For business-to-business sales, marketing, and service management who want to increase profits through qualified relationships.
July 14, 2004
Customer Retention Strategies You Should Know
Top 10 Tactics for Keeping B2B Clients. Given how much effort companies spend on getting new clients, it's amazing how little they focus on keeping them. [Larry Chases's Web Digest For Marketers]
Why invest time and money getting people to do business with you if you aren't going to keep them around? Make customer retention a part of your acquisition efforts. Larry Chase offers 10 tactics for keeping business-to-business clients that you should follow too.
- Listen. Your clients will tell you what they need if you take the time to listen to them. Design every interaction to learn more about customers desires.
- Take Responsibility When Something Goes Wrong. You don't have to admit you made the mistake, just take the actions necessary to make the situation right for the customer.
- Under Promise, Over Deliver. Be realistic about what you provide to the point you'll produce better than expected results for every client.
- It's Just Business, Not. Understand that even business buyers make decisions based on emotion, they most often justify the decision later with reason. Be enjoyable to do business with.
- Nonlinear Niceties. Appeal to a customers personal desires, even if it's just a friendly card or gift to say thank you.
- "If It Were My Money" Would you buy what you offer if you had to pay for it yourself? Ask this in every customer interaction.
- Add New Value. Keep a keen eye on your customers to discover new products and services that may help them. Demonstrate your listening and eagerness to service them by thinking on their behalf.
- Subscribe To Your Competitors. Monitor your competition from your customers prospective, learn what you can to improve what you do.
- What Do You Have That Your Competitors Don't? Learn to stand out from a crowd by describing your unique value to clients from day one.
- Don't Let Them Get Away. Find out why customers are leaving and what you can do to keep others from walking away. Perhaps there is something you can do to keep them with you.
- Bonus Tip: Be Yourself. You'll want to do what clients desire, but do it in your own way with sincere authenticity. Have your own style that is completely yours.
By Justin Hitt at July 14, 2004 11:48 AM
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