Five easy points to keeping those customers hooked

Editor’s note: Michelle Stockman works with Little Rock-based Arkansas Capital Corp. to promote entrepreneurship development around the state. Stockman earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University-Chicago in communications and fine arts, and earned a master’s in entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University. Her thoughts on business success appear each week on The City Wire.

The challenge to keep customers in your business has seen continual change in the past 10 years (and more). There are many strategies to utilize in keeping customers happy and include providing a quality product or service, having great customer service that is personable, utilizing a sales force that are problem solvers not quota fillers and more.

Five easy suggestions on the race to keep customers are:
• adding value;
• focusing on your public relations efforts;
• obtaining customer success stories or endorsements;
• support customer referrals; and
• be visible in your market.

When you take an outsiders view of your company, can you find new ways to add value to your customers? It can be as simple as offering coffee to customers when they visit your site or adding a “thank you” to invoices. In the land of dentistry, an added value I discovered was sitting in a massage chair while getting my teeth cleaned. Guess what, I have referred several new patients to this office. Before you make cuts, consider keeping the value your customers may see in you.

Focus on your public relations to help maintain your customers. For many, this is your chance to get great customer stories or endorsements and brag on yourself and them through press releases, your Web site and your marketing materials. Brag about yourself as much as you can, since customers grow their trust in you if they are able to read more about you in outside trusted resources.

Make your company easy to refer for others. Whether you make your business cards easy to grab, offer a referral bonus to the customer or are friendly when a new customer calls from a referral there are many creative ways to be referral friendly. Being supportive of word-of-mouth marketing will help your business keep and grow new customers.

Lastly, your company needs to be seen in the marketplace. If you open a business and get so focused in running the operations, you are going to miss out in great promotional opportunities. Whether in person at chamber events, going to the local fundraiser or being seen in the virtual world, don’t underestimate how important it is for your customers to see you in your market or community.

Stockman can be reached at [email protected]