forget about your current customer base.nbsp; If you do not cater to consumers who already purchase from you, they might leave and shop somewhere else.br /The Stats:br /br /nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; * Acquiring new customers can price five times a lot more than satisfying and retaining current shoppersbr /nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; * A 2% enhance in customer retention has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10%br /nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; * The average firm loses 10% of its buyers each yearbr /nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; * A 5% reduction in customer defection rate can enhance profits by 25-125%, depending on the industrybr /nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; * The consumer profitability rate tends to boost over the life of a retained purchaserbr /br /Shoppers leave for a lot of reasons including they do not like your product, they move, your competition lures them away or their friends influence them to try something else.nbsp; But the overwhelmingly number 1 reason customers leave (~70%!) is that they think there is an attitude of indifference by the small business towards them. They experience like the business does not care whether or not they shop, eat, etc. at their establishment.nbsp; Where would this attitude come from and what can you do to make certain all your customers sense like they may be significant to your success?br /br /Think about the last time you went in to pick up a pizza or go shopping for clothes.nbsp; Did they greet you as soon as you came in?nbsp; Were they friendly to you the entire time you were there?nbsp; Did they say goodbye and thanks whenever you left?nbsp; Even if you didnrsquo;t buy anything?nbsp; If they didnrsquo;t do any of those things, or even if they only did half of those, chances are it left a bad taste in your mouth.br /br /For lunch once a week or so, I go get a sub at Jimmy Johnrsquo;s.nbsp; As soon as you walk inside door, all the employees inside store (about 5) shout out hello to you no matter what they may be doing at the time.nbsp; These are all friendly, seem to care about you, and look like these are having a very good time.nbsp; When you leave, they all shout out ldquo;have a nice day.rdquo;nbsp; It is easy and it doesnrsquo;t expense Jimmy Johnrsquo;s a dime but it makes buyers really feel like they may be crucial.br /br /On the flip side of that, I was in Boston a couple months ago and went to get a sub for dinner at a local chain nearby the hotel.nbsp; Now, granted it was near closing time, but when we walked within the shop, a girl behind the counter who was the one making subs, moaned and rolled her eyes at the thought that she now had to make two far more subs prior to she could begin to clean up and go home.nbsp; It didnrsquo;t make us really feel required or significant as customers and I personally wouldnrsquo;t visit that sub shop or chain again.br /br /What else can you do to enhance purchaser retention and make your clients really feel significant besides putting a friendly smile on your face?nbsp; How frequently do you communicate with them?nbsp; Do you even know who your clients are?nbsp; Do you keep a database of addresses, email lists, phone numbers?nbsp; If so wonderful!nbsp; If not, what are you waiting for?nbsp; It is simple to have a stack of cards at the counter so buyers can join your email list, or ensure that your POS system tracks customers and lets you export their data so youll be able to send them cards. a href=http://www.motomessage.com/ target=_blankMobile marketing/a lets you build a list of your shoppers cell phone numbers so it is possible to communicate offers or events immediately.nbsp; What ever you use to track them, just make certain that youre doing it and that all your employees are on board./p
